Pragmatic Secular And Religious Policies Of Pope Leo X

Leo X(1475-1521)was criticized for his extravagant enjoyment and sale of indulgences.At the same time,he was highly praised for his great efforts in rewarding humanities and arts and revitalizing Rome,which is also the most popular evaluation of Leo X.It is true that both of them reflect the merits and demerits of Leo X.However,both of them ignore Leo X as the ruler of papacy and the leader of church.During the eight years of Leo X(1513-1521),it was the transitional period for European countries to move towards monarchy and nation-state,the strengthening of monarchy,the awakening of national consciousness and the emergence of national church.What role did Leo X play as the ruler of Papal State and church leader?In the face of the rise of nation-state and the wave of Reformation,Leo X also dreamed of the glorious years of the supremacy of religious power in the period of Innocent III.He inherited the legacy of his predecessor Julius II and tried to establish the dominant position of papacy in Europe based on the Medici family.However,after the signing of the London Peace Pact,Leo X began to realize the fact that the papacy had declined.Therefore,he gradually gave up the dream of supremacy of religious power and turned to defend in time.The core of his policy changed from fighting for European hegemony to defending the rule of Papal State and church.He began to face the dual dilemma of secular and religious with a pragmatic attitude.It is this kind of change that makes papacy and church bear the impact of the times.However,when later generations narrated this period of history,they raised the historical status of Martin Luther and the Reformation,at the same time,they deliberately or unintentionally belittled Leo X,whose image was solidified as an opponent of the Reformation and a sinner of the church schism,and then ignored his efforts to protect the papacy and the church rule at that time.Therefore,in order to further analyze the historical status of Leo X,this paper takes his secular and religious policies as the focus,combing the major events during his reign in combination with the European situation in the early 16 th century,and trying to reveal Leo X who as a ruler.