Charles Erskine (13 February 1739 – 20 March 1811) was an Italian-Scottish papal diplomat and

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 ...

Biography

He was the son of Colin Erskine, youngest son to

Alexander Erskine of Cambo Sir Alexander Erskine of Cambo, 2nd Baronet (16631729) of Cambo, Fife was a Scottish baronet and Lord Lyon, King of Arms. Life Erskine was the son of Sir Charles Erskine of Cambo, 1st Bt. and Penelope Barclay. He was born in the same year tha ...

and maternal grandson of

Alexander Erskine, 3rd Earl of Kellie Alexander Erskine, 3rd Earl of Kellie (c. 1615–1677) was a Scottish soldier and peer. Biography Alexander Erskine inherited the title after the death of his brother Thomas in 1643. The earl was a staunch Royalist, fighting as Colonel of Foot ...

, by his marriage to Agatha Gigli of the noble family of Gigli of

Anagni Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic centre of the Latin Valley. Geography Overview Anagni still maintains the appearance of a s ...

. He was educated by Cardinal Henry, Duke of York, at the

Scots College, Rome The Pontifical Scots College (Italian: ''Il Pontificio Collegio Scozzese'') in Rome is the main seminary for the training of men for the priesthood from the dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. It was established, in response to the ...

, and was afterwards a successful advocate, becoming a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

in 1770.

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

made him pro (''pro tem'')-

Auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

and Promoter of the Faith in 1782, also a

domestic prelate Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

, and

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the college of

consistorial advocate Advocates of Roman congregations are canon lawyers of the Catholic Church who practice in the Roman Curia, pleading cases before ecclesiastical tribunals. These advocates may be priests or laypeople, as long as they are qualified by their fami ...

s. He was installed as a

subdeacon Subdeacon is a minor orders, minor order of ministry for men or women in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed below the deacon and above the acolyte in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

on 28 August 1783. In October 1793, Erskine was sent as papal envoy to Great Britain. By his tact Erskine established excellent relations with the Court of St. James and the ministry, diminished the dissensions among Catholics, and avoided stirring up any anti-Catholic demonstration against himself. During his stay in London the pope named him a full auditor, and in 1795 gave him additional powers as envoy extraordinary. He left London in 1801 and returned to Rome, where in 1803, he was installed as a

Cardinal Deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. C ...

, it being revealed that he had been elevated to this office ''

in pectore (Latin for 'in the breast/heart') is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals without a public ...

'' in the

Consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

of February 1801. He was then assigned the Church of

Santa Maria in Campitelli Santa Maria in Campitelli or Santa Maria in Portico (''Santa Maria in Portico di Campitelli'') is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the narrow Piazza di Campitelli in Rione Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy. The church is served by the Clerics R ...

as his

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

. As a member of the Sacred Congregation of ''Propaganda Fide'', he was still useful to English Catholics, and was made Cardinal Protector of Scotland. He was ordained a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

the following January. On the French invasion of Rome in 1808 Erskine was made pro-Secretary of

Briefs Briefs (or a brief) are a type of short, form-fitting Undergarment, underwear and swimsuit, swimwear, as opposed to styles where material extends down the thighs. Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric ...

, and was confined in the

Quirinal The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has com ...

with the pope. When

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

was taken prisoner Erskine was allowed to go free, but his property was now lost and he would have been reduced to poverty if his Protestant relations in Scotland had not granted him an allowance. In 1809

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

ordered him to Paris and though ill he was forced from Rome in January 1810. Shortly after his arrival in Paris, Erskine fell into a gradual decline and soon died. He was buried in the Church of Saint-Genevieve, now the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erskine, Charles 1739 births 1811 deaths Italian people of Scottish descent

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

Clergy from Rome Diplomats for the Holy See 18th-century Italian cardinals Roman Catholic deacons Burials at the Panthéon, Paris 19th-century Italian cardinals 18th-century Italian jurists Cardinals created by Pope Pius VII Scottish cardinals Alumni of the Scots College, Rome 18th-century British cardinals 19th-century British cardinals 18th-century Scottish Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Scottish Roman Catholic priests