Pietro Campori (c.1553 – 4 February 1643) was an Italian

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Bishop of Cremona The Diocese of Cremona ( la, Dioecesis Cremonensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan ...

. He was friends with

Scipione Borghese Scipione Borghese (; 1 September 1577 – 2 October 1633) was an Italian Cardinal, art collector and patron of the arts. A member of the Borghese family, he was the patron of the painter Caravaggio and the artist Bernini. His legacy is the estab ...

, the nephew of Pope Paul V, and was twice a candidate for election to the papacy, in the conclaves of 1621 and 1623.

Early career

Campori studied canon law in

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

and

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

, and moved to Rome after he was ordained a priest. In Rome, he worked with

Cesare Speciano Cesare Speciano or Cesare Speciani (1539–1607) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Apostolic Nuncio to Emperor (1592–1597), Bishop of Cremona (1591–1607), ''(in Latin)'' Apostolic Nuncio to Spain (1585–1588), and Bishop of Novara ...

and went with him to Spain when Speciano was appointed the

papal nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

there in 1585 and served there as his priest secretary. He stayed in Spain with Speciano and was eventually granted a pension by

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

. In 1596 he was made a noble by

Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (18 July 1552 – 20 January 1612) was Holy Roman Emperor (1576–1612), King of Hungary and Croatia (as Rudolf I, 1572–1608), King of Bohemia (1575–1608/1611) and Archduke of Austria (1576–1608). He was a member of the Hous ...

. Upon returning to Italy, Campori assisted Speciano in the latter's new role as the Bishop of Cremona. He took part in the synods of that diocese in 1599 and 1604, and was named a canon of its cathedral in 1600. Upon Speciano's death in 1607, Campori returned to Rome. In Rome, Campori served as the private secretary and major domo for Paul V's nephew

. Additionally from 1609 to 1617 he served as the general preceptor for the

Order of the Holy Ghost The order of the Holy Ghost (also known as Hospitallers of the Holy Spirit) is a Roman Catholic religious order. It was founded in 1180 in Montpellier by Gui of Montpellier, the son of William VII of Montpellier, for the care of the sick by group ...

, a religious order that provided healthcare.

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

created Campori Cardinal Priest of San Tommaso in Parione in 1616.

Cardinalate

Borghese had promoted Campori as a candidate for pope in both the 1621 papal conclave following Paul V's death and the 1623 papal conclave. In 1621, Campori received support from the cardinals created by Paul V and was an acceptable choice to the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. He was opposed by the cardinals from Venice, who had been ordered to vote against him, and the French ambassador attempted to undermine his election. Additionally,

Pietro Aldobrandini Pietro Aldobrandini (31 March 1571 – 10 February 1621) was an Italian cardinal and patron of the arts. Biography He was made a cardinal in 1593 by his uncle, Pope Clement VIII. He took over the duchy of Ferrara in 1598 when it fell to the Pa ...

, the nephew of

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 ...

, opposed the election of any creation of Paul V, and was carried into the conclave on a litter despite being sick. Borghese wanted to have Campori elected by

acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

on the first night of the conclave, but the ambassador of

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

had a letter excluding Campori from election to the papacy, and waited for cardinals opposed to Campori to arrive before leaving a vote so as to not have to formally exclude him. When the initial scrutiny did not elect Campori, Borghese did not attempt to promote him further, hoping that he would eventually be elected if the conclave deadlocked. Campori was not elected pope, but instead Alessandro Ludovisi was elected, taking the name

Pope Gregory XV Pope Gregory XV ( la, Gregorius XV; it, Gregorio XV; 9 January 15548 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 to his death in July 1623. Biography Early life Al ...

. After his election over Campori, Gregory named the latter Bishop of Cremona on 17 May 1621. In 1623, Campori was also Borghese's favoured candidate, but it became clear after the first scrutiny that another member of the party loyal to Borghese had the best chance of being elected, and Borghese shifted his support.

Notes

References

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External links

Profile on Catholic-Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campori, Pietro 17th-century Italian cardinals 1553 births 1643 deaths Bishops of Cremona 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops