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Today in History: Gian Pietro Carafa becomes Pope Paul IV, faces defeat

5/23/2026

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Story summary

On 23 May 1555 Gian Pietro Carafa ascended as Pope Paul IV, beginning a four-year papacy fraught with war. His anti-Spanish stance prompted a French military intervention in the Papal States; after the French defeat and Spanish troops threatening Rome, he brokered a compromise that expelled both armies and imposed a neutral policy.

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Story summary

On 23 May 1555 Gian Pietro Carafa ascended as Pope Paul IV, beginning a four-year papacy fraught with war. His anti-Spanish stance prompted a French military intervention in the Papal States; after the French defeat and Spanish troops threatening Rome, he brokered a compromise that expelled both armies and imposed a neutral policy.