Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona (cardinal, 1560)

Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona the Elder

Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona (* 1560 in Naples ; † December 5, 1612 ibid) from the noble Acquaviva family was a cardinal of the Roman Church . It is characterized by an atypical career path. Although he was a Spanish subject, he operated a French-friendly policy. At the height of his career he was Archbishop of Naples .

Career

Acquaviva studied law at the University of Perugia and graduated in 1582 with a doctorate. He was then ordained a priest and still in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. appointed trainee lawyer for both signatures. Pope Sixtus V appointed him legate of the Papal States Province of Patrimonium Petri in 1589 . He owed the cardinal's hat , which he received on March 6, 1591, to Pope Gregory XIV. Cardinal Acquaviva acquired the Villa Grazioli and had it decorated with elaborate frescoes. From 1593 to 1602 he was cardinal of the titular church of Santa Maria del Popolo . In 1592 he received the vice-protectorate of France. Pope Clement VIII appointed him legate of Avignon , although the noble families of Acquaviva were indebted to the Spanish Habsburgs. In 1597 he returned to Rome from Avignon. He took part in the conclaves of 1591 , 1592 , March / April 1605 and May 1605 . On June 5, 1605, the cardinal moved to the titular church of Santa Prassede and received the Archdiocese of Naples on August 31 of the same year . He was ordained bishop on September 18, 1605 by Cardinal Robert Bellarmin with the assistance of Antonio Caetani (Jr.), Archbishop of Capua . From January 12, 1609 to January 11, 1610, Acquaviva Camerlengo was the College of Cardinals.

Cardinal Acquaviva died in his episcopal city and was buried in the cathedral of Naples .

Family relationships

Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona was the nephew of Cardinal Giovanni Vincenzo Acquaviva d'Aragona and Claudio Acquaviva SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus .

His brother Giulio was also a cardinal. The brother Rodolfo was a Jesuit and missionary who died a martyr in India and was beatified by the Catholic Church . His younger brother Orazio was a Capuchin and from 1592 to 1617 Bishop of Caiazzo . His eponymous great-nephew Ottavio Acquaviva d'Aragona was also elevated to cardinal in 1654.

See also: Acquaviva (noble family)

literature

• NN:  ACQUAVIVA D'ARAGONA, Ottavio. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 1:  Aaron – Albertucci. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1960.
• Guido Metzler: Madness with method. In: Arne Karsten (ed.): The hunt for the red hat. Cardinal careers in baroque Rome. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2004, ISBN 3-525-36277-3 , p. 57 ff.

Web links

• ACQUAVIVA D'ARAGONA, seniore, Ottavio. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website), accessed July 9, 2016.
• Entry on Ottavio Cardinal Acquaviva d'Aragona (Sr.) on catholic-hierarchy.org ; Retrieved July 9, 2016.
• Entry on the tomb in the REQUIEM project

predecessor	Office	successor
Alfonso Gesualdo	Archbishop of Naples 1605–1612	Decio Carafa