Roman Catholic Pope. Pope Julius II ruled from November 1, 1503 until his death on February 21, 1513. Named Giuliano della Rovere at his birth into a poor but well connected family, he was was known as “The Fearsome Pope” and “The Warrior Pope.” His uncle was Pope Sixtus IV who practiced nepotism during his pontificate. He promoted Giuliano to Bishop of Carpentras in 1471 and Cardinal later that same year. Other positions held by Giuliano della Rovere were Bishop of Lausanne (1472), Bishop of Coutances (1476), first Archbishop of Avignon (1474), and many others. Giuliano della Rovere was appointed Papal Legate in 1474 and promoted to Archbishop of Ostia in 1843. This same year, he was named Bishop of Bologna. He fathered an illegitimate daughter, Felice delle Rovere, who became one of the most powerful women living in Renaissance Italy. In 1484, after the death of Pope Sixtus IV, Giuliano bribed electors to elevate Cardinal Giovanni Battista Cibò as the next pope: Innocent VIII. After the death of Pope Innocent VIII in 1492, Alexander VI became the next pope and Giuliano della Rovere removed to France for his safety. However, in 1503, after the death of Pope Alexander VI, he returned to Rome determined to become the next pope. He bribed cardinals with money and promises of preferment and was elected to the papacy in October 1503. He chose the name Julius II. As Pope, he went to war and restored the Papal States of Romagna, Perugia, and Bologna. He joined the League of Cambrai in order to defeat Venice. He formed the Holy League to drive Louis XII from Italy and consolidate papal power. He issued a decree declaring that any future papal election won through simony would be invalid and he convened the fifth Lateran Council to condemn the actions of rebellious cardinals. Pope Julius II was an avid patron of the arts. He hired Michelangelo to design his tomb and to repaint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He commissioned Raphael to fresco the four “Raphael Rooms” at the Vatican, and hired Donato Bramante to design St Peter’s Basilica, laying the cornerstone on April 18, 1506.