Giovanni Carafa, Duke of Paliano
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Carafa Duke of Paliano, was a papal nephew
and minor Italian
prince.
The son of Giovanni Alfonso Carafa, Count of Montorio
, and Caterina Cantelma, Giovanni came to prominence along with his brothers Carlo
and Antonio when their uncle, Cardinal
Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was elected Pope Paul IV
in May 1555. Carlo became the most powerful of the three as the Pope’s Cardinal-nephew
, while Giovanni was put in command of the papal armies as Captain General of the Church
. He was made Duke of Paliano
after papal forces drove the pro-Spanish
Colonna
from that town in 1556. After the Spanish recovered Paliano in 1558, Carlo unsuccessfully sued on Giovanni’s behalf to King Philip II of Spain for the Duchy of Bari
.
The Carafa nephews were notorious for their corrupt and venal lifestyles. In one colourful incident, recorded by Venetian
diplomats, the Duke was sent by his uncle to intercept two courtesans who had fled Rome
in December 1558. Giovanni made it known that he had no personal interest in this mission: the women were favourites of his brothers, not him.
After the failure of the Pope’s war with Spain in 1558, their notoriety became a liability, and they were banished from Rome on 27 January 1559. Paul IV died in August of that year, and Giovanni and Carlo were put on trial by the new Pope, Pius IV
, in July 1560. The trial’s proceedings were concluded in March 1561 when, under sealed orders of the Pope, the brothers were executed in Rome. Carlo, as a cardinal, was strangled in the Castel San Angelo, while, two days later, Giovanni was beheaded at the Tor di Nona
prison along with two companions. The sentence was overturned under the next pope, Pius V
, in 1567, after a petition by their surviving brother, and their prosecutor was executed for having deceived Pius IV.
The Duke was married to Violante di Cardona, an aristocrat of Spanish descent. He had her murdered on 28 August 1559 on suspicion of infidelity. The affair is retold in Stendhal's
novella, The Duchess of Palliano. The murder of his wife was one of the charges brought against the Duke at his trial, as well as crimes against supporters of the Colonna.
His son, along with a cousin, was held hostage at the court of King Henry II of France
as surety in diplomatic negotiations with Paul IV.
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
and minor 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...
prince.
The son of Giovanni Alfonso Carafa, Count of Montorio
Montorio al Vomano
Montorio al Vomano is a town and comune in the Province of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park".-Geography:...
, and Caterina Cantelma, Giovanni came to prominence along with his brothers Carlo
Carlo Carafa
Carlo Carafa of a distinguished family of Naples, vicious and talented was successively condottiero in the service of France and of Spain, vying for their protectorates in Italy until 1555, when he was made a cardinal, to 1559 the all-powerful favourite and Cardinal Nephew of Pope Paul IV Carafa,...
and Antonio when their uncle, Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was elected Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV
Pope Paul IV, C.R. , né Giovanni Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 until his death.-Early life:Giovanni Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina, near Avellino, into a prominent noble family of Naples...
in May 1555. Carlo became the most powerful of the three as the Pope’s Cardinal-nephew
Cardinal-nephew
A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
, while Giovanni was put in command of the papal armies as Captain General of the Church
Captain General of the Church
The Captain General of the Church was the de facto commander-in-chief of the papal armed forces during the Middle Ages. The post was usually conferred on an Italian noble with a professional military reputation or a relative of the pope...
. He was made Duke of Paliano
Paliano
Paliano is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of central Italy.- History :Paliano was the seat of a branch of the powerful Colonna family whose head was Lord, then Duke, then Prince of Paliano. Their fortress dominates the town...
after papal forces drove the pro-Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Colonna
Colonna family
The Colonna family is an Italian noble family; it was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one Pope and many other Church and political leaders...
from that town in 1556. After the Spanish recovered Paliano in 1558, Carlo unsuccessfully sued on Giovanni’s behalf to King Philip II of Spain for the Duchy of Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
.
The Carafa nephews were notorious for their corrupt and venal lifestyles. In one colourful incident, recorded by Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
diplomats, the Duke was sent by his uncle to intercept two courtesans who had fled Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in December 1558. Giovanni made it known that he had no personal interest in this mission: the women were favourites of his brothers, not him.
After the failure of the Pope’s war with Spain in 1558, their notoriety became a liability, and they were banished from Rome on 27 January 1559. Paul IV died in August of that year, and Giovanni and Carlo were put on trial by the new Pope, Pius IV
Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV , born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was Pope from 1559 to 1565. He is notable for presiding over the culmination of the Council of Trent.-Biography:...
, in July 1560. The trial’s proceedings were concluded in March 1561 when, under sealed orders of the Pope, the brothers were executed in Rome. Carlo, as a cardinal, was strangled in the Castel San Angelo, while, two days later, Giovanni was beheaded at the Tor di Nona
Tor di Nona
The Tor di Nona— now a small area in Rome's Rione V called "Ponte", which lies in the heart of the city's historic center, between the via dei Coronari and the Tiber— commemorates an unregretted mediaeval tower which stood there...
prison along with two companions. The sentence was overturned under the next pope, Pius V
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
, in 1567, after a petition by their surviving brother, and their prosecutor was executed for having deceived Pius IV.
The Duke was married to Violante di Cardona, an aristocrat of Spanish descent. He had her murdered on 28 August 1559 on suspicion of infidelity. The affair is retold in Stendhal's
Stendhal
Marie-Henri Beyle , better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. Known for his acute analysis of his characters' psychology, he is considered one of the earliest and foremost practitioners of realism in his two novels Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme...
novella, The Duchess of Palliano. The murder of his wife was one of the charges brought against the Duke at his trial, as well as crimes against supporters of the Colonna.
His son, along with a cousin, was held hostage at the court of King Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
as surety in diplomatic negotiations with Paul IV.
Sources
- James M. Boyden, The Courtier and the King: Ruy Gómez De Silva, Philip II, and the Court of Spain. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995)
- The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Carafa, Carlo
- Elizabeth Carman , “Diplomacy Through the Grapevine: Time, Distance, and Sixteenth-Century Ambassadorial Dispatches”
- “Pius IV”, The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge (1914), Vol. IX.
- John Addington Symonds, Renaissance in Italy: the Catholic Reaction. (New York: Henry Holt & Co, 1887).