Francesco Alidosi (145524 May 1511) was an Italian cardinal and

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europe ...

. He accompanied Giuliano della Rovere to France in 1494, and continued in favor when Della Rovere was elected pope, becoming

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

. Alidosi was elected as bishop of

Mileto Mileto ( Calabrian: ; grc, Μίλητος, translit=Míletos) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about south of Vibo Valentia. Mileto is the ...

in 1504, and then transferred to the see of Pavia on 26 March 1505. He occupied the seat until his death in 1511.

Early life

Born at

Castel del Rio Castel del Rio ( rgn, Castel d'e' Rì) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna. Historically, the town's countryside is a large producer of chestn ...

, he was the third son of Giovanni Alidosi, lord of Castel del Rio. He went to France with Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future

, in 1494. When Della Rovere was elected pope in 1503, Alidosi became his secretary and main collaborator, and was appointed papal chamberlain, then treasurer.

Cardinal-priest

Portrait of a Cardinal, by Raffael, from Prado in Google Earth

Though many cardinals opposed the promotion, in 1505 Alidosi was created cardinal-priest of

Santi Nereo e Achilleo Santi Nereo ed Achilleo is a fourth-century basilica church in Rome, Italy, located in via delle Terme di Caracalla in the rione Celio facing the main entrance to the Baths of Caracalla. It has been the titular church of Cardinal Celestino Aós ...

, opting for the title of S. Cecilia on 11 August 1506. He served as intermediary between

Michelangelo Buonarroti Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

and Pope Julius II and, in 1506, signed on behalf of the pope the contract for the ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, later doing the same for the statue of the Pope in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

. He also served as

Cardinal protector of England The Cardinal protector of England was an appointed crown-cardinal of England from 1492 until 1539. A cardinal protector is the representative of a Roman Catholic nation or organisation within the College of Cardinals, appointed by the pope. T ...

within the college. He was a protector of

Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

and patron of the arts. Julius II placed great confidence in him, finding him to be an energetic and shrewd collaborator in his political plans. On 22 September 1508 the cardinal went to

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...

to visit the Pope, who gave the legation in

to Cardinal Ippolito d'Este of

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' 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 stream ...

. The following November, the pope recalled Cardinal Alidosi from the legation. After taking possession of the legation in Bologna on 27 June 1508, he ordered Alberto Castelli, Innocenzo Ringhieri, Sallustio Guidotti and Bartolomeo Magnani to be strangled. They were accused of "having supported a conspiracy to favor the

Bentivoglio Bentivoglio may refer to: * Bentivoglio (surname) *House of Bentivoglio *Bentivoglio, Emilia-Romagna Bentivoglio ( Northern Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna ...

", and for having worked with the Venetians against the pope. More than thirty other persons, supporters of the Bentivoglio, were also executed. These actions unleashed a great indignation among the Bolognese. Named legate in

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

and

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

in early 1509, he took possession of

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

on 29 May 1509 and left his brother Obizzo as governor. He was sent as envoy to the king of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and arrived on 19 June 1509, together with Cardinal François Guillaume de Castelnau-Clermont-Ludève at

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

. The

king of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

nominated him as bishop of Cremona without papal approval. On 4 January 1510 the cardinal was recalled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in order to answer to Pope Julius II about the complaints of the Bolognese. Some theorize the pope recalled Cardinal Alidosi in order to make use of his experience to negotiate peace with

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. An agreement was reached on 24 February 1510. After that the Pope was forced to take a more accommodating attitude towards King Louis XII of France,

Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death. He was never crowned by the pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians. He proclaimed himself E ...

and the Duke of

to ensure the independence of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the freedom of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from foreigners.

Accusation of treason

In April 1510, many Bolognese notables were shocked to learn the pope returned the legation of

to Cardinal Alidosi. They suspected him of dealing with the French during the fight against Venice. On 7 October 1510, while at the papal field near

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, Francesco Maria I della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, had the cardinal captured, handcuffed and led back to Bologna escorted by 150 horsemen. Outside the San Felice gate, twelve balestrieri removed the handcuffs and led him to a public square. Here he was accused of high treason. The Duke of Urbino and citizens of Bologna were hoping he would be punished. Instead, the pope allowed him to defend himself, and, finding the accusations unjustified, ruled in his favor. Cardinal Alidosi was named apostolic administrator of the see of

on 18 October 1510, a post which he occupied until his death. On 28 October 1510, Cardinal Alidosi was again taken prisoner by the Duke of Urbino for treason. The pope soon had him freed again and reinstated his honors. On 14 May 1511, the pope moved his residence from Bologna to

for security reasons, lodging in the Benedictine monastery of San Vitale. The supporters of the

and those who opposed the power of the church revolted immediately. At about 10 p.m. on 20 May, a disguised Cardinal Alidosi escaped to

, taking all of value that he could carry. This action prompted Francesco Maria della Rovere, at the gates of the city, to abandon the field, along with all the artillery, nearly all the provisions, and numerous flags. On 23 May

Gian Giacomo Trivulzio Gian Giacomo Trivulzio (1440 or 1441 – December 5, 1518) was an Italian aristocrat and '' condottiero'' who held several military commands during the Italian Wars. Biography Trivulzio was born in Milan, where he studied, among others, w ...

, head of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

army, entered

with the

. The pope notified the cardinals of the loss of the city, and charged the duke of Urbino and the citizens of treason. He asked the duke to be executed, but Francesco Maria responded by charging Alidosi with treason. From

, the cardinal went to Ravenna to give his version. He was accompanied by his brother-in-law, Guido Vaini, and a legatine guard of 100 horsemen. Pope Julius II determined that the traitor had been the duke of Urbino.

Death

On 24 May 1511 the duke had an audience with the Pope. He was reproached sourly, and exited with eight of his faithfuls. He went to the lodgings of Cardinal Alidosi, who was staying with Cardinal Marco Vigero, near the church of San Vitale in

. At the same time, the cardinal, accompanied by his guard, was heading out for the apartments of the Pope, who had invited him to supper. The cardinal saluted the Duke, and a youngster in the Duke's retinue dismounted his horse angrily and advanced towards the cardinal. Taking the bridle of the mule that the cardinal was riding, he stabbed the cardinal in the side. The cardinal fell off the mule, and once on the ground, a captain cut the cardinal's cheek and one of his ears with a dagger, while

Filippo Doria Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Filip ...

struck a mortal blow in his head. One historian notes, "'A favourite has no friends,' -- particularly a favourite of the type of Alidosi -- so that many persons, including the Legate's own servants, looked on unconcernedly upon this murder of an unpopular Churchman in broad daylight." The cardinal's remains were honored by Pope Julius II with solemn exequies in the cathedral of

, where they were interred. When the cathedral was demolished in 1745, Gaspare Desiderio Martinetti, a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, gave the cardinal's skull to the Benedictines of San Vitale, so that it would not get mixed with other bones. From them, it passed to the Classense Library and was exposed to the public. Later, the legate, Cardinal

Agostino Rivarola Agostino Rivarola or Rivaròla (14 March 1758 – 7 November 1842) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He is known for his vigorous defense of papal authority during and after the Napoleonic invasion. Biography He was born in Genoa. He may be ...

, had it removed and reinterred. From a recognition made on 20 June 1968, the traces of cleaving that he received on the head could still be noticed. In the cathedral of Imola, there is a cenotaph surmounted by the effigy of the cardinal in a bas-relief, and under it, a marble plaque that remembers him and others of his family.

Personality

Alidosi was known for his cruelty. Cardinal

Pietro Bembo Pietro Bembo, ( la, Petrus Bembus; 20 May 1470 – 18 January 1547) was an Italian scholar, poet, and literary theorist who also was a member of the Knights Hospitaller, and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. As an intellectual of the It ...

described him with these words: "

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

meant nothing to him, nor

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

, nor trustworthiness, nor shame, and there was nothing in him that was holy."

Portrayals in fiction

Francesco Alidosi is a character in the 2011 television series ''

Borgia The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town ...

''. He is portrayed by

Matt Di Angelo Mario Angelo S Constantinou (born 1 May 1987), professionally known as Matt Di Angelo, is a British actor and singer, best known for his role as Dean Wicks in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. He also portrayed Sean Kennedy in the BBC drama s ...

and is depicted as the lover of

Cardinal della Rovere Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or the ...

. The rumor dates from his lifetime.

Christopher Hibbert Christopher Hibbert MC (born Arthur Raymond Hibbert; 5 March 1924 – 21 December 2008) was an English author, historian and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" (''New Statesman'') and "probably the most widely-read popular ...

(17 July 2012). ''The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall'' (Kindle Location 3417). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.