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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 July 1644.
Urban VIII (baptized April 5, 1568, Florence—died July 29, 1644, Rome) was the pope from 1623 to 1644. The son of an aristocratic Florentine family, Barberini filled many distinguished church appointments.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Urban VIII, POPE (MAFFEO BARBERINI), b. at Florence in April, 1568; elected pope, August 6, 1623; d. at Rome, July 29, 1644. His father Antonio Barberini, a Florentine nobleman, having died when Maffeo was only three years old, his mother, Camilla Barbadoro, brought him to Rome at an early age.
The new pope took the name of Urban VIII. Being attacked by the fever which was raging in Rome, he was obliged to postpone his coronation until 29 September.
Urban VIII served as the 235th Catholic Pope. His time as the Pope came at an important time in European history. He served the position for over two decades during the Thirty Years’ War, which resulted in millions of deaths across the region.
Pope Urban VIII. Born to the esteemed Barberini family of Florence, which had produced many popes, Urban VIII (1568–1644) enjoyed a lengthy but controversial pontificate marred by war, nepotism, and anti-intellectualism. A complicated man, he was also a patron to artists, canonized a number of saints, and extended the papal territory.
Pope Urban VIII (Latin: Urbanus Quartus; 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Barberini, was an Italian cleric of the Roman Catholic Church and the 236th Pope from 1623 to 1644.
