Carlo Rossetti, ca. 1654-1672. Carlo Rossetti (also Roscetti; 1614 – 23 November 1681) was an Italian

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

, born of the noble Rossetti family in Ferrara. Earlier in his career he went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

as a secret

nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

on behalf of

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

. While in London, he was addressed as ''Lord Charles Rossetti'' and was referred to as ''Prince'' Rossetti, using his title as

Italian nobility The Italian nobility ( Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the k ...

for his cover, rather than as a representative of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

to avoid

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

Early life

Born of the noble Roscetti family in

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

, (to see: "La giusta Statera de porporati, dove s'intende la vita la nascita, adherenza di ciascun cardinale hoggi vivente etc, 1650". He was baptized in the Cathedral of S. Giorgio Martire on 26 March 1614. He was named Canon of the Cathedral of Ferrara, and was granted a papal dispensation because he was below the minimum age. Rossetti went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

as a young man. At the age of eighteen he engaged in a public disputation (i.e. took his Bacculaureate) in philosophy and theology, in the presence of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, the nephew of

. He then studied law at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

, and took his degree ''in utroque iure'' (both Canon Law and Civil Law). Cardinal Barberini sang his praises to Pope Urban VIII, who appointed him a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

and

referendary Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe. Pre-modern history The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byza ...

of the Two Signatures (Grace and Justice); this gave Rossetti the right to practice law before the Roman courts. He served Pope Urban VIII and his

Barberini The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...

family, especially his nephews Francesco Barberini and

Antonio Barberini Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts a ...

Nuncio in London

The

were impressed by his vigour, wit and discernment and sent him as

first to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, then to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

as successor to the papal agent, George Con, who was gravely ill. There he provided financial support to

Irish Catholics Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

fighting against the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the Great Council of England, great council of Lords Spi ...

. He arrived in August 1639. His mission was undertaken under a transparent disguise, as one Italian historian recalled: Rossetti's mission was considered especially dangerous, given the conflict between the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and England at the time. Even contemporary Italian authors dared not publish his real identity for fear the prelate's life may be threatened.''Pope Alexander the Seventh and the College of Cardinals''
by

John Bargrave John Bargrave (1610 – 11 May 1680), was an English people, English author and collector and a canon (priest), canon of Canterbury Cathedral.''Under the Sign: John Bargrave as Collector, Traveler, and Witness'' by Stephen Bann, Michigan, 1995 E ...

, edited by

James Craigie Robertson James Craigie Robertson (1813 – 9 July 1882) was a Scottish Anglican churchman, canon of Canterbury Cathedral, and author of a ''History of the Christian Church''. Life Robertson was born at Aberdeen, where his father was a merchant; his mothe ...

(reprint; 2009) But Rossetti's clandestine mission was successful in many regards. He managed to convince some at the English court to banish Roman Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

s from England, rather than execute them. When contemporary detractors suggested King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

and his

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I of England, Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Caroline era#Religion, Charles I's religious re ...

were

papist The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...

s, Rossetti bravely took the opportunity to suggest the King might consider converting to Catholicism, seeing as though he was being accused of as much anyway. Charles' Queen,

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...

, saw Rossetti's position at court as potentially advantageous and, having developed a social relationship with the clandestine nobleman, urged the prelate to write to the uncle of his Barberini patrons,

, asking for the equivalent of £100,000

pounds sterling Sterling (Currency symbol, symbol: Pound sign, £; ISO 4217, currency code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound is the main unit of account, unit of sterling, and the word ''Pound (cu ...

to aid England's ailing

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, al ...

s. The Pope responded saying he was, ''"...very ready to supply the King so soon as ever he should declare himself a Catholic"''. When the

bill of attainder A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder, writ of attainder, or bill of pains and penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person, or a group of people, guilty of some crime, and providing for a punishment, often without a ...

was passed and Archbishop

was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

, some suggested Laud would have been better off had he converted to Catholicism and escaped to Rome (as Rossetti had urged) rather than staying to fight for which he was executed.

Return to Rome

At the outbreak of the

First Bishops' War The First Bishops' War was a conflict that took place in Scotland in 1639 between a Scottish political movement known as the Covenanters and forces loyal to King Charles I, who at that time was the king of both Scotland and England. Military acti ...

, Rossetti's life was threatened. At the behest of the Queen

gave him refuge in St. James's Palace. Thereafter he was summoned to appear before the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was re ...

but instead fled England at the end of June 1641. He went to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

with the assistance of the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...

ambassador. His presence at Ghent on 7 September 1641 is established by a letter written by him to one of the Cardinals Barberini, containing a report on the intended colonization of Maryland. He then returned to

and to the service of the Barberini. After he returned to

he was appointed

Archbishop of Tarsus The first recorded bishop of Tarsus, Helenus, went to Antioch several times in connection with the dispute concerning Paul of Samosata. Le Quien mentions twenty-two of its bishops, of whom several are legendary. Tarsus was the metropolitan see of ...

on 16 September 1641. Since this was a titular See, his appointment was a direct action by the Pope, who intended to send him on a diplomatic mission, for which he needed episcopal status. He was consecrated bishop on 8 December 1641 in Cologne, by Bishop

Fabio Chigi Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice-papal legate, and he held various di ...

, the

Apostolic Nuncio to Cologne The Apostolic Nunciature to Cologne (also , i.e. ''Nunciature of Lower Germany'') was an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church established in 1584. The nuncios were accredited to the Archbishop-Electorates of Cologne, Mainz and Trier ...

. Rossetti had been dispatched, with the title of Nuncio Extraordinary, to the Congress of Münster, where an effort to find a solution to the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

was being attempted. After the Congress, he stayed on as Nuncio in Cologne for two years. On 4 May 1643 he was translated to the See of Faenza in succession to Cardinal Francesco Cennini, who resigned the office. Though he was promoted Bishop of Tusculum (Frascati) in 1676, he retained the Administration of Faenza until his death in 1681. During his time in charge of Faenza, he conducted no less than nine diocesan synods.

Cardinal Rossetti

In the Consistory of 13 July 1643 Archbishop Carlo Rossetti was elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Urban VIII. In September 1643, Rossetti was named ''Legatus a latere'' and sent as ambassador to Cologne, but he was recalled next year, due to the grave illness of the Pope. He left Germany on 11 May 1644, but did not reach Rome in time to be at the Pope's deathbed. Pope Urban died on 29 July 1644, and Rossetti participated in the Papal conclave of 1644, which opened on August 9. He was of course a loyal supporter of the Barberini faction. Despite his understandable support for the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

nominee,

Giulio Cesare Sacchetti Giulio Cesare Sacchetti (1586 – 28 June 1663) was an Italian Catholic cardinal and was twice included in the French Court's list of acceptable candidates for the Papacy, in 1644 and 1655. Early life Sacchetti was born in 1586, the second sur ...

, Rossetti suffered no ill effects when Giovanni Battista Pamphili took office as

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X (6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death, in January 1655. Born in Rome of a family fro ...

. On 28 November 1644 he was installed as Cardinal Deacon of the Deaconry of

San Cesareo in Palatio San Cesareo in Palatio or San Caesareo de Appia () is a titular church in Rome dedicated to Saint Caesarius of Terracina, a 2nd-century deacon and martyr. It is located near Casina del Cardinal Bessarione on Via di Porta San Sebastiano and the ...

. On 18 August 1653 Rossetti was translated (moved) to the ''titulus'' of

Santa Maria in Via Lata Santa Maria in Via Lata is a church on the Via del Corso (the ancient Via Lata), in Rome, Italy. It stands diagonal from the church of San Marcello al Corso. It is the stational church for Tuesday in the fifth week of lent. History The first ...

, and then on 9 March 1654 to

San Silvestro in Capite The Basilica of Saint Sylvester the First, also known as (, ), is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in Rome dedicated to Pope Sylvester I (d. AD 335). It is located on the Piazza San Silvestro, at the corner of Via del Gambero a ...

. There he remained for 18 years until his appointment, on 14 November 1672, as Cardinal Priest of

San Lorenzo in Lucina The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Lucina ( or simply ; ) is a Roman Catholic parish, titular church, and minor basilica in central Rome, Italy. The basilica is located in Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina in the Rione Colonna, about two blocks ...

. From 12 January 1654 to 10 January 1656 he served a term as

Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals The Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church. The title is based on an Italian word for chamberlain, a word no longer used in secular contexts. The position existed from a ...

. However, during the papal conclave of 1655, Cardinal Rossetti worked against the candidacy of Cardinal Fabio Chigi. When Cardinal Chigi was elected to the papal throne as

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, and he held various d ...

, Rossetti returned to his diocese of Faenza and did not visit Rome for any significant length of time until the papal conclave of 1667. He participated in the Conclave of 1667, where his vote was actively sought by the ambassador of the Grand Duke of Tuscany on behalf of Cardinal d'Elci. Elci's candidacy failed, however, in the face of determined opposition, and Cardinal Giulio Rospigliosi was elected as

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

with the support of the Barberini faction. Cardinal Rossetti later participated in the

papal conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

s of 1669–1670 and

1676 Events January–March * January 29 – Feodor III of Russia, Feodor III becomes Tsar of Russia. * January 31 – Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, the oldest institution of higher education in Central America, is f ...

. He was appointed

Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati The Diocese of Frascati (Lat.: ''Tusculana'') is a Latin suburbicarian see of the Diocese of Rome and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, based at Frascati, near Rome. The bishop of Frascati is a Cardinal Bishop; from the Latin name of the ...

(Tusculum) on 19 October 1676 and finally, Cardinal-Bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina on 8 January 1680. He died in Faenza on 23 November 1681, at the age of sixty-seven, and was buried in the Cathedral.. Cardella, p. 35.

References

Bibliography

* La giusta Statera de porporati, dove s'intende la vita la nascita, adherenza di ciascun cardinale hoggi vivente etc, 1650. * Domenico Fantozzi-Parma, ''Diario del viaggio fatto in Inghilterra nel 1639 dal Nunzio pontificio Rossetti'' (ed. G. Ferraro) (Bologna: Gaetano Romagnoli 1885). * Giuseppe Ferraro, "Viaggio del Cardinale Rossetti fatto nel 1644 da Colonia a Ferrara, scritto dal suo segretario Armanni Vincenzo," ''Atti e memorie della R. Deputazione di storia patria per le provincie di Romagna'' 3 series 6 (Bologna 1888), pp. 1–90. * Gregorio Leti, ''Il cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa,: divisa in trè parti''. Parte II (Nella stamperia del Daniel Elsevier, 1668), pp. 184–186. n apostate, propagandist, enemy of Urban VIII* Lorenzo Cardella, ''Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa'' VII (Roma: Pagliarini 1793), pp. 32–35. * Ph. Dengel, "Kardinal Karl Rossetti auf seiner Wanderung durch Tirol im Jahre 1644," ''Forschungen und Mitteilungen zur Geschichte Tirols und Vorarlbergs'' I (1904), pp. 264–281. * J. P. Kenyon, ''The Stuart Constitution, 1603-1688: Documents and Commentary'' (2nd edition) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1986). * Gianna Vancini, ''Carlo Rossetti: cardinale ferrarese nunzio apostolico e legato a latere nell'Europa del Seicento (1615-1681)'' (Portomaggiore: Edizioni Arstudio C, 2005). * Katie Whitaker, ''A Royal Passion: The Turbulent Marriage of King Charles I of England and Henrietta Maria of France'' (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010).

Early life

Nuncio in London

Return to Rome

Cardinal Rossetti

References

Bibliography

See also