Paul II Died While Having Sex With a Male Page
Paul II (1417 – 1471) was Holy Father from 1464 until his death in 1471. His papacy was marked repression, autocratic rule over the College of Cardinals, and few accomplishments. Because of that and his devotion to fluff such as festivities and games, Church scholars and historians view him as one of the worst Renaissance popes. He is more remembered for the scandalous manner of his death, than for whatever he achieved in life.
He was born Pietro Barbo into a wealthy family in Venice, and like many Venetians of his class, it was anticipated that he would pursue a career in business. However, those plans changed when his uncle was elected as Pope Eugenius IV in 1431, and Pietro switched from a merchant career to a spiritual one. In quick succession, His pope uncle made him an archdeacon, then a bishop, and in 1440, at age 23, the pope made his nephew a cardinal.
He continued his ascent through the Church hierarchy after his uncle’s death, and in 1464, he got himself elected pope by promising reformers in the College of Cardinals that he would implement an 18-point reform program. No sooner did he get elected than he reneged on the promise, however, and declared that the listed reforms were only advisory, not binding. He then drew up an alternate reform program, and forced the cardinals to sign it under the threat of excommunication.
An intellectual lightweight, Paul II was mentally incapable of grasping the deep issues of the day, and so devoted his energies to games and festivities. Focusing his interests on the ceremonials and outward trappings of his position, he transformed the papal court into one whose splendor rivaled that of Europe’s monarchs. Insecure and threatened by those who enjoyed high brow pursuits beyond his ken, he disliked the Classics, and prohibited the teaching of pagan writers to children. Thin skinned, he had critics of his fluff papacy imprisoned and tortured.
He really enjoyed dressing up in elaborate vestments, and while there had been quite a few homosexual or bisexual popes before Paul II and after, his sartorial choices and behavior earned him a reputation for effeminacy that damaged his prestige. Death finally claimed him in 1471, reportedly while he was being sodomized by a young male page.