"Pope Pius III (29 May 1439 – 18 October 1503), born Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from ...
[Read more]
22 September 1503 to his death. He had one of the shortest pontificates in papal history.
The nephew of Pope Pius II, his uncle appointed the twenty-one-year old Francesco as Archbishop of Siena. He served as papal legate in a number of places. In 1503, the frail, now Cardinal Piccolomini was elected pope as a compromise candidate between the Borgia and della Rovere factions. Although he announced plans for reforms, he died less than a month later, possibly of poison." - (en.wikipedia.org 31.01.2020)