Pope Paul III: Biography from Answers.com Mobile

Paul III

(born Feb. 29, 1468, Canino, Papal States — died Nov. 10, 1549, Rome) Pope (1534 – 49). The son of a noble Tuscan family, he was made a cardinal-deacon in 1493 and served as bishop in Parma and Ostia before being named dean of the College of Cardinals by Pope Leo X. Ordained a priest in 1519, he was unanimously elected pope in 1534. Though loose in morals in earlier years (he had three sons and a daughter), he became an efficient promoter of reform, convening the Council of Trent in 1545 and initiating the Counter-Reformation. He also supported the newly founded Jesuits and was a patron of the arts, the last in the tradition of the Renaissance popes.

For more information on Paul III, visit Britannica.com.