Cinzio Aldobrandini (1551 – 1 January 1610) was an Italian cardinal.

Name

In some documents he is known as Cinzio Personeni Aldobrandini or Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini because, after settling in Romagna, the family varied its name according to the place from which they had moved - his father Aurelio Personeni was born in Cà Personeni (frazione of Bedulita in the province of Bergamo) and later Aurelio's family moved to Cà Passero (frazione of

Berbenno Berbenno ( Bergamasque: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northwest of Bergamo. Berbenno borders the following municipalities: Bedulita, ...

in the province of Bergamo); as a merchant, Aurelio moved to

Senigallia Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian, Romagnol: ''S’nigaja'') is a ''comune'' and port town on Italy's Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona in the Marche region and lies approximately 30 kilometers north-west of the pro ...

, where he married. The latin inscription on his tomb monument identifies him simply as "CINTHIO ALDOBRANDINO".

Life

Cinzio was born in

, a son of Aurelio Personeni and Giulia

Aldobrandini The House of Aldobrandini is an Italian noble family originally from Florence, where in the Middle Ages they held the most important municipal offices. Now the Aldobrandini are resident in Rome, with close ties to the Vatican. History Their ...

, the latter being sister to cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini (later

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII ( la, Clemens VIII; it, Clemente VIII; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born ...

). In 1565 Cinzio began his studies in letters and law at Ippolito's household in Rome. Attending Rome's Collegio Germanico, the

university of Perugia University of Perugia (Italian ''Università degli Studi di Perugia'') is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale. Th ...

and the

university of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...

, he graduated as a doctor of law at Padua. Cinzio accompanied Ippolito on the legation to bring an end to the war between Poland and Germany and in 1588 was back in Rome to bring news of the legation's success to pope Sixtus V. On 17 September 1593 the consistory named Cinzio a cardinal deacon of

San Giorgio al Velabro San Giorgio in Velabro is a church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to St. George. The church is located next to the Arch of Janus in the rione of Ripa in the ancient Roman Velabrum. According to the founding legend of Rome, the church was built wh ...

with dispensation thanks to Ippolito's intercession to the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

. Governor of

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

from 4 February 1595 until 21 February 1607, Cinzio then became prefect of the Tribunale della Segnatura Apostolica from 23 December 1599. From 1601 to 1607 he was papal legate to Avignon and he participated in the March–April and May 1605 conclaves. In 1605 he was made

Major Penitentiary The Apostolic Penitentiary (), formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is a dicastery of the Roman Curia and is one of the three ordinary tribunals of the Apostolic See. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tribu ...

pope Leo XI Pope Leo XI ( it, Leone XI; 2 June 153527 April 1605), born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 April 1605 to his death in April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in his ...

but suddenly resigned that office because he had still not been ordained priest - he was ordained priest later in 1605 and re-assumed the office. He was then given the titulus of

San Pietro in Vincoli San Pietro in Vincoli (; Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The '' Titulus S. Petr ...

on 1 June 1605. He was known for his generosity to the poor and to the arts and letters, as well as being a friend of

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

(for some years in the papal service). Cinzio died in Rome in 1610 and was buried at San Pietro in Vincoli where nearly a century later (1705-07) prince Giovanni Battista Pamphili Aldobrandini erected a monument to him, designed by the architect

Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri (13 April 1655 Rome - 11 February 1721 Rome) was an Italian architect. He worked in a Baroque and early Rococo style.Nina A. Mallory, ''Carlo Francesco Bizzacheri (1655-1721)'', in: Journal of the Society of Architectur ...

and with sculptures by

Pierre Le Gros the Younger Pierre Le Gros (12 April 1666 Paris – 3 May 1719 Rome) was a French sculptor, active almost exclusively in Baroque Rome where he was the pre-eminent sculptor for nearly two decades.Gerhard Bissell, ''Pierre le Gros, 1666–1719'', Reading ...

. (in German)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldobrandini 1551 births 1610 deaths People from Senigallia 16th-century Italian cardinals Major Penitentiaries of the Apostolic Penitentiary Prefects of the Apostolic Signatura Cardinal-nephews 17th-century Italian cardinals