Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi

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On the right Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi. Milan Cathedral.

Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi or Giovannangelo Arcimboldi (born September 27, 1485 in Milan , † April 6, 1555 in Milan) was from 1514 to 1519 general commissioner for indulgences in northern Germany and Scandinavia . In 1526 he became Bishop of Novara and in 1550 Archbishop of Milan.

Early years

Arcimboldi, son of the lawyer and Milanese senator Luigi Arcimboldi, came from a patrician family in Milan. He was the last of four Archbishops of Milan who came from this family between 1484 and 1555. He was able to complete his law studies at the University of Siena on March 11, 1512 with a doctorate in civil and canon law. As early as 1509 Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi received the first spiritual benefices that his late brother Ottaviano had held. The Arcisate preposition was given to the Arcimboldi family by Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza in 1484 and subsequently confirmed repeatedly. In his autobiography, Arcimboldi describes in detail his efforts to expand his benefice possession. A diplomatic activity previously attributed to Arcimboldi in the service of the Duke of Milan , Massimiliano Sforza , which he was supposed to have exercised for a short time immediately after his studies, is neither confirmed by Arcimboldi's autobiography nor by more recent research.

Indulgences

Letter of indulgence from Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi

After completing his studies, he went to Rome , where he was appointed trainee lawyer by Leo X , a position he retained until the end of Leo's pontificate in 1521. On December 2, 1514, Pope Leo appointed him commissioner for the indulgence, which Julius II had advertised to raise funds for the new building of St. Peter's Church in Rome, and the duration of which Leo had extended. At the same time he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio for the church provinces of Cologne, Salzburg, Bremen, Besançon and Uppsala as well as for the dioceses of Cambrai, Tournai, Thérouanne, Arras and Kammin. Exceptions were the possessions of Albrecht von Brandenburg , Archbishop of Magdeburg and Archbishop of Mainz, and areas of the Margraves of Brandenburg. At the end of September 1515, Arcimboldi's mandate was also extended to the diocese of Meissen , where he appointed the Dominican Johann Tetzel as sub- commissioner the following year . A later enlargement included Denmark and Norway. In the certificate of appointment, Arcimboldi was granted a quarter of the income in the empire and half of the income in Scandinavia to cover his expenses. In 1516 he brought in large indulgences in Lübeck and Hamburg . In September 1516, Arcimboldi's powers of attorney were extended for one year in Germany and for two years in Meissen and Scandinavia.

In September 1516 Arcimboldi received the papal mandate to mediate in disputes in the ecclesiastical province of Uppsala. A short time later he came to Denmark. Christian II tried to convince him to undermine Sten Stures power, because of his attacks against the church and especially because of his deposition of Archbishop Gustav Trolle . Arcimboldi arrived in Sweden in March 1518. There he operated a lively indulgence trade. Some letters of indulgence have survived. Although it was his goal to reinstate the deposed Gustav Trolle, for which he had also been commissioned by Pope Leo X. , by bribing Sten Sture and pretending that the archbishop's chair was unmarried, he succeeded in getting him to his side. The papal displeasure against Sten Sture, which was fueled by Christian II, now also affected Arcimboldi. Then there was the wrath of Christian II. Both the property that his brother Antonellus Arcimbaldus had collected on Gotland and his own, which he had piled up in Sweden and sent to Denmark, were confiscated by the king. Antonellus was arrested by the king. On his way home, Arcimboldi narrowly escaped the same fate by fleeing back to Sweden in a hurry. From Kalmar he went by ship to Germany, where the Reformation was in full swing. In August 1519 Arcimboldi was called back to Rome, at the same time the Archbishop of Lund was commissioned to investigate Arcimboldi's behavior. In September 1520 he reached Rome and had to defend himself, ultimately successfully, against the accusations of Christian II.

Bishop of Novara

Arcimboldi's bishop's coat of arms of Milan

In November 1521, Arcimboldi entered the service of Francesco II. Sforza , who was the last duke to take possession of the Duchy of Milan the following year . Arcimboldi was part of the delegation that Hadrian VI. of his election as successor Leo X. taught him and conveyed the congratulations of the Duchy of Milan. In September 1522 Arcimboldi acquired the office of apostolic protonotary for 3,500 ducats . In the following month, Arcimboldi was proposed by Sforza as the successor to the late Cardinal Matthäus Schiner for the bishopric in Novara, although Antonio del Monte had held it since 1516 . The dispute lasted until 1525 when del Monte finally resigned. However, Ermete Stampa occupied the vacant bishopric until 1526, possibly because of the resistance of several cardinals against Arcimboldi.

On March 2, 1526, after the death of Ermete Stampa, Arcimboldi took office as Bishop of Novara, and on the 22nd of the same month he was ordained bishop by one of his predecessors, Antonio del Monte. Arcimboldi resided outside the diocese and little is known about his work at that time apart from the restoration of the episcopal residence and negotiations about claims of Charles V in relation to the diocese of Novara. Arcimboldi was also listed on a list drawn up by the Roman Curia of the participants in the Council of Trent . However, he did not attend and was excused in February 1547.

Archbishop of Milan

Pope Julius III sent him on March 19, 1550 to Milan, where he should take over the office of the resigned Archbishop Ippolito II. d'Este . On March 23, he was awarded the pallium , and on June 10, 1550, Archbishop Arcimboldi made a solemn entry into Milan. His tenure was marked by the struggle against the Protestants, so in 1554 he issued an edict against the heretics, the Catalogo degli heretici , which was followed by a list of Protestants whose works were forbidden to read. Arcimboldi died in Milan on April 6, 1555 and was buried in Milan Cathedral .

The autobiography left behind by Arcimboldi contains little information about his administration as Bishop of Novara and Archbishop of Milan. However, it paints the picture of a man who unscrupulously sought and attained worldly wealth, honors and church offices. The exercise of his offices, however, was characterized by little interest, his inactivity is also reflected in the tradition, despite his long term in office as bishop and archbishop, not very extensive. Arcimboldi was the father of five children born between 1515 and 1531.

literature

Web links

Commons : Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cod. X 41 sup. the Biblioteca Ambrosiana , edited by Carlo Marcora: Note autobiografiche dell'arcivescovo Giovanni Angelo Arcimboldi , in: Memorie storiche della diocesi di Milano , I, 1954, pp. 153–161.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Giuseppe Alberigo :  Arcimboldi, Giovanni Angelo. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 3:  Ammirato – Arcoleo. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1961.
  3. ↑ Nikolaus Paulus: History of the indulgence at the exit of the Middle Ages , 1923, p. 174.
  4. ↑ a b Nikolaus Paulus: History of the indulgence at the exit of the Middle Ages , 1923, p. 175.
  5. ↑ John Wordsworth: The national church of Sweden , AR Mowbray, London 1911, pp. 165-167.
personal data
SURNAME Arcimboldi, Giovanni Angelo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Arcimboldus, Johannes Angelus (Latin); Arcimboldi, Giovannangelo (Italian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Papal legate and trader of indulgences, Bishop of Novara and Archbishop of Milan
DATE OF BIRTH September 27, 1485
PLACE OF BIRTH Milan
DATE OF DEATH April 6, 1555
Place of death Milan