Cardinal deposit
The office of cardinal nepot was a position established in the Papal States of the Renaissance and Baroque periods . Relatives of the incumbent Pope , mostly his nephews ( Latin nepotes ), were elevated to the rank of cardinal in order to then function as the Pope's “right hand”. This firmly circumscribed and institutionalized role of the cardinal nepot was in the system of the Roman Catholic Church by Paul III. established during his pontificate from 1534 to 1549. Innocent XII. abolished this office in 1692. The term nepotism (nephew, nepotism) has its origin in this office.
Functions of the cardinal nepot
From the point of view of the time, the “nepotism” associated with the office was a sensible institution for the popes to develop and maintain their power, since in the not yet sufficiently developed administrative bureaucracy, key positions and important assignments are only filled and carried out by closest confidants, i.e. preferably relatives could. In this context, the nepot had to complete important missions representing the Pope, but mainly had representative and protocol tasks such as B. to fulfill the signing of diplomatic mail and appearing at receptions. A nepot rarely wielded real power.
Since Innocent X , the political functions gradually passed to the Cardinal Secretary of State from 1644 .
The office of cardinal nepot could also serve to anchor the pope's family firmly in the nobility beyond the pontificate and to secure it economically. For this purpose, money from trade in offices, bequests in favor of the church, etc. were made available to the nephew. In this way, the family assets could be secured and social advancement ensured through patronage and festivals. Due to this fact, the cardinal depositaries were publicly viewed rather poorly.
Sample biographies of cardinal depositors
- Pope Eugene IV (1383–1447) was one of four nephews who were given by Gregory XII. were elevated to cardinals to strengthen their power base during the Great Western Schism .
- Cardinal Carlo Carafa (1517–1561) was a nephew of Paul IV. Initially a soldier, his uncle made him a cardinal and gave him considerable powers. After the beginning of the pontificate of Pius IV, he was sentenced to death and executed.
- Cardinal Innocenzo Ciocchi del Monte (1532–1577), adoptive nephew of Julius III.
- Cardinal Karl Borromeo , nephew of Pius IV. He voluntarily gave up his influential role as cardinal depository at the Curia to reform the ailing diocese of Milan as Archbishop of Milan . He was canonized as an important counter-reformer.
- Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini , nephew of Clement VIII.
- Cesare Borgia , son of Pope Alexander VI. At his own request, he was restored to the worldly status by his father.
- Scipione Borghese (1577–1633), cardinal depository of Paul V and founder of the art collection in the Villa Borghese .
See also
literature
- Arne Karsten : artists and cardinals. On the patronage of Roman cardinal nephews in the 17th century . Böhlau, Cologne a. a. 2003, ISBN 3-412-11302-6 (also: Berlin, Humboldt-Univ., Diss., 2001).