# Pope Pius II

_Pope of the Catholic Church from 1458 to 1464 (1405–1464)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/pope-pius-ii
Last updated: 2026-11-03

> Pope Pius II (Latin: Pius PP. II, Italian: Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (Latin: Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 18 October 1405 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Pienza ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P19))
- **Died:** 14 August 1464 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P570))
- **Place of death:** Ancona ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Holy Roman Empire ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P27))
- **Occupation:** Catholic priest; diplomat; writer; university teacher; poet; historian ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P106))
- **Education:** University of Siena ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P69))
- **Positions held:** Pope (19 August 1458 – 14 August 1464); apostolic administrator (12 August 1457 – 19 August 1458); Roman Catholic bishop of Warmia (since 12 August 1457); Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals (26 January 1457 – 1 January 1458); cardinal (17 December 1456 – 19 August 1458); Roman Catholic Bishop of Siena (23 September 1450 – 19 August 1458); Roman Catholic Bishop of Trieste (17 April 1447 – 23 September 1450) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437#P39))

## About

Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, and orator, and private secretary of Antipope Felix V and then the Emperor Frederick III, and then Pope Eugenius IV. He participated in the Council of Basel, but left it in 1443 to follow Frederick, whom he reconciled to the Roman obedience. He became Bishop of Trieste in 1447, Bishop of Siena in 1450, and a cardinal in 1456.

He was a Renaissance humanist with an international reputation. Aeneas Silvius' longest and most enduring work is the story of his life, the Commentaries, which was the first autobiography of a pope to have been published. It appeared posthumously, in 1584, 120 years after his death.

## Questions

**When was Pope Pius II born?**  
Pope Pius II was born on 18 October 1405 in Pienza.

**What positions has Pope Pius II held?**  
Positions held by Pope Pius II include: Pope (1458–1464); apostolic administrator (1457–1458); Roman Catholic bishop of Warmia (since 12 August 1457); Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals (1457–1458); cardinal (1456–1458).

**Where did Pope Pius II study?**  
Pope Pius II was educated at University of Siena.

## Related

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- [Pope Gregory XIII](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-gregory-xiii)
- [Pope Clement VII](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-clement-vii)
- [Pope Pius I](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-pius-i)
- [Pope Boniface I](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-boniface-i)
- [Pope Agapetus I](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-agapetus-i)
- [Pope Paul II](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-paul-ii)
- [Pope Alexander VI](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-alexander-vi)
- [Pope Paul III](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-paul-iii)
- [Michael Dixon Bhasera](https://diginpl.com/people/michael-dixon-bhasera)
- [Pope Pius III](https://diginpl.com/people/pope-pius-iii)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Pope Pius II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_II) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q101437](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101437) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Pio II Pont Max (detail).jpg by Fabrizio Garrisi (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pio_II_Pont_Max_(detail).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Pope Pius II, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Pio II Pont Max (detail).jpg — Fabrizio Garrisi, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Pope Pius II". DigiNepal. Last updated 3 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/pope-pius-ii. Retrieved 4 November 2026.