Pope Julius III

Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte built his career as a skilled diplomat before being elected pope on 22 February 1550 as a compromise after Paul III's death. He made brief, halfhearted gestures toward reform before turning his attention to personal indulgence. What destroyed him was his relationship with Innocenzo Ciocchi Del Monte, the adopted nephew he elevated despite the boy's unsavory origins and his own obvious obsession. The scandal poisoned both his reputation and the Church's at a moment when neither could afford it. He died in March 1555, the last pope to take the name Julius.