Giovanni Vitelleschi

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Giovanni Maria Vitelleschi (* 1390 in Corneto (today Tarquinia ), † April 2, 1440 in Rome ) was an Italian condottiere who was made a cardinal by Pope Eugene IV .

Life

Vitelleschi had received his military training as a youth in the banda Tartaglias and completed his education under the tutelage of Pope Martin V , who made him apostolic protonotary .

He had been Bishop of Recanati and commander of the papal armies since 1431 , when the Colonna faction in Rome, fearful for their income, stirred up a revolt in Rome. A republic was temporarily established in the city, which Pope Eugene IV forced into exile in Florence on June 4, 1434 . The city was conquered with savage cruelty by Giovanni Vitelleschi the following October. He abolished all Roman rights and instructed the Senate to name him tertius pater patriae post Romulum (third father of the fatherland since Romulus ). He commanded the papal troops against René of Anjou , who claimed the throne of Naples for himself, besieged and conquered Foligno in 1439 .

Filippo Lippi : Madonna Tarquinia ; Commissioned work for Giovanni Vitelleschi

His success in suppressing the Republicans of Rome earned him the honorary title of Latin Patriarch of Alexandria and that of Archbishop of Florence . On August 9, 1437 he was elevated to cardinal priest by Eugene IV (titular church: San Lorenzo in Lucina ), called "Cardinal of Florence", where he was met with deepest distrust.

“He was bold and cunning, and with his great influence as the commander of all the Church's armed forces, he led all of the pontiff's endeavors, whether in Tuscany , Romagna , the Kingdom of Naples or Rome. He gained so much power over the pontiff and the papal troops that the former was afraid to command him and the latter did not obey anyone else. "

- Machiavelli : History of Florence , Book 5, Chapter 27.

The Florentine spies kept a watchful eye on his mail and soon intercepted letters from the Patriarch to Niccolò Piccinino , who was devastating Tuscany with his men. The correspondence was encrypted and full of paraphrases, but was interpreted as dangerous for the Pope himself. Eugene decided to imprison the patriarch. The way how he at Castel Sant'Angelo, the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, by the Castellan Antonio Rido of Padua , is was captured reported by Machiavelli.

“The Patriarch, having decided to travel to Tuscany, prepared to leave Rome the following day and ordered the castellan to be on the castle's drawbridge in the morning as he would speak to him on departure wool. Recognizing this as the best moment, Antonio instructed his people what to do and awaited the arrival of the Patriarch on the bridge which adjoins the buildings and can be pulled up or down as opportunity dictates for safety reasons. The time mentioned found him on time, and Antonio, who had pulled him onto the bridge as if to make the conversation more pleasant, gave his people a sign, who then pulled them up immediately, so that the cardinal, who had just been commander of armies, found himself a prisoner of the castellan's. The patriarch's followers initially made threats, but were appeased by being notified of the Pope's instructions. The castellan comforted him with kind words, and he replied: 'The great do not take prisoners to let them go again; and those whom it is convenient to arrest should not be released. ' He died a short time later in prison. "

- Machiavelli : Book 5, Chapter 27.

Some time after his death, on March 1, 1441, Eugene IV proclaimed in a bull that he had forgiven his enemy and asserted that Cardinal Vitelleschi's death was the natural result of his wounds and not the result of a poison attack . In 1450 Pope allowed Nicholas V , the transfer of the remains Vitelleschis in the Cathedral of Corneto .

Descendants

The Vitelleschi family retained considerable weight in central Italy. Vitelleschi's nephew, Bartolomeo Vitelleschi († December 13, 1463), Bishop of Corneto and Montefiascone , was appointed cardinal on April 6, 1444.

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personal data
SURNAME Vitelleschi, Giovanni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vitelleschi, Giovanni Maria (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian condottiere made cardinal by Pope Eugene IV
DATE OF BIRTH 1390
PLACE OF BIRTH Corneto , today Tarquinia
DATE OF DEATH April 2, 1440
Place of death Rome