His Eminence

Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni
Cardinal Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
Appointed27 January 1698
Term ended29 June 1698
PredecessorGiacomo Franzoni
SuccessorEmmanuel-Theódose de la Tour d'Auvergne de Bouillon
Orders
Consecration2 May 1666
by Ulderico Carpegna
Created cardinal14 January 1664
by Pope Alexander VII
RankCardinal-Bishop
Personal details
Born8 June 1623
Rome, Papal States
Died29 June 1698 (age 75)
Rome, Papal States
BuriedSanta Maria in Campitelli
NationalityItalian

Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni (8 June 1623 – 29 June 1698) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Cardinal-Nephew to Pope Clement X.

Biography

Altieri was born Paluzzo Paluzzi degli Albertoni in Rome, the eldest of two sons to Antonio Paluzzi degli Albertoni (second Marquis of Rasina) and Laura Carpegna. He studied at the University of Perugia and earned a doctorate of law. Thereafter he became a cleric of the Apostolic Chamber during the final part of the pontificate of Pope Urban VIII and during the pontificate of Pope Innocent X. He became Auditor-General of the Apostolic Chamber during the pontificate of Pope Alexander VII.

In 1664, Altieri was elevated to Cardinal in pectore by Pope Alexander VII. His elevation to cardinal was published in 1666 and he was made Cardinal-Priest of Santi Apostoli, Rome. The following month he was elected Bishop of Montefiascone e Corneto and consecrated by his mother's relative, Cardinal Ulderico Carpegna. He participated in the conclave of 1667 which elected Pope Clement IX.

Over the following few years he became a close advisor to Cardinal Emilio Altieri. At the papal conclave of 1669–1670 Altieri was elected as Pope Clement X. On the day of his election, since there were no more male descendants in the Altieri family, he adopted Paluzzo and he changed his name to Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni in honour of his new adoptive uncle. Thereafter he became Clement's Cardinal-Nephew.[1] In May 1670 he was appointed Bishop of Ravenna and papal legate in Avignon.

In 1671, Altieri was named Prefect of the Sacred Consulta Propaganda Fide (a position he held until his death) and was made Governor of Tivoli. That same year he was appointed Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church and Crown-cardinal of Ireland (he held both positions until 1698).

Between 1673 and 1677 he was made legate in Urbino and during that period he was made Secretary of the Apostolic Briefs, resigned the diocese of Ravenna and, when Pope Clement died, he participated in the conclave of 1676 which elected Pope Innocent XI.

Altieri was appointed, or appointed himself, to so many positions he was accused by his contemporaries of megalomania. Though he had established a well-regarded ecclesiastic career, his limited diplomatic experience caused problems for the Pope and for the Holy See, even after Clement's death.[2]

Between 1678 and 1679 he was also appointed Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals (he was already Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church).

He was appointed Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono (1681), Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria in Trastevere (1684) and then Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina in 1689 before participating in the conclave of 1689 which elected Pope Alexander VIII. He participated in the conclave of 1691 which elected Pope Innocent XII and was thereafter appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina. He was made Archpriest of the Patriarchal Lateran Basilica in 1693 and Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina and Sub-Dean of the College of Cardinals in January 1698.

Six months later, on 29 June 1698, he died suddenly at his dinner table. He was waked in the Church of Santa Maria in Campitelli and buried in the chapel of St. John the Baptist (Italian: San Giovanni Battist) which he had commissioned at the church.[1]

Altieri’s death inventory lists in great detail the contents of his collection of paintings and furniture displayed in his apartment in the Altieri palace in Rome.[3]

Episcopal succession

Ulderico Carpegna consecrated Altieri to the episcopacy on 2 May 1666. Having himself consecrated Pope Benedict XIII to the episcopacy, Cardinal Altieri is in the episcopal lineage of Pope Francis.[4]

Episcopal succession

References

  1. ^ a b Miranda, Salvador. "PALUZZI ALTIERI DEGLI ALBERTONI, Paluzzo (1623-1698)". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Florida International University. OCLC 53276621.
  2. ^ Court and politics in papal Rome, 1492-1700 by Gianvittorio Signorotto & Maria Antonietta Visceglia (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
  3. ^ Lisa Beaven, Karen J. Lloyd. (2016). "Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi degli Albertoni Altieri and his picture collection in the Palazzo Altieri: the evidence of the 1698 death inventory: Part I." Journal of the History of Collections, V.29 (July): 175–190; Lisa Beaven, Karen J Lloyd. (2019). "Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi degli Albertoni Altieri and his collection in the Palazzo Altieri: the evidence of the 1698 death inventory, Part II." Journal of the History of Collections V 31 (March): 1–16.
  4. ^ a b Cheney, David M. "Paluzzo Cardinal Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018. [self-published]


Catholic Church titles Preceded byFrancesco Maria Brancaccio Cardinal-Priest of Santi Apostoli 1666–1681 Succeeded byFrancesco Lorenzo Brancati Preceded byGasparo Cecchinelli Bishop of Corneto e Montefiascone 1666–1670 Succeeded byDomenico Massimo Preceded byLuca Torreggiani Archbishop of Ravenna 1670–1674 Succeeded byFabio Guinigi Preceded byMarzio Ginetti Cardinal Vicar 1671 Succeeded byGasparo Carpegna Preceded byAntonio Barberini Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church 1671–1698 Succeeded byGaleazzo Marescotti (pro-camerlengo) Preceded byAntonio Barberini Prefect of the Sacred Consulta Propaganda Fide 1671–1698 Succeeded byCarlo Barberini Preceded byCarlo Carafa della Spina Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals 1678–1679 Succeeded byGiacomo Filippo Nini Preceded byCarlo Pio di Savoia Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono 1681–1684 Succeeded byGiulio Spinola Preceded byDecio Azzolini (iuniore) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere 1684–1689 Succeeded byGiulio Spinola Preceded byCarlo Pio di Savoia (iuniore) Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina 1689–1691 Succeeded byGiannicolò Conti Preceded byAntonio Bichi Cardinal-Bishop of Palestrina 1691–1698 Succeeded byLuis Manuel Fernández de Portocarrero Preceded byFlavio Chigi Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran 1693–1698 Succeeded byFabrizio Spada Preceded byGiacomo Franzoni Cardinal-Bishop of Porto-Santa Rufina 1698 Succeeded byEmmanuel Théodose de la Tour
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