Pope Pius III (29 May 1439-18 October 1503), born Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, was Pope from 22 September to 18 October 1503, succeeding Pope Alexander VI and preceding Pope Julius II. Pope Pius was a strong supporter of the House of Borgia, and he supported Cesare Borgia's campaigns in the Romagna. His death, less than a month after becoming Pope, led to the downfall of the Borgia family, as the anti-Borgia cardinal Della Rovere became Pope Julius II.
Biography[]
Pope Pius in 1503
Francesco Piccolomini was born in Siena on 29 May 1439, the nephew of Pope Pius II. He studied law at the University of Perugia and became an administrator of the Archdiocese of Siena, becoming the unconsecrated Archbishop in 1459. In 1460, he became Cardinal-Deacon of San Eustachio under his uncle, and he performed the coronation of Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. In 1493, Pope Alexander VI appointed him papal legate to France. Ten years later, he succeeded Pope Alexander, and he supported immediate reform of the Catholic Church with the establishment of a new council of cardinals, strict reform of church expenses and the financial situation of the church, and peace in the Papal States and support of Cesare Borgia. Pope Pius reconfirmed Borgia as Gonfaloniere of the Papal States, as he was a pro-Borgia pope. He died of gout in 1503, possibly poisoned by Lord Pandolfo Petrucci of Siena.