Alessandro d'Este

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alessandro d'Este (born May 5, 1568 in Ferrara , † May 13, 1624 in Rome ) was a cardinal from the House of Este .

Life

Alessandro d'Este was born the illegitimate son of the Margrave of Montecchio Alfonso d'Este and was chosen early for a career in the church by his uncle Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara . In January 1587 he became archpriest in Bondeno and abbot of Pomposa Abbey.

Pope Clement VIII accepted him in the consistory of March 3, 1599 as Cardinal Deacon of Sant'Adriano in the College of Cardinals . The Pope granted him dispensation from ordination the following month . Also in 1599 he became cardinal protector of the Spanish crown. Cardinal d'Este, known in his youth for a relaxed way of life, developed a deep religiosity and turned against the pompous ceremonies at the papal court in particular. He supported the order of the Theatines and forced their establishment in Modena . Politically, he was still on the side of his family in the Duchy of Ferrara. During the war for the Garfagnana countryside in 1613, he traveled to Spain to mediate for the d'Este family. There he received from King Philip III. recognition of his family's claims in this area. In addition, he managed, since 1605 governor of Tivoli , that the local Villa d'Este was permanently owned by his family; this previously belonged to the College of Cardinals.

Alessandro d'Este, friends of the Cardinals Robert Bellarmin and Carlo Emmanuele Pio di Savoia , among others , held an influential position in the College of Cardinals. In 1605 he was decisive in the election of Leo XI. and Paul V involved, after he had previously prevented the election of Pietro Aldobrandini , who was favored by the French . In the conclave of 1621, after a stalemate, he again played a decisive role when he finally voted for Alessandro Ludovisi, who was considered neutral, to be Pope Gregory XV. propelled forward. In the same year he was appointed Bishop of Reggio Emilia . On October 18, 1621 he was by Gregory XV. personally ordained priest before he was ordained bishop on April 3, 1622.

Pope Urban VIII accepted Cardinal d'Este, who had previously held several titular diaconies and cardinal protodeacon, in the class of cardinal priests in October 1623 and assigned him the titular church of Santa Maria della Pace . After a long illness he died in Rome and was buried in Tivoli.

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani names March 13, 1624 as the date of death