Federico di Sanseverino
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Federico di Sanseverino (died 1516) was an
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of the 16th century.


Biography

Federico di Sanseverino was born in Naples in 1475 or 1477. He was the son of
Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona Roberto Sanseverino d'Aragona (1418 – 10 August 1487) was an Italian condottiero, count of Colorno from 1458 to 1477 and count of Caiazzo from 1460 until his death in 1487. Highly esteemed man of arms, veteran of numerous battles, he was one of t ...
, a general of the papal army, and his second wife Elisabetta da
Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the House of Montefeltro, Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Regions of I ...
. Early in his career, he was a cleric in Milan before becoming a
protonotary apostolic In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...
. On 5 November 1481 he became the
apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of the see of Maillezais and occupied that post until 1508. Around 1492, he became provost of the church of Santa Maria in Crescenzago. He was the apostolic administrator of the see of Novara from 30 May 1505 until 24 October 1511. In the
consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...
of 9 March 1489,
Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII ( la, Innocentius VIII; it, Innocenzo VIII; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death in July 1492. Son of th ...
made him a
cardinal deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
''
in pectore ''In pectore'' (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals wit ...
''. Because of his youth, his creation was not published during the lifetime of Innocent VIII. During the ''
sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...
'' following the death of Innocent VIII, Cardinal
Ascanio Sforza Ascanio Maria Sforza Visconti (3 March 1455 – 28 May 1505) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Generally known as a skilled diplomat who played a major role in the election of Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, Sforza served a ...
convinced 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 appoi ...
to publish Sanseverino's creation on 26 July 1492, and he received the deaconry of San Teodoro. He was therefore able to participate in the papal conclave of 1492 that elected
Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
. In November 1494, the new pope sent Cardinal Sanseverino as
papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...
to
Charles VIII of France Charles VIII, called the Affable (french: l'Affable; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13.Paul Murray Kendall, ''Louis XI: The Universal Spider'' (Ne ...
in
Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
. He returned quickly to Rome, where his loyalty was suspected by the pope. In order to frighten the rebels of Ostia, Cardinal Sanseverino and Cardinal Bernardino Lunati were arrested following the consistory of 10 December 1494, and held in the
Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace ( la, Palatium Apostolicum; it, Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the V ...
until 19 December 1494. He was then sent again as legate to Charles VIII; he subsequently accompanied the French king on his entrance to Rome on 31 December 1494. He traveled with the pope to Orvieto on 27 May 1495 and returned to Rome with the pontiff on 27 June. On 8 February 1496 he became apostolic administrator of the see of Thérouanne, occupying this post until 12 November 1498. On 1 July 1497 he became apostolic administrator of the
see of Vienne The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon. History The legend according to wh ...
and held this office until 26 January 1515. On 3 August 1499 he left, with the pope's permission, for Milan to join Cardinal Ascanio Sforza. He participated in the papal conclave of September 1503 that elected
Pope Pius III Pope Pius III ( it, Pio III; 9 May 1439 – 18 October 1503), born Francesco Todeschini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 September 1503 to his death. At just twenty-six days, he had one of the shortest ...
. He also participated in the papal conclave of October 1503 that elected
Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...
. On 24 May 1504 Pope Julius II named him papal legate to the ''
Patrimonium Sancti Petri The Patrimony of Saint Peter ( la, Patrimonium Sancti Petri) originally designated the landed possessions and revenues of various kinds that belonged to the apostolic Holy See (the Pope) i.e. the "Church of Saint Peter" in Rome, by virtue of the ap ...
''. He became apostolic administrator of the see of Novara on 30 May 1505. On 1 May 1510 he opted for the deaconry of
Sant'Angelo in Pescheria Sant'Angelo in Pescheria or in Piscaria is a church in Rome. It dates from the 8th century. "In Pescheria" refers to its location close to the fish market built in the ruins of the ancient Porticus Octaviae. History The relics of St. Sympho ...
, while continuing to hold the deaconry of San Teodoro ''
in commendam In canon law, commendam (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastical ...
''. After the pope threatened to imprison Cardinal Sanseverino in the
Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...
in June 1510, the cardinal joined the pope's enemies. In October 1510, he sought refuge, with another four cardinals, in the camp of the French army and went to Milan. There, on 16 May 1511, he was one of the signatories of a document calling a
council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
in Pisa for 1 September 1511. He did not attend this council after the pope threatened him with
excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
. He was present with the French forces at the
Battle of Ravenna (1512) The Battle of Ravenna, fought on 11 April 1512, was a major battle of the War of the League of Cambrai. It pitted forces of the Holy League against France and their Ferrarese allies. Although the French and Ferrarese eliminated the Papal-Span ...
;
Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...
planned to make Cardinal Sanseverino governor of the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
after deposing the pope, but this never came to pass. Following the death of Pope Julius II, Cardinal Sanseverino did not participate in the papal conclave of 1513 that elected
Pope 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 ...
. Shortly thereafter the cardinal was arrested in Florence on the pope's orders, with a promise he would be released if he repented. On 17 June 1513 he denounced the schismatical council of Pisa and submitted to the pope's authority in a letter later read at a session of the
Fifth Council of the Lateran The Fifth Council of the Lateran, held between 1512 and 1517, was the eighteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and was the last council before the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. It was convoked by Pope Julius II to ...
. He and Cardinal
Bernardino López de Carvajal Bernardino López de Carvajal (8 September 1456, in Plasencia, Extremadura – 16 December 1523, in Rome) was a Spanish Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal. He was a nephew of Juan Carvajal (cardinal), Cardinal Juan Carvajal, and advanced rapidly ...
arrived in Rome on 27 June 1513 and personally repented in a secret consistory held in Rome. He was absolved by the pope, ordered to fast for a month, and restored to the College of Cardinals. From June 1513, he was the cardinal protodeacon. Shortly later, he was named cardinal protector of the
Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period. ...
. On 25 June 1515 he was arrested on the pope's orders because it looked like one of his servants had killed a
papal guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...
, but he proved his innocence the next day. In November 1515, he was sent as a papal legate to Francis I of France, who met him outside the gates of Bologna. He died in Rome on 7 August 1516. He is buried in
Santa Maria in Aracoeli The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven ( la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae de Ara coeli in Capitolio, it, Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara coeli al Campidoglio) is a titular basilica in Rome, located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio. I ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanseverino, Federico di 15th-century births 1516 deaths 16th-century Italian cardinals
Federico Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. People with the given name Federico Artists * Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ. * Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, r ...
People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church 15th-century Italian cardinals