The Medici Pope Leo X: a Portrait of Cynicism, Corruption and Capture

Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492) was the grandson of prestigious and great Cosimo de’ Medici, who we covered in Where is Cosimo de’ Medici When We Need Him?

Lorenzo, in most respects, followed the Medici-patron formula during his time and should be highly regarded. For those watching our recommended Medici documentary, Part II covers Lorenzo’s story. Among the painters Lorenzo sponsored was Bottecilli. Lorenzo is shown at left with his horse in the painting below. Bottecilli has inserted himself on the right looking out from the canvas.

The Adoration of the Magi includes several generations of the Medici family and their retainers.

However, Lorenzo died young and under religious persecution and torment. He wasn’t around to supervise his second son, Giovanni, who became Pope Leo X in 1513. Leo X (1475 – 1521) was the pope who excommunicated Martin Luther and also bestowed upon Henry VIII the title of “Defender of the Faith.” Giovanni Medici is stark proof that even a fabulous — and in many respects righteous and well meaning — family like the Medicis can be corrupted. How and why the righteous civic model of the Medici family turned down a bad path invites a Shakespearean-esque psychological study.

Before taking the papacy for himself, Giovanni Medici and his clan were the banksters behind the scenes. Medicis worked off a patron, or godfather, model of friends of friends. The Medici family was connected to most of the other elite families of the time through marriages of convenience, partnerships or employment, so the family had a central position in the in-group social network. Several families had systematic access to the rest of the elite families only through the Medicis.

The Medici additionally benefited from the discovery of vast deposits of alum in Tolfa in 1461. Alum is essential as a mordant in the dyeing of certain cloths and was used extensively in Florence, where the main industry was textile manufacturing. Before the Medicis, the Turks were the only exporters of alum, so Europe was forced to buy from them until the discovery in Tolfa. Pius II granted the Medici family a monopoly on mining, making them the primary producers of alum in Europe.

At their peak, at least half — probably more — of Florence’s people were employed by the Medici and or their foundation branches in business. As long as there were principled men like Cosimo and Lorenzo in power, practicing Florentine civic humanism, it wasn’t a bad system. But that all changed.

Cosimo I

The organized Jewish communities of Florence, Siena, Pisa and Livorno were political creations of the latter Medici rulers. Notice that this influence occurred after the passing of Lorenzo in 1492. Cosimo I (1519-1574) in particular, who’s covered in part IV of the Medici series, decided to utilize Jewish capital flight and networks dispersed by the Iberian expulsion of the 1490s.

By the mid-1540s — less than 10 years after he gained the throne — Cosimo I began recruiting affluent Spanish and Portuguese Jews for resettlement in his capital city of Florence and his chief port city of Pisa. This marks the end of the glory days of Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo’s civic humanism. Something else took hold: capture and plotting.

Medici Pope Leo X’s Giant Looting Operation

Leo X managed to bankrupt the Vatican owing mainly to his program of completely rebuilding St. Peter’s Basilica. As for his personal expenses, “He spent only eight thousand ducats ($18,400) per month on his table. For his inauguration festival, Leo spent 100,000 ducats, 1/7th of the treasury that [Pope] Julius left.”

He then proceeded to create a large bureaucracy and fill with positions sold to the highest bidder, including crypto-Jews. Papal jewels were pawned.

Leo granted special favors to the Jews and permitted them to erect an active Hebrew printing press in Rome.

In addition, Leo X wrote the book on in-group nepotism and filled his papacy with empty-suit family members and hacks. All of this added fuel to the fury and fire of the Protestant Reformation.

Part III in the series covers the Leo X aspect of the Medici story.

Still broke and in debt, Leo X instituted the sale of indulgences. He expanded the indulgence scam beyond all previous excesses of Sixtus IV. An army of Christian priestly soldiers was issued from Rome not to gather souls but to bankroll a crusade to hoodwink the simple people throughout Europe into thinking that they could purchase for themselves and their dearly departed a ticket to Heaven.

This abuse triggered Martin Luther to write a widely disseminated manifesto in 1517 condemning the practice. After Leo X badly miscalculated and excommunicated Luther, the Protestant Reformation was launched. The following image, showing Leo X’s debauchery, was a typical Reformation lithograph from the period, .

Pope Julius’ treasury was emptied, and even the booming business from 10,000 prostitutes servicing a citizenry of 50,000 in the papal brothels of Rome could not finance St. Peter’s dome and Leo X’s extravagances.

In “The Last Pope,” author John Hogue wrote of Giovanni de Medici’s renovation of the Vatican in the style of the High Renaissance. Leo as a pederast, permitted free reign to fellow pederasts- a pattern we see to this day.

Read: Bella Dodd Warned of Diabolical Pederast Conspiracy Against Catholic Church

“Leo was a good administrator, a shrewd politician and at first it appears he was even chaste, until he revealed his fondness for little boys … [he spent] the bulk of his seven-year pontificate lavishing millions of ducats on the arts, legendary banquets and his grandiose building projects … on the construction of a new St. Peter’s Basilica, which he intended to be the greatest church in Christendom. The pope’s ears were deaf to the protests of his priests as he blessed the demolition of old St. Peter’s with all of its priceless early Christian art treasures.”

When Leo X died in 1521, many suspected he was poisoned. He was soon succeeded by his Medici cousin Pope Clement VII, who quickly faced the scourge of German Protestants that his predecessor had unleashed. Clement had played a role with Leo working as a Cardinal. An army of furious German Protestants sacked Rome in May 1527. The event marked the end of the Roman Renaissance. The population of Rome dropped from some 55,000 before the attack to 10,000.

Image result for "pope leo x"
Pope Leo X coin (2.5 ducats)

The Corrupt Version of the Medici Oligarchs Infiltrate European Royalty

After wrecking the Roman Catholic Church, the post-civic humanist Medici toxin was spread around Europe. In 1530, after allying himself with Charles V, Medici Pope Clement VII succeeded in securing the engagement of Charles V’s daughter Margaret of Austria to his illegitimate nephew (reputedly his son) Alessandro de’ Medici. Clement also convinced Charles V to name Alessandro as Duke of Florence. Thus began the reign of Medici monarchs in Florence, which lasted two centuries.

After securing Alessandro de’ Medici’s dukedom, Pope Clement VII married off his first cousin, twice removed, Catherine de’ Medici, to the son of Emperor Charles V’s arch-enemy, King Francis I of France, the future King Henry II. This led to the transfer of Medici blood and methods, through Catherine’s daughters, to the royal family of Spain through Elisabeth of Valois and the House of Lorraine through Claude of Valois.

Lorenzo the Elder (1395-1440), the great Cosimo the Elder’s brother, was ancestor to all the Grand Dukes of Tuscany as direct descendant of Cosimo I de’ Medici. Cosimo I can also be considered one of the progenitors of the modern Police State. Cosimo I pushed the cult of Medici with no distinction between the good, bad and ugly parts. He was also the ancestor to all the kings of France, beginning with Louis XIII, as a result of the marriage of Marie de’ Medici to King Henry IV of France.

Bloodline researchers looking for the modern Crime Syndicate ties have fertile ground with this brood and their associates.

13 Comments on The Medici Pope Leo X: a Portrait of Cynicism, Corruption and Capture

    • The Fuggers in late 1500s bribed and infiltrated the Holy Roman Emperor and company. The Medicis couldn’t compete with that position and lost their toeholds outside of Italy.

  1. Interesting that at the time of the corrupt Renaissance popes there grew up an operation to defend them, the jesuits. Some say the operation was loaded with marranos. Pico della Marandolla had already arrived on the scene with his new humanism, a mixture of hermetic, kabbalistic, neoplatonism, that was sanctioned by Alexander Vl (a Borgia of probable Jewish ancestry). The new kabbalistic caught fire in Europe and learned men everywhere were at least fascinated with it. Thomas More translated the biography of Pico. The papacy became kind of a new jesuitical construct. Was there a long term plan at work here? In 1965 the 2nd Vatican council overturned 1965 years of Christian understanding on the “perfidious” Jew, absolving them of the crucifixion, and the papacy has become quite sanhedrin friendly since then. Now there is a jesuit pope, that of course was never suppose to happen since jesuits were not suppose to rise above the simple priesthood. The jesuit pope openly calls for mass muslim immigration which of course will destroy the indigenous european cultures and what remains of christianity. It is all very interesting at the least, and quite possibly very sinister.

  2. Medici family was jewish crypto jews, same as Borgias. Pope John 23 who also sold indulgencies and I suspecting he was a jew. Jan Hus, Czech priest in time of John 23, stand up against indulgencies and he start the reformation, was burn a live by Vatican. John 23 was imprison in Constance in 1415 till 1418, Medici paid heavy ronson, got him release in 1418 and 1419 died in Italy. There was TWO popes John 23. The second John 23 was from 1958-1963, time of second Vatican council. So how can be two popes JOHN 23, anyone can explain ??
    Some Catholic historians claim that there was more than 40 popes crypto jews. Even the Polish John Pavol was jew. His mother name was KATZ and he was jewish. Polaks got really mad when I refer to John Paul as satanic jew. When the jews couldn’t destroy Christianity from start, they joined and corrupted, because satan hates everything what Our GOD the Father created.

    • I take it you mean Pope John Paul II, not John Paul I, who was murdered by Vatican officials, some Freemasonic group P-2, and Vatican Bank Officials, among others, because he wanted to clean up the corruption within the Vatican; IMHO he was the last decent Pope. When he died I immediately suspected he was murdered, and I left the Catholic church soon afterwards because of it. (For one thing, John Paul I wasn’t Polish but John Paul II was).

  3. Highly recommended reading in trying to grasp the Modern Day Crime Syndicate Two books by Michael Hoffman, Discovery Judaism and The Occult Renaissance Church of Rome. This has been building for a long time. Take a look at The Cadaver Council of the 9th century where one Pope dug up the body of another Pope and put him on trial. Can’t match that!

  4. THE INTERESTING JEWISH LINEAGE OF JOSEPH A. RATZINGER

    BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION

    First, let us review the ‘official story’:

    “Joseph Alois Ratzinger was born on 16 April (Holy Saturday) 1927 at 11 Schulstrasse, his parents’ home in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria and baptized on the same day. He was the third and youngest child of Joseph Ratzinger, Sr., a police officer, and his wife, Maria (née Peintner), whose family were from South Tyrol.” (1)

    DETAILS

    We will focus on the lineage of his mother, Maria Peintner from South Tyrol (now part of Italy). (2) Ethnically and historically the region has very strong Germanic links. Some sources (3) (4) have traced her lineage back to the 16th century, with some rather surprising results:
    (1) Rabbi Yehuda Loew (Leib) ben Bezalel [the MaHaRal of Prague] (c.1512-1609), m. Perla Shmelkes-Reich (c.1516-1610)
    (2) Vogele Loew (c.1556-1629) m. Rabbi Isak Ha-Cohen (c.1550-1624)
    (3) Chava [Eva] Ha-Cohen (1580-1651) m. Rabbi Abraham Samuel Bachrach (1575-1615), Rabbi in Worms
    (4) Rabbi (Moses) Samson / “Simson” / Bachrach (1607-1670), Rabbi in Goding, Leipnik, Prague, and Worms, m. Dobrusch Phobus (c.1610-1662)
    (5) Rabbi Jair Chayim Bachrach, aka “the Chavas Yoir” (1638-1702), Rabbi in Worms, m. Sarah [Dinah Sorle] Brillin (c.1638-1703)
    (6) Rabbi Samson / “Simson” / Bachrach (b. c.1657), wife’s name unknown
    (7) Malka Bachrach (b. c.1680), m. Rabbi Zalman Shpitz, president of Beit Din in Eisenstadt
    (8) Sarl [Sarah] Shpitz (b. 1703), m. Rabbi Jacob Knoepflmacher (c.1700-before 1739), “the master”, “chief rabbi in Mehrin”
    (9) Nissel Knoepflmacher (b. c.1722), m. her father’s youngest brother, Rabbi Moses Knoepflmacher(1718-1798) of Holesov
    (10)Jacob Knopfelmacher (b.1739)m.Katharina (b.1740)
    (11) Joachim Knopfelmacher (b.1764)m. Anna (b.1764)
    (12) Markus Knopfelmacher (b.1786)m. Betty (Babeth/Barbara) Zwillinger
    (13)Josefina (Peppi/Josefa)Knopfelmacher (b.1809)m. Jacob Tauber (b.1811)
    (14) Betty (Elisabeth Maria)Tauber (b.1834 Mahr. Weisskirchen Moravia ) married in 1858 at Rio de Pusteria to Anton Peter Peintner
    (15) Maria Tauber Peintner (b.1855 Rasa d.1930) m. Isidor Rieger
    (16) Maria Peinter Rieger (b.1884) m. Joseph Ratzinger
    (17) Joseph Alois Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)

    It is important to note that it was common in Bohemia (and elsewhere in Europe) for Jews to ‘convert’ to Christianity for material (not spiritual) reasons. And even to convert back to Judaism when the political and social climate was more in their favor. Many German Bohemians are actually of Jewish lineage. Even if, as in this case, any overt Jewish identity would seem to have been buried for over 200 years.

    The result is a direct line of Jewish ancestry on his mother’s side, making him Jewish, according to accepted Jewish tradition. He is also thus a direct descendant of the Maharal of Prague.

    But…. who is the Maharal of Prague? (5) (5a)

    The Maharal of Prague is:
    “…widely known to scholars of Judaism as the Maharal of Prague, or simply The MaHaRaL, the Hebrew acronym of “Moreinu ha-Rav Loew,” (“Our Teacher, Rabbi Loew”) “.

    He was (literally) a famous wizard. A 16th century Bohemian Rabbi famous for his occult study/writing on Kabbalah.

    And famed for making a Golem (6) which is:
    “… a creature made out of clay… (using) mystical powers based on the esoteric knowledge of how God created Adam…”

    The man-like creature allegedly functioned as an automaton, activated by writing a specific series of letters on parchment and placing the paper in the Golem’s mouth – rather like inserting a floppy disk or CD into a computer. Removing a key letter (or the whole parchment) would deactivate it. Depending on the source one reads, a Golem could be mute or could be able to speak.

    CONCLUSION – I

    What does all this have to do with Ratzinger?

    The ramifications are many.
    (1) As the Maharal is of the Royal Line of David, so thus is Ratzinger.

    (2) ‘Loew’ is the German word for ‘lion’. Combined with the name ‘Judah’ we have the ‘Lion of (the tribe of) Judah’.

    (3) The Maharal was adept at conveying (and concealing) occult concepts using non occult language. Making evil appear as if good.

    (4) The full name of the Maharal is: Judah Loew ben Bezalel. The final name could be construed as a possible alliteration of ‘Belial’. Interpreted thus, Ratzinger is a ‘son of Belial’, a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible which later became personified as a demon in Jewish and Christian texts. (7)

    (5) However, in a literal translation, ‘ben Bezalel’ (son of Bezalel) has great occult meaning, in the biblical figure from whom Maharal and Ratzinger are descendent (8):

    “Bezalel possessed such great wisdom that he could combine those letters of the alphabet with which heaven and earth were created…”

    (6) Traditionally it is believed that the Maharal’s family descended from the Babylonian Exilarchs (during the era of the Geonim) (9) What Ratzinger is descendent of is VERY ancient (and very evil).
    NOTES

    (1) Early_life_of_Pope_Benedict_XVI
    (2) South_Tyrol
    (3) Source
    (4) Source
    (5) Judah_Loew_ben_Bezalel
    (5a) Rudolf_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor
    Is Rudolf a clue to the seeming ‘hereditary’ Germanic problem with the occult? A precursor to the fabled Illuminati? He was the secular ‘right arm’ of the Maharal and the Holy Roman Emperor.
    (6) Golem
    (7) Belial
    (8) Bezalel
    (9) Geonim

    SOURCE:
    The M+G+R Foundation

  5. I sympathize with anyone who is scandalized by (allegedly) bad popes.

    But since these scandals have been prophesied, when they happen, we needn’t leave the Church, or refuse to enter it. I suspect that those who leave or refuse to enter have some other reason – possibly a seemingly innocent one.

    To my knowledge the only promise Our Lord made regarding the pope is that he’d be protected from defining erroneous or heretical doctrine, and that we’d always have one until the end of time. Michael Hoffman’s book on the alleged fall of the Church during the Renaissance seems to assume that none of his readers know that, or believe it, or care, so he’s preaching to the parking lot outside the Church.

  6. I’m reminded of the time I worked as a waitress at some benefit event at the monstrous Mccormick building a good 35 years ago, a gig a Jewish girl I knew roped me into. My strongest memories are of the racks of tiny little lamb served then cleared untouched, as were the 13 other courses. And being handed a flaming baked Alaska we 50 odd servers then held aloft and paraded up the center aisle. But it was the ladies dressed up in 1700 century finery, layers of silk billowing out like Cinderella, each more extravagant than the next, and breasts sticking out everywhere and impossibly real jewels … nothing like has ever been seen on the pages of the glossy magazines or walking down Michigan Avenue or in popular culture anywhere. Who were those people Russ? Surely you have a bit of an in ?

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