Paul V, 1552–1621, pope (1605–21), a Roman named Camillo Borghese; successor of Leo XI. He was created cardinal (1596) by Clement VIII and was renowned for his knowledge of canon law. On his election as pope he set out at once to restore all the prerogatives the papacy had ever enjoyed. He soon quarreled with Venice, where clergymen were tried by civil courts and churches could not be built without government consent. In the dispute Paolo Sarpi led the Venetian side and cardinals Baronius and Bellarmine the cause of the Holy See. In 1606 the pope put Venice under interdict, but the Venetian clergy refused to obey. The quarrel ended in 1607 with a Venetian victory. Paul also had a disagreement with France over Gallicanism and with James I of England over oaths of allegiance. His chapel in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, is famous. He was succeeded by Gregory XV.
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