Francesco Guicciardini - in The Service of The Papacy 1513-1527

In The Service of The Papacy 1513-1527

In 1513 Giovanni de' Medici, the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, became Pope Leo X and brought Florence under Papal control. This provided opportunities for Florentines to enter Papal service, and in 1515 he began working for the papacy. Leo X made him governor of Reggio in 1516 and Modena in 1517. This was the beginning of a long career for Guicciardini in papal administration, first under Leo X, and then his successor, Clement VII. "He governed Modena and Reggio with conspicuous success," according to The Catholic Encyclopedia, and he was appointed to govern Parma. In that city, according to the Encyclopedia, "in the confusion that followed the pope's death, he distinguished himself by his defence of Parma against the French (1521)."

In 1523 he was appointed viceregent of the Romagna by Pope Clement VII (1478–1534). These high offices rendered Guicciardini the virtual master of the Papal States beyond the Apennines. As he later described himself during this period: "If you had seen messer Francesco in the Romagna...with his house full of tapestries, silver, servants thronged from the entire province where--since everything was completely referred to him--no one, from the Pope down, recognized anyone as his superior..."

Throughout these years the political turmoil in Italy was intensifying. As hostilities between the French King Francis I and the Emperor Charles V escalated, the Pope remained undecided over which side to back and sought Guicciardini's advice. Guicciardini counseled an alliance with France, urging Clement to conclude the League of Cognac in 1526, which led to war with Charles V. In 1526 as the forces of Charles V threatened to attack, Clement made Guicciardini lieutenant-general of the papal army. Guicciardini was powerless to influence the commander of papal forces Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino to take action. However, in April 1527 Gucciardini succeeded in averting an attack on Florence from a rebellious imperial army, which turned toward Rome instead. Less than two weeks later came the news of the Sack of Rome and the imprisonment of Clement in the Castel Sant'Angelo.

Although Guicciardini served three popes over a period of twenty years, or perhaps because of this, he was highly critical of the papacy, writing:

“I don't know anyone who dislikes the ambition, the avarice, and the sensuality of priests more than I do...Nevertheless, the position I have enjoyed with several popes has forced me to love their greatness for my own self-interest. If it weren't for this consideration, I would have loved Martin Luther as much as I love myself--not to be released from the laws taught by the Christian religion as it is normally interpreted and understood, but to see this band of ruffians reduced within their correct bounds.”