Charles Januarius Edward Acton (6 March 1803 – 23 June 1847) was an English
cardinal.
Born in 1803 in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, he was the second son of
Sir John Francis Acton, 6th Baronet. The family, a cadet branch of the Actons of
Aldenham Park
Aldenham Park, also known as Aldenham Hall, is a late 17th-century country house in Morville, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England which stands in 12 hectares of parkland. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The house is built of ashlar in two-st ...
, near Bridgnorth, in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, had settled in Naples some time before his birth. His father was
first minister
A first minister is any of a variety of leaders of government cabinets. The term literally has the same meaning as "prime minister" but is typically chosen to distinguish the office-holder from a superior prime minister. Currently the title of ' ...
of the
Kingdom of Naples when he succeeded to the family estate and title through the death of his cousin,
Sir Richard Acton, 5th Baronet. The Cardinal's education was English, as he and his elder brother were sent to England on their father's death in 1811 to a school near London kept by the
Abbé Quéqué. They were then sent to
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
, with the understanding that their religion was not to be interfered with. Yet, they not only were sent to this Protestant school, but they had a Protestant clergyman as tutor.
In 1819, they went on to
Magdalene College, Cambridge.
After this strange schooling for a future cardinal, Charles went to Rome when he was twenty and entered the
Academia Ecclesiastica, where ecclesiastics intending to be candidates for public offices receive a special training. An essay of his attracted the attention of the Secretary of State,
della Somaglia, and
Pope Leo XII
Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...
made him a chamberlain and attaché to the Paris
Nunciature, where he had the best opportunity to become acquainted with diplomacy.
Pope Pius VIII
Pope Pius VIII ( it, Pio VIII; born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; 20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in November 1830.
Pius VIII's ...
recalled him and named him vice-legate, granting him choice of any of the four legations over which cardinals presided. He chose
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
as affording most opportunity for improvement. He left there at the close of Pius VIII's brief pontificate, and went to England, in 1829, to marry his sister to Sir Richard Throckmorton.
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...
made him assistant judge in the Civil Court of Rome. In 1837 he was made Auditor to the Apostolic Chamber, the highest Roman dignity after the cardinalate. Probably this was the first time it was even offered to a foreigner. Acton declined it, but was commanded to retain it. He was proclaimed Cardinal-Priest, with the title of
Santa Maria della Pace
Santa Maria della Pace is a church in Rome, central Italy, not far from Piazza Navona. The building lies in rione Ponte.
History
The current building was built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis in 148 ...
, in 1842; having been created nearly three years previously. His strength, never very great, began to decline, and a severe attack of
ague made him seek rest and recuperation, first at
Palermo and then at Naples, but without avail, for he died in the latter city. His sterling worth was little known through his modesty and humility. In his youth his musical talent and genial wit supplied much innocent gaiety, but the pressure of serious responsibilities and the adoption of a spiritual life somewhat subdued its exercise.
His judgment and legal ability were such that advocates of the first rank said that were they to know his view of a case they could tell how it would be decided. When he communicated anything in writing, Pope Gregory used to say he never had occasion to read it more than once. He was selected as interpreter in the interview which the Pope had with the
Czar Nicholas I of Russia. The Cardinal never said anything about this except that when he had interpreted the Pope's first sentence the Czar said: "It will be agreeable to me, if your Eminence will act as my interpreter, also." After the conference Cardinal Acton, by request of the Pope, wrote out a minute account of it; but he never permitted it to be seen. The King of Naples urged him earnestly to become
Archbishop of Naples, but he inexorably refused. His charities were unbounded. He once wrote from Naples that he actually tasted the distress which he sought to solace. He may be said to have died in the 'wealth' of willing poverty.
References
;Attribution
*
Further reading
Acton's career is described in the article describing his father:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acton, Charles Januarius Edward
1803 births
1847 deaths
Charles
19th-century Neapolitan people
Italian emigrants to the United Kingdom
19th-century British cardinals
Cardinals created by Pope Gregory XVI
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis deaths in Italy
Infectious disease deaths in Campania
Younger sons of baronets