Alexander IV was succeeded by Cardinal Piccolomini who was elected Pope Pius III on 22 September 1503. He named himself Pius III after his uncle Pius II. This selection can be seen as a compromise between factions, Borgia and della Rovere, picking a frail cardinal with long experience in the Curia over the kin of either Sixtus IV or Alexander VI. Pius announced that his would be a pontificate of reform. Pius died 26 days later of an infection from a sore on his leg, or, as some have alleged, of poison administered at the instigation of the governor of Siena. Either way, the College of Cardinals was called again to elect a pope. Continue reading →