Ercole Gonzaga
Ercole Gonzaga (born November 22, 1505 in Mantua , † March 2, 1563 in Trento ) was bishop of Mantua from 1521 , cardinal from 1527 and ruler of the Duchy of Mantua from 1540 to 1559 .
biography
The family and their influence
Ercole was the second-born son of Margrave Francesco II Gonzaga of Mantua . His mother was Isabella d'Este , the eldest daughter of Duke Ercole I d'Este of Ferrara .
From 1521 to 1525 he studied philosophy and literature under Pietro Pomponazzi at the University of Bologna . In addition to Latin and Greek, he also learned the approaches of Arabic. During this time his passion for bibliophilia developed , which later became a characteristic feature of his cultural interests. He was elected Bishop of Mantua on May 10, 1521, but was not ordained episcopal until 1561.
At the end of 1521 he accompanied his uncle, Cardinal Sigismondo Gonzaga , to the conclave that Pope Hadrian VI. chose. After Cardinal Sigismondo died in early October 1525, Ercole's mother went to Rome with the intention of obtaining cardinal dignity from the Pope for her son. After lengthy negotiations and several visits to the Pope, Isabella d'Este achieved her goal through her persistence, with 20,000 ducats flowing into the papal box , according to some information even doubled. Ercole Gonzaga received the cardinal's hat from Pope Clement VII on May 3, 1527 and was appointed cardinal deacon with the titular church of Santa Maria Nuova on May 5, 1527 . This family triumph was overshadowed by the Sacco di Roma , the sack of Rome that began just a day later.
Cardinal in Rome
Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga administered the Diocese of Soana between 1529 and 1532 and was appointed governor of Tivoli in 1534 . On October 21, 1529 was the solemn entry of Pope Clement VII. In Bologna present and took on 24 February 1530 the coronation of Emperor Charles V in part. The following March he was at the court of Mantua when his nephew Federico II Gonzaga was bestowed ducal dignity by the emperor in a solemn ceremony. In the first months of 1533 he stayed as a papal legate with the emperor in Genoa . He returned to Rome in September 1534 when rumors of Clement VII's illness began to spread. After his death, he entered the conclave . He decided to vote with the Spanish, German and Italian supporters of Charles V, but foresaw the election of a neutral candidate, which was reflected in the election of Alessandro Farnese who was named Paul III. assumed it became truth on October 13, 1534. Cardinal Gonzaga's political activity was focused on representing Habsburg interests. When Charles V intervened to protect Cardinal Benedetto Accolti , who had been imprisoned in April 1535, he arranged for the death sentence to be overturned. He maintained close relations with the emperor and provided him with important information about the strategies of Paul III. and the maneuvers of the Italian princes.
Cardinal Gonzaga also showed inclinations to cultivate the spiritual and religious life and to broaden his horizons. Since a meeting in Mantua in 1532 he was in contact with Juan de Valdés , whose radical spirituality was a new experience for him. He also corresponded with Vittoria Colonna and in the spring of 1535 he heard, along with other cardinals, the sermons of Bernardino Ochino in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso . Despite everything, he knew how to move skillfully in the context of religious attitudes of this epoch. While his house in Rome was known for the freedom with which the different views were discussed here, he managed to stand in high esteem among the representatives of the closest group of the Curia, such as the public praise of Gian Pietro Carafa, the later Pope Paul IV , show.
At the same time, the first pastoral visits ordered in the diocese of Mantua revealed cases of ignorance and reprehensible behavior among religious. Cardinal Gonzaga gave instructions on how to correct the grievances and did not hesitate to ask Duke Federico for assistance. At the same time he promoted the establishment of the Società del Corpo di Cristo (Society of the Body of Christ), a lay association devoted to charitable tasks. In Rome his position became increasingly difficult. He complained that he was "without a blessed Quattrino " (smallest coin of that time) and he also had to bury the hope of Lucedio Abbey ; Alessandro Farnese , the Pope's grandson, was honored with her . He hoped for imperial support for his achievements, but had to be content with occasional commissions and the Spanish diocese of Tarazona , which he received in June 1537. The decisive factor in his departure from Rome, however, was the announcement that he was calling a council in Mantua.
Return to Mantua
In the spring of 1537, Ercole Gonzaga used the mother's poor health as an excuse to ask Charles V for permission to return to Mantua and take up permanent residence there. At the same time, rumors were circulating in Rome that the Pope would punish his absence with excommunication . Under the direction of Pietro Bertano , Bishop of Fano since 1537 , he immersed himself in theological studies, focusing on documents that were controversial at the time, such as the Epistles of Paul , and on the foundations of Thomistic philosophy . In his diocese, Ercole Gonzaga gave new impetus by founding the scuola dei chierici della cattedrale (School of the Cathedral's Clerics) for the education of the clergy. He succeeded in reducing disciplinary violations and gradually enforcing a stricter rule of life in everyday church life. He was one of the prelates most sensitive to accents of religious renewal and maintained contacts with important members of the Spirituali group , which included Gasparo Contarini , Reginald Pole , Federigo Fregoso and Gian Matteo Giberti, the Bishop of Verona , and among others who sought a reform of the church. Bernardino Ochino accepted his invitation to preach in Mantua in Advent 1538 and spring 1539.
First reign for Francesco III. from Mantua
Political commitments should deter him from debating church reform. In June 1540 his brother Duke Federico II and his seven-year-old son Francesco III died. followed him. Ercole Gonzaga assumed the reign of the duchy, nominally with his brother Ferrante and sister-in-law Margherita Palaiologa, but de facto he was almost entirely responsible. His first steps included cutting court costs, prosecuting corruption, abolishing unpopular taxes and promoting trade. Then an administrative reform was passed by him. In the area of social policy, he promoted the establishment of aid organizations and the expansion of the hospital. In foreign policy, he concluded agreements with neighboring states, which amounted to keeping the duchy in neutrality and at the same time maintaining privileged relations with the emperor. The marriage alliance agreed with Emperor Charles V in June 1543 between his niece Katharina of Austria and Ercole Gonzaga's nephew Francesco III, who were both ten years old at the time, was another building block.
From 1542 onwards, Pope Paul III tightened the rules . after no agreement could be reached between Catholic and Protestant views at the Diet of Regensburg in 1541, his pace towards the Spirituali . As early as 1541 he had ordered Gasparo Contarini as papal legate to Bologna and had Reginald Pole transferred to Viterbo , removing both of them from Rome. Papal indulgence now came to an end towards Poles, with his Lutheran ideas and views and his circle (the Ecclesia Viterbiensis ). In the summer of 1542 he was the subject of inquisitorial investigations with the serious charge of heresy , which were led by Juan Álvarez de Toledo , who was known for his restrictive attitude on questions of faith. Ercole Gonzaga cautiously tried to oppose the increasing tightening of Rome and the incipient disintegration of the religious renewal movement. Bernardino Ochino, who fled the papal captors in the summer of 1542, allowed him to leave Mantua unhindered and later claimed not to have recognized him because he was disguised as a soldier. He then immediately stood up for Vergerius , the bishop of Capodistria , when he learned that he had also been reported as suspicious and had been summoned to Rome. On the other hand, he broke off all relations with him and even asked him in mid-August 1546 not to write to any religious in Mantua.
Ercole Gonzaga quickly adapted to the current situation. While he had essentially tolerated a cautious exchange of ideas in his circle and never discriminated against the work of preachers who did not hesitate to propose sensitive topics, he did not want to have put religious dissent into practice. Thus his concern about the first signs of the presence of Lutherans in Mantuan territory, especially in Viadana , Gonzaga and Castel Goffredo , was followed in the 1940s by an open fight against heresy in his own country. In an appeal on December 4, 1543, he promised punishments to the stake for spreading the new faith, and on January 10, 1545, he issued another against the possession of heretical books. In 1545/46 he had several trials against defendants who were accused of spreading Lutheran teachings. The Pope publicly praised his zeal for this with a bull dated February 7, 1545. Gonzaga's aversion to Paul III. was not changed by this; When the Pope's son Pier Luigi Farnese received Parma in 1545 , he commented on it with angry insults. He even secretly helped the Duke of Florence, Cosimo I de 'Medici , in a court dispute with Rome.
On October 22, 1549, the marriage between Francesco III, planned since 1543, took place in Mantua . and Katharina of Austria. The wedding celebrations continued when the news of the death of Pope Paul III. Mantua reached. Cardinal Gonzaga immediately set out for Rome and entered the conclave at the end of November 1549 , which lasted until February 7, 1550 and from which Julius III. emerged as the new Pope. Gonzaga had campaigned in favor of Cardinal Giovanni Salviati in the conclave and was thus one of the last to surrender to the election of Del Monte. The new Pope showed no resentment, but gave him a precious ancient emerald . Cardinal Gonzaga was still in Rome when he received news that the seventeen-year-old duke had tragically died on February 22, 1550. His twelve-year-old brother Guglielmo came under the reign of Ercole as his successor (again nominally together with his brother Ferrante). Ercole Gonzaga returned to Mantua in early March and had the duke's funeral services held.
Second reign for Guglielmo of Mantua
In 1551 , Ercole Gonzaga was drawn into the events by Ottavio Farnese , who advanced with his troops on the papal territory. He obeyed the will of Pope Julius III, who was concerned about the strategic position of the fortress of Sermide , which Gonzaga asked to have it demolished in order to avoid that it would bring an advantage to the Farnese in the battle. However, Ercole Gonzaga could not prevent the French invasion of the Margraviate of Montferrat in September of the same year . His brother Ferrante Gonzaga was forced not only to protect the duchy of Milan entrusted to him by the emperor , but also to defend the interests of his family in Montferrat. In the course of these military operations and the war, the Gonzaga lost Montferrat, which was occupied by the French, and only got it back through the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis .
Julius III died in March 1555. and Cardinal Gonzaga arrived in Rome on April 3rd. In the conclave , he advocated Cardinal Ippolito d'Este , but was just as satisfied with the election of Marcellus II on April 9, 1555. On April 10, he wrote to Ferrante Gonzaga that there could finally be hope for a reform of the Church and have an end to the abuse scandals. He therefore seemed very close to the newly elected; but had hardly returned to Mantua when he received news of Marcello II's sudden death and returned to Rome in mid-May. In the conclave , he took a firm stand for the pro-Habsburg cardinals and until the end he rejected the candidacy of Cardinal Carafa, who was elected Pope on May 23 under the name of Paul IV . Carafa, the co-founder of the Theatine Order , was considered a staunch opponent of the Spirituali and on December 5, 1549, in the current conclave, publicly accused the most successful candidate for the successor to the Pope, Cardinal Reginald Pole, of heresy and thus prevented his election at the time. Pope Paul IV arrested the most successful candidate for his own papal election, Cardinal Giovanni Morone , in 1557 on suspicion of heresy and had him imprisoned until his own death in 1559.
Ercole Gonzaga repeatedly advocated Morones and urged the Habsburgs, who obtained extensions of the deadline. Paul IV died in August 1559 before the end of the trial. In the conclave that followed, Cardinal Gonzaga played a leading role, as he could count on the support of some Italian princes, such as the dukes of Florence, Ferrara and Urbino, and of Mantua. Duke Guglielmo of Mantua came of age in 1559, which ended Ercole's reign. As early as the summer of 1558 he had sounded out the Farnese's attitude towards him and at the end of August 1559 French support was promised to his candidacy if it were not possible to elect his own candidates, the Cardinals Ippolito d'Este or Jean de Tournon.
Conclave of 1559 and the Council of Trent
Cardinal Gonzaga arrived in Rome in September 1559 and his name was immediately proposed and accepted by all factions. Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo , however, failed to vote the entire group of cardinals who sided with the Habsburgs on him. Alessandro Farnese and Guido Ascanio Sforza , partisans of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty, rejected Cardinal Gonzaga in September. With the arrival of Francisco Vargas, the ambassador of Philip II , in Rome, Gonzaga's hopes faded and by the beginning of October it was clear that the Spanish ruler did not like his name. He then tried to force a turnaround by announcing the withdrawal of his candidacy on November 10, combined with a speech in the conclave. Negotiations followed to win the faction affiliated with Cardinal Carafa, but one last attempt to vote for Gonzaga failed in the December 13th ballot. Twelve days later, on December 25, 1559, an agreement was reached on Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Medici, who became the new Pope in the name of Pius IV .
After his return to Mantua, Cardinal Gonzaga was involved in the project of Pope Pius IV with a bull dated November 29, 1560, to convene the Council of Trent again after ten years . Pius IV installed him as a legate , although Ercole Gonzaga had declared himself unavailable. He feared that entering into the debate about reforming the Church would jeopardize his hopes for the papal throne. After receiving a brief papal warning in December, he accepted the commission at the beginning of February 1561, but with the special condition of receiving Spanish support. Gonzaga was careful to improve his position at the court of Philip II with a view to a future conclave. Pius IV was ready to give him any support, but the international situation forced him to publish Gonzaga's nomination in the consistory on February 14th and to send him to Trent shortly after the order .
In April 1561, Ercole Gonzaga met Girolamo Seripando , the second papal legate, and moved with him together with a large entourage in the Palazzo Thun in Trento. A little later he gave a banquet at the Castello del Buonconsiglio in honor of Archduchess Eleonore of Austria , who traveled via Trento to Mantua for her wedding with Duke Guglielmo on April 26, 1561. From May 1561, Cardinal Gonzaga began to study the subjects discussed in the previous sessions of the Council of Trent. The following summer he looked for premises to ensure the safety of the Protestant representatives of the council. In September he asked Cardinal Carlo Borromeo to inform him of the exact scope of his mandate and some questions regarding the continuation of previous meetings or new announcements, the questions to be discussed and also the reaction in the event that the superiority of the Pope over the Council was in question would be asked to answer. Gonzaga as dean was subordinate to the college of cardinals involved, which included Girolamo Seripando and Stanislaus Hosius . However, since he had no effective powers, he was convinced that the Pope's repeated appreciations were more formal in nature. After the arrival of Cardinal Iacopo Simonetta in Trento in December 1561, Gonzaga declared himself unsuitable for the commission; However, Pius IV continued to assure him great recognition. He likely relied on Gonzaga's authority to control the congregation's autonomous pressure.
On January 18, 1562, the council was solemnly opened by Cardinal Gonzaga with the chant of the messa dello Spirito Santo . From the first discussions, his position clearly appeared to be inconsistent with that of Rome. Along with the draft of the revision of the Index of Paul IV came the proposal to give condemned authors and publishers the opportunity to be heard and allowed to present their reasons to the general synod. In contrast to Simonetta, the advocate of the interests of the Roman court, Cardinal Gonzaga thought it appropriate to soften the severity shown up to that point and even to grant the heretics who had come to Trent a general pardon. Some of the bishops discussed this proposal, which was received favorably from the imperial side, and in mid-February it was proposed that those who wanted to present themselves to the council should be given safe conduct . Because of strong opposition from the prelates closest to the Pope and from those in Spain who feared the authority of the Spanish Inquisition was compromised, Cardinal Gonzaga was forced to wait for instructions from Rome. A request came from Rome on February 20th to avoid the main themes of church reform and to accept this restriction. As in 1552, safe conduct was promised on March 4, 1562, but expressly only to the followers of the Confessio Augustana , which excluded apostates from within their own ranks. In the second half of March, the Pope tried unsuccessfully to block the discussion on the question of whether the residence obligation was de jure divine, i.e. independent of papal authority. In the following month, the subject was at the center of bitter disputes, in which Cardinal Gonzaga was neutral but was only able to rule with some difficulty. In addition, rumors of the appointment of new legates spread.
With the beginning of June, Gonzaga's health conditions deteriorated. The news of the growing dissatisfaction of the Curia and the constant opposition of the prelates in Trento to Bishop Sanfelice, supported by Simonetta, prompted him to request his dismissal in Rome. His attitude was well known in Trento and caused disappointment, especially among the diplomatic representatives. However, Pius IV did not accept the request. With a brief letter dated June 29, 1562, he renewed his confidence and urged Gonzaga to reconcile with Simonetta, as was done in July. From mid-September, Cardinal Gonzaga abstained from his work several times and left the presidency to Cardinal Hosius. At the beginning of November Gonzaga took part again in the debates that broke out again over the residence and thwarted Simonetta's plan to refer the question to the Pope. Weeks of heated debate ensued, and Gonzaga focused on compromises, relying on the mediation skills of Cardinal Charles de Guise , head of the French delegation. Cardinal Gonzaga then prepared for the meeting scheduled for February 4, 1563, for which, however, a postponement was ordered. He suggested speeding up the work, but was now pessimistic about the possibility that the council would bring about significant reforms as pressure increased from Rome and the Catholic sovereigns. He even feared a possible breakup of the meeting as many participants were asked to leave.
Death and legacies
At the end of February 1563, Ercole Gonzaga fell ill. The doctors first diagnosed the flu, but it was more like pneumonia. Weakened from repeated bleeding, his life appeared to be in obvious mortal danger after a few days. He received the last rites with the assistance of Jesuit Father Diego Laínez and died shortly before midnight on March 2nd, 1563 at the age of 57.
In his will he left legacies for the Mantua pawn shop , the Jesuits, the prelates of the council closest to him, and the officers of the retinue. Instead, his four children are not mentioned:
- Anna, a nun in the Dominican monastery of San Vincenzo in Mantua (together with Ippolita Gonzaga (1503–1570), sister of Ercole Gonzaga)
- Camillo
- Elisabetta (or Isabella), married to Conte Federico Maffei
- Giulio Cesare, born in 1557 and in the Mantuan Senate since 1576
,_serie_di_arazzi_con_giochi_di_putti,_la_danza,_mantova_1540_ca.jpg)
Earlier legacies concerned the Gonzaga's book and art collections. The much-vaunted book collection, however, was dismembered. The library contained 482 texts on theology and biblical studies, 140 books on "Lutherans", 186 books on philosophy, 471 on "Humanità" and 150 "libri antiqui", very old books, some of which were handwritten or hand-printed different subjects. The precious tapestries depicting putti , commissioned from Nicolas Karcher in 1542, came as a bequest to Duke Guglielmo Gonzaga.
Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga was buried in the cathedral of Mantua next to his brother Ferrante .
literature
- Giampiero Brunelli: GONZAGA, Ercole. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 57: Giulini – Gonzaga. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2001.
Web links
- Ercole Gonzaga. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website, English) (Note: The date of birth differs here (in contrast to other reputable sources) by one day.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Giampiero Brunelli: GONZAGA, Ercole. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 57: Giulini – Gonzaga. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2001. Retrieved July 11, 2018
- ↑ WebHistorian: 1537: Council of Mantua
- ↑ Roberto de Mattei : Paul IV and the heretics of his time , February 17, 2015, accessed July 11, 2018
- ↑ Thomas P. Campbell, Maryan Wynn Ainsworth: Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence , 2002, pp. 490–508, accessed July 13, 2018 (English)
- ↑ Museo del Duomo di Milano: Tapestry "Giochi di Putti" , June 2014, accessed July 13, 2018 (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Sigismondo Gonzaga |
Bishop of Mantua 1521–1563 |
Federico Gonzaga |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gonzaga, Ercole |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cardinal, Bishop of Mantua and Regent of the Duchy of Mantua |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 22, 1505 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mantua |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 2, 1563 |
| Place of death | Trent |