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Episode three of The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance is entitled "The Medici Popes." Although kicked out of Florence, the Medici gain power in the Vatican. In 1513, senior Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici takes the highest position under the name Pope Leo X. He spends extravagantly and issues numerous papal indulgences (official forgiveness of sins) for money across Europe; consequently, he is denounced by a German monk named Martin Luther. The next Medici in line is Giovanni's cousin Giulio who becomes Pope Clement VII. He commissions Michelangelo to build tombs for the family, but deals badly with the fallout from Leo's papacy and the growing Lutheran threat. In 1527, Charles V declares war on Rome and German soldiers overrun the city. Though some political power is lost, Catherine de' Medici gains it back when she marries the King of France in 1533. The Medici series was first shown on PBS in February of 2004.