Paul III (1468-1549) was elected pope in 1534 and reigned during the transition in Rome from the Renaissance to the church renewal movement called the Counter Reformation. While in many respects a Renaissance prince, Paul devoted serious attention to religious matters and helped further church reform. He named prominent theologians and churchmen to the college of cardinals, and he encouraged the development of new religious orders, notably the Society of Jesus, commonly called the Jesuits. In 1545, he convened the Council of Trent, which played a major role in the Counter Reformation (see Trent, Council of ).
Paul was born on Feb. 29, 1468, in Canino, Italy, near Viterbo. His given and family name was Alessandro Farnese. Like many other Renaissance popes, he promoted the interests of his powerful family. He was an important patron of the arts, commissioning the completion of the elegant Farnese Palace and Michelangelo’s painting The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Paul died on Nov. 10, 1549.
