Miguel da Silva (c. 1480 – 5 June 1556) was a Portuguese nobleman, the second son of Diogo da Silva, 1st Count of Portalegre and of his wife Maria de Ayala, a Castilian noblewomen. He was ambassador of the king of Portugal to several popes, and papal ambassador to the Emperor and others. Sometimes referred to through

antonomasia In rhetoric, antonomasia is a kind of metonymy in which an epithet or phrase takes the place of a proper name, such as "the little corporal" for Napoleon I; or, conversely, the use of a proper name as an archetypal name, to express a generic idea ...

as the Cardinal of Viseu ( pt, Cardeal de Viseu), he was Bishop of Viseu (Portugal), and Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Massa Maritima (Tuscany). He was a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church from 1539 to 1556, and served as governor of several papal states.

Education and career

Silva was educated at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, then in Siena, then Bologna, and finally in Rome. After his stay in Rome, he travelled to Venice, and from there he returned to Portugal, visiting several European principalities along the way. On his return to Portugal in 1502, he was appointed ''escrivão da puridade'', or keeper of the royal seal, to the eldest son of

King Manuel I Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as ...

, who succeeded him as John III of Portugal. He was appointed by King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portuga ...

as ambassador to Rome in 1514. He served in that post during the reigns of popes

Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

Adrian VI Pope Adrian VI ( la, Hadrianus VI; it, Adriano VI; nl, Adrianus/Adriaan VI), born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens (2 March 1459 – 14 September 1523), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 January 1522 until his d ...

and

Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

. Both Leo X and Clement VII wanted to make him a Cardinal, but were opposed by the Portuguese Crown. He was recalled to Lisbon in 1525 where he served as member of the Royal Council.

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

appointed him

Bishop of Viseu The Portuguese Catholic diocese of Viseu ( la, Dioecesis Visensis) is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Braga. Its see at Viseu is in the Centro Region. The current bishop is António Luciano dos Santos Costa. History The see at Viseu dates f ...

on 21 November 1526. He resigned the see on 22 April 1547, in favor of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, the grandson of Pope Paul III. Pope Paul III finally elevated Miguel da Silva to the cardinalate on 19 December 1539, though the appointment was kept secret (''in pectore'') for the time being. Falling out of favour with King John III of Portugal, D. Miguel da Silva ran away to Rome in 1540, where he was warmly welcomed to the Curia by Paul III. His status as a Cardinal was revealed in 1541, and on 6 February 1542 he was assigned the

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary des ...

of Ss. XII Apostolorum. King John III of Portugal promptly condemned him on a charge of treason and revoked his Portuguese nationality. On 30 August 1542, Silva was named Legate to the Emperor Charles V. On 9 January 1545, he was appointed Legate of the Marches of Ancona, and on 19 March 1545 was also named governor of Fermo. He served as papal legate to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

and Bologna. On 20 May 1549, he was named Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Massa Marittima by Pope Paul III. Silva took part in the papal conclave following the death of Paul III, which began on 29 November 1549 and concluded on 7 February 1550 with the election of Cardinal Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, who took the name Julius III. He also took part in the conclave following the death of Julius III, which began on 5 April 1555 and ended on 9 April 1555, with the election of Cardinal Marcello Cervini, who took the name Marcellus II. He died three weeks later, on 30 April. A conclave followed immediately, opening on 15 May 1555 and concluding on 23 May with the election of Giampetro Carafa (Paul IV). Silva died in Rome on 5 June 1556, and was buried in the church of S. Maria in Trastevere, which had been his titular church since 11 December 1553.Chacón, pp. 675-676. Greatly praised for his classical culture and command of ancient languages, he was a personal friend of the painter Raffaello Sanzio.

Baldassare Castiglione Baldassare Castiglione, Count of Casatico (; 6 December 1478 – 2 February 1529),Dates of birth and death, and cause of the latter, fro, ''Italica'', Rai International online. was an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier and a prominent Renaissanc ...

dedicated his masterpiece ''

Il Cortegiano ''The Book of the Courtier'' ( it, Il Cortegiano ) by Baldassare Castiglione is a lengthy philosophical dialogue on the topic of what constitutes an ideal courtier or (in the third chapter) court lady, worthy to befriend and advise a Prince or pol ...

'' to Silva.

References

Sources

* * *Deswarte, Sylvie, "La Rome de D. Miguel da Silva (1515-1525)," ''O Humanismo Português''. Primeiro Simpósio Nacional, 21-25 de Outubro de 1985. Lisboa: Il Centenario da Academia das Ciencias de Lisboa, 1988, pp. 177–307. *Deswarte, Sylvie, ''Il "perfetto cortegiano," D. Miguel da Silva''. Roma: Bulzoni Editore, 1989. *Paiva, J.P. ''Os Bispos de Portugal e do Império 1495-1777''. Coimbra, Universidade de Coimbra, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Miguel da 16th-century Portuguese cardinals Portuguese Renaissance humanists 1480 births 1556 deaths Bishops of Massa People from Évora Bishops of Viseu