# Pope Julius II — Discourses on Livy character guide

> Pope Julius II in Discourses on Livy by Niccolò Machiavelli.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Pope Julius

**First appearance:** 0004-i

## Snapshot

The warrior pope who marched at the head of armies, cited by Machiavelli as proof that a prince who acts boldly seizes fortune before she turns.

## Who they are

Julius appears in the Discourses as a modern example of the impetuous prince whose audacity, though reckless, succeeds where caution would have failed. His willingness to trade the papal throne's dignity for the camp and the battlefield unsettles the cardinals and the Italian powers alike. Machiavelli uses him to argue that fortune favors the violent, and that hesitation, not boldness, is the true danger.

## Relationships

### [Giovanpagolo Baglioni](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters/giovanpagolo_baglioni)

_rivalry_

Giovanpagolo Baglioni, a Perugian tyrant, was confronted by Pope Julius II, who sought to assert papal authority over the city.

### [Pope Alexander VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters/pope_alexander_vi)

_rivalry_

Pope Alexander VI (Borgia) and Pope Julius II (della Rovere) were bitter rivals, with Julius succeeding Alexander and reversing his policies.

## In the story

### [Chapter XXVII: That men seldom know how to be wholly good or wholly bad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxvii)

Entered Perugia unguarded to expel the Bentivogli and remove Giovanpagolo Baglioni, acting with characteristic impetuosity.

### [Chapter X: The True Sinews of War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/x)

Referenced in the context of the war of Urbino, where the pope and Florentines, despite wealth, were defeated by Francesco Maria, who had good soldiers.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxii)

Mentioned as the pope at whose instance the Swiss seized Milan some years earlier.

### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xxiv)

Built a citadel in Bologna but lost it after the people rebelled due to oppression.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/ix)

Succeeded through impulsive, passionate action because times matched his nature; would have been ruined if times changed.

### [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/chapters/xliv)

Used sudden action to force France and Venice to comply with his demands regarding Bologna.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters/pope_julius_ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/discourses_on_livy_se/characters