Giovanni Monaldeschi

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Fontainebleau, Gallery of the Deer

Marchese Giovanni Monaldeschi , also Gian Rinaldo Monaldesco , (* 1626 in Torre Alfina near Acquapendente ; † November 10, 1657 in Fontainebleau ) was a servant and noble favorite of the Swedish Queen Christina . He was killed on her orders during her second stay in France.

Life

Information on Monaldeschi's career is sparse. The Marchese came from a noble Italian family in Ascoli . The Monaldeschis owned the Torre Alfina castle. That is where he was apparently born. He went to Sweden and in 1652, through the mediation of Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie , his relative, became the stable master of Queen Christina. He succeeded in ousting the count from the queen's favor and in taking his place. In 1653 and 1654 he worked as a Swedish envoy in Poland and at several Italian courts. After the queen's abdication, he became her travel companion as head stable master and did diplomatic missions.

In 1656 he entered into a love affair with a French lady and wrote her letters with great indiscretions about the queen. When he left that lady, out of revenge, she sent the letters to the Queen, who was at that time in Fontainebleau.

Christina's activities around 1656/1657

The queen abdicated in 1655 and converted to Catholicism . She made her way to see Pope Alexander VII , who received her in Rome in December. Christina then spent a few months in the Eternal City. Apparently she missed governance, for she was resuming political affairs in the courts of Europe.

She established contacts with the ruling minister of Louis XIV , Cardinal Jules Mazarin , and the Duke of Modena, Francesco I d'Este . She wanted to get to Naples , ruled by the Spanish crown , to become queen there and to hand over the throne to a French prince after her death. As Queen without a Land, she needed help from troops to conquer this plan.

In 1656 she traveled to France with her entourage, but returned to Rome a few months later. In 1657 she went to the French court a second time. On October 10, she arrived at the castle in Fontainebleau, which was made available to her as a domicile.

Lover's revenge

Meanwhile, her head stable master and long lover Giovanni Monaldeschi gained the certainty that he was no longer the queen's favorite . Christina's favor had fallen on the leader of her bodyguard, Count Ludovico Santinelli di Pesaro , (also Sentinelli). He did not want to accept his disembarkation and considered a perfidious revenge on his rival in the hope that the Queen would turn to him again. He imitated Santinelli's handwriting and seal and circulated letters. Among other things, he let the English statesman Oliver Cromwell in on plans of the Queen, with whom she wanted to enter into correspondence, but also sent letters of scandalous and insulting content about Christina. When such letters were brought to Christina, she knew immediately who was the real originator. The Queen had Monaldeschi called to her on the night of November 10th.

Death in the castle

Exterior view of the Cerfs gallery

The following description is based on traditional records of Queen Christina's local chaplain, the priest Le Bel. He was awakened after midnight and ordered to go to the “Galerie des Cerfs” (“Hall of the Deer”), another part of the Fontainebleau castle. There the queen in dark robes was already present, next to her three figures whom he classified with some difficulty as soldiers of her guard, and the Marchese Monaldeschi, who was in great unrest. The priest handed Christina a package that had been entrusted to him for safekeeping some time before, which the queen opened. It contained letters and other documents which she showed Monaldeschi. The latter was dismayed at the sight, collapsed under her sharp accusations, fell crying at the queen's feet and begged for pardon. Christina said, "You are my subject and a traitor to me. Marquis, you must prepare to die!" and left the hall with the advice that he should make his peace with God by confession to the priest Le Bel. The queen did not allow herself to be changed either by a question from the leader of the soldiers or a second attempt, this time by Le Bel. Monaldeschi finally confessed. After the priest's absolution , one of the soldiers struck Monaldeschi's forehead with a sword that was not yet fatal, and he fell forward. On his hints back to take the throat, three or four blows were made there, but because of it carries chain mail had little effect. Finally, the doomed man was rammed into the side of an elongated narrow sword that ended his life.

In addition to this description, there is also other partially contradicting information about the crime:

  • In Volume 8 of the Theatrum Europaeum , published in 1693, on page 297 the date of death is October 13, 1657 and Count Ludovico Sentinelli, who killed Monaldeschi with the rapier, is given as the perpetrator .
  • The Encyclopædia Britannica states that Christina ordered the execution of her stable master, claiming that he had disclosed her plans to the Holy See .
  • It was alleged that Monaldeschi betrayed the plans to Spain .

consequences

The rejection of any justification for the action beyond reference to her royal authority shocked the French court. The Pope did not receive them on their return to Rome.

In France it was only after some time that Christina was told that she had to leave Fontainebleau. She took no notice of this order until it was at her discretion, then moved on with all the honors of a reigning monarch.

The act sparked a state theory problem as Christina made an execution decision in France, which was not her territory. She countered this by stating that, as ruler, she always had power over her court, no matter where he was. This is how it is regulated in her deed of abdication.

Their plans for Naples were no longer pursued after Monaldeschi's death.

The body of Monaldeschi may have been buried in Avon ( Île-de-France ), because there is a grave slab with his name on it.

Further effects

The sensational act was later used as a subject by writers . Examples are given

The painter Johan Fredrik Höckert painted the painting Drottning Kristina och Monaldeschi (Göteborg Art Museum) in 1851 .

literature

  • "Queen Christina and the Marquis Monaldeschi" in: Lyndon Orr: Famous Affinities of History (New York & London, 1912) ( E-Text in Project Gutenberg (English) )
  • Rélation de la mort de Monaldeschi . Paris 1701.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. see literature list there @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.torrealfina.net
  2. ↑ Monaldeschi . In: Heinrich August Pierer , Julius Löbe (Hrsg.): Universal Lexicon of the Present and the Past . 4th edition. tape 11 . Altenburg 1860, p. 376 ( zeno.org ).
  3. ↑ a b c http://search.eb.com/women/article-9082429
  4. ↑ http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/Galerie-des-Cerfs
  5. ↑ http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/ffnt110.txt
  6. ↑ http://elpub.bib.uni-wuppertal.de/edocs/dokumente/fb05/diss2001/zika/d050102.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/palissy_fr
personal data
SURNAME Monaldeschi, Giovanni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gian Rinaldo Monaldesco
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian nobleman and favorite of the Swedish Queen Christina
DATE OF BIRTH 1626
PLACE OF BIRTH Torre Alfino
DATE OF DEATH November 10, 1657
Place of death Fontainebleau