Giancarlo de' Medici (24 July 1611 – 22 January 1663) was an Italian
cardinal of the
House of Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the ...
. He was the second son of
Grand Duke Cosimo II of Tuscany and his wife,
Maria Maddalena of Austria
Maria Maddalena of Austria (Maria Magdalena; 7 October 1589 – 1 November 1631) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany from the accession of her husband, Cosimo II, in 1609 until his death in 1621. With him, she had eight children, including a duchess of ...
, and the brother of
Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Ferdinando II de' Medici (14 July 1610 – 23 May 1670) was grand duke of Tuscany from 1621 to 1670. He was the eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici and Maria Maddalena of Austria. He was remembered by his contemporaries as a man of culture ...
.
Biography
He was born at
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, the second son and third child of
Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo II de' Medici (12 May 1590 – 28 February 1621) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1609 until his death. He was the elder son of Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Christina of Lorraine.
For the majority of his twelve-y ...
and
Maria Maddalena of Austria
Maria Maddalena of Austria (Maria Magdalena; 7 October 1589 – 1 November 1631) was Grand Duchess of Tuscany from the accession of her husband, Cosimo II, in 1609 until his death in 1621. With him, she had eight children, including a duchess of ...
. He entered the ecclesiastical state at a young age. In 1620 he joined the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
and was named Grand Prior of Pisa. In 1638 he was named General of the Mediterranean Sea.
On 14 November 1644
Pope Innocent X
Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...
created Giancarlo a cardinal-deacon as a token of his affection toward the
Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
. Thus forced to give up his military career and with it the title of "General of the Spanish Seas", Giancarlo could not reconcile himself to his new "religious" lifestyle.
Cardinal de' Medici participated in the
papal conclave, 1655
The 1655 papal conclave was convened following the death of Pope Innocent X and ended with the election of Cardinal Fabio Chigi as Alexander VII. The conclave quickly reached a deadlock, with Giulio Cesare Sacchetti receiving 33 votes throughout ...
as one of leaders of the Spanish faction.
Pope Alexander VII made Giancarlo responsible for welcoming
Queen Christina of Sweden, a new convert to Catholicism, to Rome in 1655. Upon discovering of the closeness that had formed between the two, the Pope sent Gian Carlo back to Florence, declaring him "too handsome and too young" to be "spiritual advisor" to the Queen.
Here, Giancarlo led a life of dissipation, taking many mistresses; nevertheless, Ferdinando II delegated to him the management of the state's financial affairs. He was patron of science, letters and music. He founded the ''Accademia degli Immobili'' and contributed to the construction of ''Teatro della Pergola'' and the enrichment of the ''Galleria Palatina di Palazzo Pitti''.
In later years, Giancarlo donated his sizeable art collection to form the
Pitti Gallery. He died at Florence, of an
apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
, at the age of 51, and was interred in the
Medicean necropolis,
the Basilica of San Lorenzo,
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
.
[Young, ''The Medici: Volume II'', p 452.]
Four years after the death of Giancarlo, his younger brother
Leopoldo was created a cardinal.
Ancestors
References
Sources
*Acton, Harold: ''The Last Medici'', Macmillan, London, 1980,
*Young, G.F.: ''The Medici: Volume II'', John Murray, London, 1920
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medici, Giancarlo De
Giancarlo
Giancarlo is an Italian given name meaning "John Charles". It is one of the most common masculine given names in Italy and is often short for "Giovanni Carlo". Notable people with the name include:
List
A
* Giancarlo Agazzi (1933–1995), Italia ...
17th-century Italian cardinals
1611 births
1663 deaths
Tuscan princes
Burials at San Lorenzo, Florence