Pope Urban VIII (d. 1644)
Pope Urban VIII (Latin: Urbanus VIII; Italian: Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal territory by force of arms and advantageous politicking, and was also a prominent patron of the arts and a reformer of Church missions.
However, the massive debts incurred during his pontificate greatly weakened his successors, who were unable to maintain the papacy's longstanding political and military influence in Europe. He was also an opponent of Copernicanism and involved in the Galileo affair. He is the last pope to date to take the pontifical name "Urban".
1568Apr, 5
Pope Urban VIII
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Events on 1568
- 2May
Loch Leven Castle
Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle. - 19May
Mary, Queen of Scots
Queen Elizabeth I of England orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots. - 23May
Battle of Heiligerlee (1568)
Dutch rebels led by Louis of Nassau, defeat Jean de Ligne, Duke of Arenberg, and his loyalist troops in the Battle of Heiligerlee, opening the Eighty Years' War. - 21Jul
Battle of Jemmingen
Eighty Years' War: Battle of Jemmingen: Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva defeats Louis of Nassau. - 23Sep
Battle of San Juan de Ulúa (1568)
Spanish naval forces rout an English fleet, under the command of John Hawkins, at the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa near Veracruz.