– 22 July 1541), was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 nobleman, prelate and general.

Biography

Fregoso was born to the Fregosi family, a family who in the late fourteenth century gave two Doges of Genoa

Doge of Genoa

The Republic of Genoa, in what is now northern Italy, was technically a communal republic in the early Middle Ages, although it was actually an oligarchy ruled by a small group of merchant families, from whom were selected the Doges of Genoa.- History :...

 to the Republic of Genoa

Republic of Genoa

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....

. Federigo was the son of Agostino Fregoso

Agostino Fregoso

Agostino Fregoso was an Italian condottiero belonging to the Fregoso family of Genoa. He was also lord of Sant'Agata Feltria.The son of three-time doge of Genoa Ludovico Fregoso, he moved from Genoa to the Marche to escape the feuds between his family and the Adorno. Here he resided at the court...

, governor of Genoa in 1488 for Ludovico il Moro

Ludovico Sforza

Ludovico Sforza , was Duke of Milan from 1489 until his death. A member of the Sforza family, he was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza. He was famed as a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and other artists, and presided over the final and most productive stage of the Milanese Renaissance...

, and of Gentilla de Montefeltro, niece of Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino

Guidobaldo da Montefeltro

thumb|240px|Portrait of Guidobaldo da Montefeltro by [[Raphael]].Guidobaldo da Montefeltro , also known as Guidobaldo I, was an Italian condottiero and the Duke of Urbino from 1482 to 1508.-Biography:...

. His brother, Ottaviano, was Doge of Genoa

Doge of Genoa

The Republic of Genoa, in what is now northern Italy, was technically a communal republic in the early Middle Ages, although it was actually an oligarchy ruled by a small group of merchant families, from whom were selected the Doges of Genoa.- History :...

.

Fregoso spent his youth at the court of his uncle, the Duke of Urbino, and after taking Catholic orders, received in 1507 from Julius II the Archbishopric of Salerno. The King of Spain having refused to recognize him because of his sympathies with France, the Pope promised him the See of Gubbio

Gubbio

Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia . It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.-History:...

. At the court of Urbino, Federigo had received a good classical education, and had allied himself with such humanists as Pietro Bembo

Pietro Bembo

Pietro Bembo was an Italian scholar, poet, literary theorist, and cardinal. He was an influential figure in the development of the Italian language, specifically Tuscan, as a literary medium, and his writings assisted in the 16th-century revival of interest in the works of Petrarch...

 and Baldassarre Castiglione.

In 1510, after the troubles in Genoa and the victory of the Adorno family

Adorno (family)

The Adorno family was a patrician family in Genoa, Italy, of the Ghibelline party, several of whom were Doges of the republic. The first of these, Gabriele Adorno, is also the tenor role in Giuseppe Verdi's opera Simon Boccanegra....

, he was exiled and compelled to seek refuge in Rome. Three years later, the Fregosi family returned to Genoa, Ottaviano became Doge, and after having become his chief counsellor, Fregoso was placed at the head of the army, and defended the Genoan republic against such internal dangers as the revolts of the Adorni and the Fieschi) as well as suppressing the Barbary piracy.

The corsair

Corsair

Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...

 Kurtoğlu Muslihiddin Reis

Kurtoglu Muslihiddin Reis

Kurtoğlu Muslihiddin Reis was a privateer and admiral of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the Sanjak Bey of Rhodes. He played an important role in the Ottoman conquests of Egypt and Rhodes during which he commanded the Ottoman naval forces...

 blockaded the coast with a squadron, and within a few days had captured eighteen merchantmen. Being given the command of the Genoese fleet, in which Andrea Doria

Andrea Doria

Andrea Doria was an Italian condottiere and admiral from Genoa.-Early life:Doria was born at Oneglia from the ancient Genoese family, the Doria di Oneglia branch of the old Doria, de Oria or de Auria family. His parents were related: Ceva Doria, co-lord of Oneglia, and Caracosa Doria, of the...

 was serving, Fregoso surprised Kurtoğlu before Bizerta, landed on the island of Djerba

Djerba

Djerba , also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is, at 514 km², the largest island of North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes, off the coast of Tunisia.-Description:...

 and returned to Genoa with treasure. The Fregosi family had recognized Francis I of France

Francis I of France

Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...

, as Lord of Genoa. In 1522, Charles V

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...

 besieged the city. Federigo Fregoso directed the defence and was wounded. The Spanish took Genoa by assault, and Fregoso was compelled to seek safety on a French vessel. Francis I accorded him a warm reception and gave him the Abbey of St. Benignus at Dijon

Dijon

Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

. Here he studied Greek and Hebrew, but after quarrels with the monks, who could not endure his severity, he returned to Italy. In 1529 he resigned the See of Salerno and was named titular Bishop of Gubbio. In 1539 Paul III made him a cardinal-priest. He died at Gubbio

Gubbio

Gubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia . It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.-History:...

, in 1541. He wrote several edifying works, and some of his letters are in the collections of Pietro Bembo and Baldassare Castiglione.