Livio Odescalchi (March 10, 1652 - September 8, 1713), Duke of Bracciano, Ceri and

Sirmium Sirmium was a city in the Roman province of Pannonia, located on the Sava river, on the site of modern Sremska Mitrovica in the Vojvodina autonomous provice of Serbia. First mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by Illyrian ...

, was an Italian nobleman of the Odescalchi family. Livio Odescalchi was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1655, the son of Carlo Odescalchi (1607-1673) and Beatrice Cusani. His paternal uncle was Benedetto Odescalchi, who was elected to the papacy as Pope Innocent XI in 1676. Since Innocent wanted to put an end to the established nepotism of the

Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

, he did not make his nephew a cardinal, but instead granted Livio his own personal fortune of some forty thousand crowns, and conferred upon him his own title as Duke of Ceri in 1678. Livio was however eventually made Gonfaloniere and Captain General of the Church by his uncle. Livio later helped Innocent finance the expedition led by John Sobieski that ended the Turkish siege at the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Odescalchi himself fought with distinction in the battle, and was made an

Imperial Prince Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. '' Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors ...

and given the title Duke of Syrmia (lat. Dux Sirmii), and also the possession of Ilok Castle, by the grateful Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. He was also made a Grandee of

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. In 1696 Odescalchi bought the title Duke of Bracciano from the Bracciano branch of the Orsini family, along with the famous castle. Innocent XI monument Saint Peter's Basilica Vatican City

Innocent XI monument Saint Peter's Basilica Vatican City

He built a magnificent tomb in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

in Rome to honor his uncle, who died in 1689, which was finished by 1704. Due to his position as Captain General Livio would also play a significant role during the papal conclave of 1689, which elected Pietro Vito Ottoboni as

Pope Alexander VIII Pope Alexander VIII ( it, Alessandro VIII; 22 April 1610 – 1 February 1691), born Pietro Vito Ottoboni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 October 1689 to his death in February 1691. He is to date the las ...

. After Sobieski's death in 1696, Odescalchi was one of the candidates in the Polish election of 1697, but

Augustus, Elector of Saxony Augustus (31 July 152611 February 1586) was Elector of Saxony from 1553 to 1586. First years Augustus was born in Freiberg, the youngest child and third (but second surviving) son of Henry IV, Duke of Saxony, and Catherine of Mecklenburg. He con ...

was elected instead. His connection with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

had predated the Siege of Vienna, as Odescalchi had been the patron of the painter Jerzy Siemiginowski-Eleuter when he was sent to Rome by Sobieski in 1677. When Sobieski's widow, Queen

Maria Kazimiera Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien ( Polish: Maria Kazimiera Ludwika d’Arquien), known also by the diminutive form "Marysieńka" (28 June 1641 – 30 January 1716) was a French noblewoman who became the queen consort of Poland and gra ...

visited Rome in 1699, she stayed at the Palazzo Odescalchi. Odescalchi died without a direct heir in 1713, and his titles and fortune were inherited by his relative Baldassare Erba-Odescalchi (1683-1746), the grandson of Alessandro Erba (1599-1670) and Lucrezia Odescalchi, the sister of Innocent XI and Carlo Odescalchi.http://www.pastellists.com/Genealogies/Odescalchi.pdf

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odescalchi, Livio 1652 births 1713 deaths 17th-century Italian nobility 18th-century Italian people Livio Candidates for the Polish elective throne Captains General of the Church Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria