Pietro Aldobrandini
Pietro Aldobrandini (* March 31, 1571 in Rome, † February 10, 1621 ) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. As a nephew of Clement VIII, who also came from the Roman noble family of Aldobrandini, he was Kardinalnepot during which the papacy and had thus holds a key position within the Curia. After the death of his uncle, the Paul V. succeeded in the pontificate, he lost his influence. He lived retired as Archbishop of Ravenna, from where he led a long and rich intrigue fight against his power loss.
According to the early modern practices also promoted Clement VIII after his election in 1592 close to him people from his family in influential positions. Clemens made his nephew the first castellan of Castel Sant'Angelo and a little later, together with his cousin Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini Head of the Papal Secretariat of State. To emphasize his interest in a career within the Curia, Pietro Aldobrandini took minor ecclesiastical ordinations in December 1592. On September 17, 1593 Clement VIII elevated him to cardinal deacon of San Nicola in Carcere. 1605 he was elevated to Cardinal of Santi Giovanni e Paolo. 1612 he joined the titular church and took over instead of Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini drew from great political skill. He was involved, among other things, that Henry IV converted to Catholicism. Even the peaceful running of Ferrara inclusion in the Papal States in the year 1597/1598 is due primarily to the action of Pietro Aldobrandini. In the conflict between France and Savoy to the Margraviate he gave as papal legate. He managed to negotiate several months of negotiations lasting peace agreement.
The historian Tobias Mörschel has life Pietro Aldobrandini examined in more detail as a typical example of a Kardinalnepoten and dealt with it, among other positions which Pietro Aldobrandini could unite itself during the pontificate of Clement VIII. Mörschel considers it a typical feature of the prehistoric nepotism that Pietro was mainly those offices, but they were associated with little work high income. As a typical Kardinalnepot it was his duty to transfer as much money from the papal coffers of family ownership. This immoral behavior from today's perspective was socially accepted in the 16th century to a wide degree. After that time understanding a Pope also had the duty to take care of the material welfare and the advancement of its members.
The descent Pietro Aldobrandini began with the death of his uncle at the beginning of the year in 1605. The Ponitifikat of him following Leo XI. lasted only a few weeks, so that Pietro Aldobrandini influence remained unbroken for the time being. This changed with the election of Pope Paul V, who belonged to the Italian noble family Borghese. Paul V. already appointed in August 1605 his nephew Scipione Caffarelli Borghese for new Kardinalnepot. Probably the influence of Pietro Aldobrandini to prune within the Curia, Paul V. gave orders that all the bishops had to go to their dioceses, if they would not be deprived of their diocese. Since the Diocese of Ravenna was linked to Pietro Aldobrandini with comprehensive income, so he had to leave Rome. The politicians Pietro Aldobrandini, however, managed also from there to get a primogeniture for his nephew and heir of the Aldobrandini family, Giovanni Giorgio Aldobrandini in Neapolitan Rossano. This territory was outside of the Papal States; the influence of the Aldobrandini family little friendly to the Pope was much lower here.
Pope Paul V died on 29 January 1621st Its almost 16 years -ending pontificate was one of the longest in the last three hundred years have been. Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini immediately rushed to Rome to attend the conclave. In fact, he managed to thwart the plans of the Kardinalnepoten by Paul V.. They managed this not to enforce the candidate who would continue to secure the influence of the Borghese family. More successful was Pietro Aldobrandini, whose farvorisierter candidate, the aged Cardinal Ludovisi, was chosen as a compromise candidate. This appeared as Gregory XV. his post. The papal coronation did not live Pietro Aldobrandini. He died on February 10, 1621 in Rome.
Pietro Aldobrandini was 1578-1598 Grand Prior of the Grand Priory of Rome, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.