Historedia
EuropeEvent

Succession of Pope Paul IV

When
1555
Where
Rome
Episodes
2

Gian Pietro Carafa was elected Pope Paul IV on 23 May 1555, succeeding Marcellus II. Crowned three days later, he assumed leadership of the Catholic Church and Papal States, taking the name in honor of Pope Paul III.

Episodes

  1. 23 May 1555 · RomeElection of Paul IV

    Carafa was elected pope on 23 May 1555, succeeding Marcellus II despite opposition from Charles V.

  2. 26 May 1555 · RomeCoronation of Paul IV

    Paul IV was crowned as pope on 26 May 1555 by the protodeacon.

Background and detail

Election and Coronation. Elected on 23 May 1555, Carafa took the name Paul IV to honor the pope who made him a cardinal. He was formally crowned by the protodeacon on 26 May 1555, marking the official beginning of his pontificate.

Early Papal Actions. Paul IV issued the bull Cum nimis absurdum on 17 July 1555, declaring a policy aimed at converting Jews. He also issued the bull Ilius, per quem Reges regnant in 1555, removing Church measures against the English government and recognising Mary and Philip as King and Queen of Ireland.

People involved

Sources

  1. Pope Paul IV Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-16

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.