1559-1565 ITALY - PAPAL STATES - PIVS IV, - Guilio n.d., Rome vf à ss+

weight 2,95gr.   silver Ø 27mm.

obv. Saint Peter standing facing, holding keys and book, within circle,
surrounded by the legend •ALMA•ROMA•   –  S•PETRVS•
rev. Poligonal shield with Papal arms, tiara and crossed keys above,
in circle, surrounded by the legend •PIVS•IIII•  –  •PONT•MAX•

Pope Pius IV, born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a branch of the House of Medici and used the same coat of arms. Giovanni Angelo Medici was born in Milan on 31 March 1499 as the second of eleven children to Bernardino Medici and Clelia Serbelloni. Medici studied philosophy and medicine in Pavia. After studying at University of Bologna and acquiring a reputation as a jurist he obtained his doctorate in both canon and civil law on 11 May 1525. Giovanni went in 1527 to Rome, and as a favourite of Pope Paul III was rapidly promoted to the governorship of several towns, the archbishopric of Ragusa (1545–1553), and the vice-legateship of Bologna. On 8 April 1549, Pope Paul III made Medici a cardinal, receiving his red hat and titular church title on the following 10 May. Under Papal authority, he was sent on diplomatic missions to the Holy Roman Empire and also to Hungary.

On the death of Pope Paul IV, he was elected pope on 25 December 1559, taking the name Pius IV, and installed on 6 January 1560. His first public acts of importance were to grant a general pardon to the participants in the riot after the death of his predecessor, and to bring to trial the nephews of his predecessor. One, Cardinal Carlo Carafa, was strangled, and Duke Giovanni Carafa of Paliano, with his nearest associates, was beheaded. On 18 January 1562 the Council of Trent, which had been suspended by Pope Julius III, was convened by Pius IV for the third and final time.

A conspiracy against Pope Pius IV was discovered and suppressed in 1565. The plot was led by Benedetto Accolti, who planned to present the Pope with a demand for his abdication and, if that failed, to assassinate him with a poisoned dagger. Accolti′s motivations were partly personal, but also stemmed from dissatisfaction among Romans with Pius IV′s pontificate, particularly his tax increases. Accolti was the illegitimate son of a cardinal. The strict laws established by Pope Paul IV establishing the Jewish Roman Ghetto were loosened by Pius IV, allowing Jews to own property worth up to 1500 ducats, and to do business of any kind with Christians except hire them as servants. Rent in the ghetto could not be "exorbitant", but would be set by the executive of the city. During the reign of Pius IV, Michelangelo rebuilt the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (in Diocletian′s Baths) and the eponymous Villa Pia, now known as Casina Pio IV, in the Vatican Gardens designed by Pirro Ligorio. It is now the headquarters of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He also assigned Michelangelo to build Porta Pia. Pius IV also ordered public construction to improve the water supply of Rome. Pius IV died on 9 December 1565 from complications following an infection in the urinary tract and a high fever. He was buried in Santa Maria degli Angeli on 4 January 1583 after his remains were initially housed at Saint Peter′s Basilica. His successor was Pius V.

Berman 1066 | MIR 1055/13 | Muntoni 32 | Numista 113620
Small pit on the reverse. Attractive toning.
vf à vf+

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