Editing Pope Julius III (section)

==Education and early career==
Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte was born in [[Monte San Savino]], the son of a distinguished Roman jurist.<ref name=Ott/> He was educated by the humanist Raffaele Brandolini Lippo, and later studied law at [[Perugia]] and [[Siena]]. During his career, he distinguished himself as a brilliant [[canon law|canonist]] rather than as a theologian.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=886-887}}

Del Monte was the nephew of [[Antonio Maria Ciocchi del Monte]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manfredonia-Vieste-S. Giovanni Rotondo|Archbishop of Manfredonia]] (1506–1511). His uncle exchanged this see for a position as a Cardinal in 1511; Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte succeeded to Manfredonia in 1513.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Eubel|first1=Conradus|last2=Gulik|first2=Guilelmus|title=Hierarchia catholica|volume= III|date=1923|publisher=Libreria Regensbergiana|page=300, n.4|location=Münster|edition=second|language=la|url=https://archive.org/details/hierarchiacathol02eubeuoft}}</ref>  In 1520, del Monte also became [[Bishop of Pavia]]. Popular for his affable manner and respected for his administrative skills, he was twice Prefect of Rome and was entrusted by the [[papal curia]] with several duties. At the [[Sack of Rome (1527)]] he was one of the hostages given by [[Pope Clement VII]] to the Emperor's forces, and barely escaped execution.{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=886-887}} [[Pope Paul III]] created him Cardinal-Priest of [[San Vitale, Rome|San Vitale]] on 22 December, 1536; and raised him to the dignity of cardinal-bishop with the [[Roman Catholic Suburbicarian Diocese of Palestrina|Diocese of Palestrina]] on 5 October, 1543. He was employed him in several important legations, notably as [[papal legate]] and first president of the [[Council of Trent]] (1545/47) and then at Bologna (1547/48).