Pope Paul II (1414-1471) decided in 1464 that from then on the cardinals would dress in red. Pietro Barbo, the name he had before reaching the papacy, being Venetian, was accustomed to the solemnity and luxury of the palaces of his hometown. He thought that the cardinals should be true Princes of the Church, both for their actions and their garments. The Paulo decision II.aren entered into force the following year, in 1465.

 

In 1555 Pope Marcelo II wanted to abolish the frivolity of the decision taken in the previous century by Paul II.ak. He did not change the appearance of the cardinals, but he wanted to give his election a more coherent explanation, closer to the Christian morality. The Pontiff explained that in order to protect the faith, the cardinals were willing to pour out their blood and that that is why their clothes had to be the color of the blood.