Luigi Mattei
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Luigi Mattei, Marquis of Belmonte (19 November 16098 June 1665) was an Italian
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and
diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...
. He led papal forces during the
Wars of Castro The Wars of Castro were a series of conflicts during the mid-17th century revolving around the ancient city of Castro (located in present-day Lazio, Italy), which eventually resulted in the city's destruction on 2 September 1649. The conflict ...
.


Biography

Mattei was the second son of
Asdrubale Mattei Portrait of Asdrubale Mattei di Giove by students of Caravaggio (c. 1615). Asdrubale Mattei (died 1638), Duca di Giove, was an Italian nobleman of the House of Mattei, an avid art collector and a patron of Caravaggio. Family Mattei was the thir ...
, Marquis di Giove, of the
House of Mattei The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern period, early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant art collectio ...
and his wife Costanza Gonzaga di Novellara of the
House of Gonzaga The House of Gonzaga (, ) is an Italian princely family that ruled Mantua in Lombardy, northern Italy from 1328 to 1708 (first as a captaincy-general, then Margraviate of Mantua, margraviate, and finally Duchy of Mantua, duchy). They also ruled M ...
. His older brother,
Girolamo Mattei Girolamo Mattei (8 February 1547 – 8 December 1603) was an Italian Cardinal from the House of Mattei. Biography Mattei was born 8 February 1547, the son of Alessandro Mattei and Emilia Mazzatosta. He was the younger brother of Ciriaco Mattei ...
, became Duca di Giove. He was the nephew of Ciriaco Mattei and Cardinal Girolamo Mattei. He began his military career at an early age. Between 1627 and 1628 he moved 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 ...
, where he was given command of an infantry company of the Imperial Army. In the summer of 1630 he fought on the
Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
against the
Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...
led by King
Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...
, who had occupied
Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
. At the beginning of September 1631, he took part in the battle of Breitenfeld, at the head of a
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
of five hundred
musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...
s. During the fighting he was seriously wounded. Taken prisoner by the enemy troops, he was able to win the esteem of the king of Sweden, who did not oppose the efforts of imperial and papal diplomacy for his release. Once freed, Mattei returned to active service. He assumed command of an infantry regiment and took part in the defense of
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
, attacked by a Swedish Army under the command of
Bernard of Saxe-Weimar Bernard of Saxe-Weimar (; 16 August 160418 July 1639) was a German prince and general in the Thirty Years' War. Biography Born in Weimar in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, Bernard was the eleventh son of Johann, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and Dorothea ...
in the autumn of 1633. In the mid-1630s, he left Germany and entered the staff of
Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand (also known as Don Fernando de Austria, Cardenal-Infante Fernando de España and as Ferdinand von Österreich; 16 May 1609 – 9 November 1641) was a Spanish and Portuguese prince (Infante of Spain, Infante of Portugal (u ...
,
Governor of the Spanish Netherlands The governor () or governor-general () of the Habsburg Netherlands was a representative appointed by the Holy Roman emperor (1504-1556), the king of Spain (1556-1598, 1621-1706), and the archduke of Austria (1716-1794), to administer the Burgundi ...
. He took part in several operations against the Dutch and remained in
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 ...
until 1640.


Military career

During the late 1630s, Pope Urban and his Barberini nephews came into conflict with the Farnese
Dukes of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese. It existed between 1545 and 1802, ...
sparking the conflict known as the First War of Castro. In 1641, Mattei was appointed ''Lieutenant General'' of the papal armies and was accordingly given a monthly salary of 343
scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula from 1551 until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from t ...
.''Storia economica della Guerra'' by Catia Eliana Gentilucci (2007) On 12 October he led 12,000
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
and 3,000
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
against the fortified town of Castro which was under the control of the Farnese. Though it is estimated that the Farnese had amassed a similarly sized army, Mattei's forces were met with very little resistance and the town was forced to surrender. Mattei's victory at Castro was immortalised in song by
Marco Marazzoli Marco Marazzoli (1602? – 26 January 1662) was an Italian priest and Baroque music composer. Early life Born at Parma, Marazzoli received early training as a priest, and was ordained around 1625. He moved to Rome in 1626, and entered the se ...
. Evidence suggests that Mattei commanded his own private standing army (much smaller without additional Papal soldiers) of approximately 4000 troops. After the initial contact with Farnese troops, Mattei's soldiers left the bulk of the papal army and followed him. They were involved in further skirmishes while remaining Papal troops returned to defend
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, ...
. Papal and Barberini forces suffered a number of decisive defeats and Pope Urban was eventually forced to agree to treaty terms with the Farnese to halt the conflict. When Ranuccio II Farnese refused to pay the debts assigned to him in the treaty that ended the First War of Castro,
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 ...
sent a force to again occupy the city. The Duke rode out to challenge the papal forces but was routed by Mattei.''Cours d'histoire des états européens depuis le bouleversement de l'Empire''
by Maximilian Samson Friedrich Schoell
Forces loyal to Innocent X razed Castro and it was never rebuilt. Thus ended the Second War of Castro. After the end of the war, Mattei obtained permission to go to
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, where he became member of the staff of the Grand Condé, who had entered the service of Spain after
the Fronde The Fronde () was a series of civil wars in the Kingdom of France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659), Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The government of the young King Louis XIV c ...
. He was charged with recruiting contingents for the final phase of the Franco-Spanish War in Flanders.


Later life and death

In 1656 Mattei moved to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, where he became a member of the Imperial War Council. On behalf of Leopold I, he was entrusted with an embassy to
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 ...
. The purpose of the mission was gaining papal support in view of a new war against the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. With the help of Cardinal Girolamo Colonna, Mattei attempted to persuade the pope, but the mission was eventually unsuccessful. In 1663, Mattei went back to Rome. He settled in the family palace on Via dei Funari. Alexander VII appointed him lieutenant general of the Papal Army with a monthly salary of 300 scudi. He died in Rome on 8 June 1665.


See also

*
Belmonte Calabro Belmonte Calabro, known simply as Belmonte ( Calabrian: ) prior to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria (Southern Italy). The town is perched on a hilltop on the coast of the Ty ...
*
Wars of Castro The Wars of Castro were a series of conflicts during the mid-17th century revolving around the ancient city of Castro (located in present-day Lazio, Italy), which eventually resulted in the city's destruction on 2 September 1649. The conflict ...
* Early modern warfare - Europe *
House of Mattei The House of Mattei was one of the most powerful noble families of Rome during the Middle Ages and early modern period, early modern era, holding high positions in the papal curia and government office. The family amassed significant art collectio ...
*
Palazzo Mattei The Palazzo Mattei di Giove is the most prominent among a group of House of Mattei, Mattei houses that forms the ''insula Mattei'' in Rome, Italy, a block of buildings of many epochs. Name To distinguish this section from the others it carries th ...
*
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 ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mattei, Luigi 1675 deaths L Barberini family Marquesses 17th-century Italian nobility 17th-century condottieri Date of birth unknown Year of birth unknown Date of death unknown