The POPE Encyclopedia
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CARDINAL NEPHEW
The custom that flourished, especially during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, by which a pope would name as his chief minister and most important advisor a nephew or similar relative who was elevated to the rank of cardinal and thereafter oversaw many of the most vital elements of papal administration. The practice was not invented in the sixteenth century, as papal nepotism had long been an established part of the pontifical court. Pope Adrian IV (1154-1159), for example, named his nephew Boso (Breakspear) to the cardinalate and put him in charge of Castel Sant'Angelo. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was common for a pope from one of the leading noble families to promote the interests of his house, but nepotism began reaching absurd heights toward the end of the fifteenth century with the accession of Alfonso de Borja y Borja as Callistus III (1455-1458). He made two nephews cardinals and worked to assist other family members with such vigor that at his death, the Aragonese who had profited from his generosity were driven from Rome. One nephew, Rodrigo Borgia, became Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503). He made his son Cesare Borgia a cardinal and surrendered to him vast powers over papal policy. The cardinal nephew in later years developed out of the need for the pope, usually old at the time of his election, to be assisted in the demands of office by a younger and more energetic assistant. Given the climate of intrigue that often pervaded Roman society in the period, the pope regularly turned to a promising young nephew, as relatives were slightly more reliable than scheming prelates who might be anxious to replace the reigning pontiff. Among the most notable cardinal nephews were: Alessandro Cervini, to Paul III, (1534-1549); Carlo Carafa, to Paul IV (1555-1559); St. Charles Borromeo, to Pius IV (1559-1565); Scipione Borghese (adopted) to Paul V (1605-1621); Ludovico Ludovisi, to Gregory XV (1621-1623); and the nephews of Urban VIII (1623-1644). While the cardinals were often immature and at times quite incompetent, they also had a common fondness for amassing wealth and patronizing artists and architects. Thus, Scipione Borghese helped discover the genius of Bernini and built the immense and grandiose Villa Borghese near Rome. The most remarkable of the cardinal nephews was St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), one of the foremost saints of the age and a brilliant reformer of the Church. The reforms, in fact, that were wrought by the popes during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries gradually took hold, especially after the pernicious corruption of the Barberini under Urban VIII. Innocent X (1644- 1655), while dominated by his sister-in-law Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, retused to appoint her son as secretary of state, naming instead Cardinals Panciroli and, in 1651, Fabio Chigi (the future Alexander VII). Innocent XI (1676-1689) was determined to curb all nepotism, agreeing to accept election as pope only after the cardinals gave their support to his plan for reform, including a ban on nepotism. This unfortunately did not stop Alexander VIII (1691-1700) from appointing one grandnephew, the twenty- year-old Pietro, his cardinal nephew, and placing another nephew, Giambattista, to the post of secretary of state. Innocent XIII (1721-1724) named a brother, Bernard, to the cardinalate, but the fears expressed at the time that a new wave of nepotism had struck were soon alleviated by Innocent's refusal to give him any meaningful power, faithfully adhering to Innocent XI's ban. Benedict XIII (1724-1730) did not rely upon a cardinal nephew, but rather left the reins of power largely in the hands of his corrupt minister Niccolo Cardinal Coscia. His sway was only ended at the death of the pope. From this time, the papacy was largely free of the custom of the cardinal nephew, the popes relying upon able secretaries of state who demonstrated ability and personal virtue and were generally free of ruthless ambition, avarice, and corruption.
THE POPE ENCYCLOPEDIA - Matthew Bunson Published by Crown Trade Paperbacks 201 East 50th Street, New York New York 10022, USA ISBN 0-517-88256-6
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