Pope Leo XI

Pope of the Catholic Church in April 1605 (1535-1605)

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Lived 1535–1605, aged 70

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Wikipedia
81 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1535–1605
Aged 70

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

He held the papacy for twenty-seven days. Alessandro de' Medici took the throne at nearly seventy, caught a fever, and died before the month closed — one of the shortest reigns in Vatican history.

Biography

About

Born into the House of Medici in Florence on 2 June 1535, Alessandro di Ottaviano de' Medici climbed through the Church's diplomatic ranks: Florence's ambassador to the pope, Bishop of Pistoia, Archbishop of Florence, then papal legate to France and cardinal Prefect for the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. In the March 1605 conclave, at almost seventy, he was elected pope and took the name Leo XI on 1 April. The fever struck almost immediately. He died on 27 April 1605, twenty-seven days in.

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