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7 history-changing Pope Leos

By Michael Gryboski, Editor

6. Pope Leo XI (1535-1605)

Pope Leo XI (1535-1605), a former head of the Roman Catholic Church who had one of the shortest papal reigns in history, coming to a total of 26 days from his election to his death.
Pope Leo XI (1535-1605), a former head of the Roman Catholic Church who had one of the shortest papal reigns in history, coming to a total of 26 days from his election to his death. | Public Domain

Born Alessandro Ottaviano de’ Medici in Florence, Italy, he took the name Leo XI in honor of his great-uncle and fellow Medici family member, Pope Leo X.

Leo XI had served as bishop of Pistoia and the archbishop of Florence before he was elevated to the rank of cardinal and then elected in April 1605 at age 69, which is the same age as the newly elected Pope Leo XIV.

Leo XI holds the distinction of having the ninth shortest papal reign in Catholic Church history, with the pontiff dying of natural causes on April 27, 1605, 26 days after he was elected pope.

“He died in tragic circumstances as he suffered from the cold and fatigue at the April 17th ceremony that invested him in the Basilica of St. John Lateran,” according to Pope History. “Leo XI experienced a fever the next day and died less than 10 days later.”

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