Pope Leo XII
Pope Leo XII reigned from 1823 to 1829 and governed the Papal States as a reactionary at a moment when that was already untenable. Born Annibale della Genga near Spoleto in 1760 into a noble family, he was ordained in 1783, entered the papal diplomatic service, and served as nuncio to Cologne and then to Munich and on missions to Paris. He was made a cardinal in 1816 and Vicar of Rome in 1820, and was elected in September 1823 at sixty-three, already ill; his health was so poor that he was chosen partly because he was not expected to last. His policy was to reverse everything associated with the French period. He reimposed the confinement of Jews to ghettos in the Papal States, restricting where they could live, own property and trade. He revived feudal jurisdictions, restored the aristocratic privileges his predecessor had curtailed, and reduced the role of laymen in administration. He suppressed banditry in the Papal States with severity, employing summary tribunals, and moved against the carbonari and freemasonry, condemning secret societies in the bull Quo graviora of 1826. He centralised education under clerical control, restricted lay teaching, and placed limits on the sale of wine in Rome and on public entertainments, which made him unpopular in the city. He proclaimed the Jubilee of 1825 despite objections that pilgrims could not travel safely, and it was better attended than expected. He supported Catholic emancipation in Britain and Ireland, and concluded concordats with Hanover and the Netherlands. He died in February 1829, and Romans marked his passing without much regret.
- Lived: 1760 CE – 1829 CE
- Nationality: Italian
- Roles: pope, cleric
