Giovanni Gaetano Orsini (cardinal)
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Gaetano Orsini (ca. 1285 - 27 August 1335), Cardinal
of the Holy Roman Church from 17 December 1316 until his death, was a Roman
nobleman
, a nephew of Pope Nicholas III
and a grandson of Matteo Rosso Orsini
.
He was sometimes recorded under the names Gian Gaetano Orsini and Giangaetano Orsini.
In 1326 the Avignon Pope
John XXII
sent him as his Legate
a latere to Italy
, then much troubled by civil war
s, with the task of bringing peace. In the event, Orsini found himself embroiled in battles with the Emperor, Ludwig of Bavaria
and his antipope
, Nicholas V
. After taking Rome
and becoming Captain of the City, he pursued his own Orsini interests, however, and lost the support of the Pope. He was dismissed as legate in 1334 and died the next year.
(1178–1246), who had held almost a dictatorship over Rome in the early 1240s. He was thus a member of the Monterotondo
branch of the Orsini family. Born about 1285, he was given exactly the same name as his father's brother, Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, better known as Pope Nicholas III
, who had died in 1280.
He was enrolled at the University of Padua
from 1308 to 1310 and studied letters, including rhetoric
. He seems not to have made a study of law formally, but he had a wide knowledge of it, while he had very little of theology
. He was already a canon
of Reims Cathedral
before 1308.
in Avignon
serving his cousin Cardinal Napoleone Orsini
, through whose offices in September 1316 he was appointed archdeacon
of Bibiesca, Burgos
, and a protonotary
apostolic. In the consistory
of 17 December 1316 he was created cardinal deacon of San Teodoro and in 1317 received the title of San Marco in commendam
.
From 1326 to 1334 Orsini was Pope John XXII
's legate
a latere in Italy
, with particular faculties over the provinces of Romagna
, Tuscany
, Sardinia
, and Marca Umbria
, which were troubled by civil war
s, and was given the task of pacifying them. John chose Orsini as his legate, seeing him as an Italian prince who could find his way through the maze of Italian politics as no Gaul could hope to do. However, the people of Italy saw Orsini not as an Italian but as a Roman, and very specifically as a prince of the Orsini family.
The interests of the Pope were more scholarly than political, and he entrusted many practical decisions to Orsini. At the end of 1327, an embassy from Rome to Avignon offered the Pope a stark ultimatum
: if he did not immediately return to the city, Rome would submit to his opponent Ludwig of Bavaria
. The Pope declined to be commanded, and Orsini attempted to enter Rome but was turned away, retaliating by placing an interdict
on the city. In January 1328 Ludwig was crowned Holy Roman Emperor
in Rome and installed the Antipope Nicholas V
. However, Ludwig was almost entirely dependent in Rome on Sciarra Colonna
and lacked the support of Stefano Colonna the Younger
. In the summer of 1328, his remaining support melted away when Robert, King of Naples, sent a fleet to blockade
the port of Ostia
, while Orsini massed forces outside the city. Ludwig and his antipope fled the city on 4 August, and Orsini entered it triumphantly on Sunday, 8 August. Ten days later an Angevin
army led by William, Count of Eboli, marched into Rome in the name of Robert of Naples.
Late in 1328, Orsini began a campaign against Corneto
and Viterbo
, which was harbouring the antipope. Both cities submitted to papal authority in 1329. The same year, the antipope also surrendered himself to the Pope, while Ludwig remained as a powerful enemy of the Pope in his Empire
to the north.
As Orsini's power increased, he expanded the influence of his family in Rome and also pursued a policy of aggrandizing the Roman commune itself in the region. In the later months of 1329 and early 1330, the militia of Rome raided the towns of the Campagne and Maritime Province
to extract new taxes from them. When the Pope heard of this, he wrote to Orsini ordering him to stop the practice, but it continued. Two months later the Pope had to write again, this time addressing Orsini as Captain of the City (capitaneatum Urbis). By the early 1330s Orsini had assumed signorile power in Rome. The Pope also disapproved of Orsini's hostilities against the Colonna family
. Eventually, Pope John ordered Orsini back to Tuscany, and in 1332 Stefano Colonna the Younger was appointed as the 'vicar in Rome' of Robert of Naples, continuing to lead the Colonna war against the Orsini.
In August 1334, the Pope cancelled Orsini's legation. He returned to Avignon, where he remained until his death a year later.
Following the death of Pope John XXII on 4 December 1334, Orsini took part in the conclave which elected Pope Benedict XII
. He died on 27 August 1335 at Avignon and was entombed there in the church of the Franciscans.
in the Chapel of St Blaise
in Old St Peter's Basilica, Rome. A sculpture of a pope with a cardinal kneeling at his feet, which is thought to have been moved from St Blaise's chapel to the crypt
of St Peter's
in 1623, is supposed to represent Pope Nicholas III
and his nephew Orsini, but this is uncertain.
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...
of the Holy Roman Church from 17 December 1316 until his death, was a Roman
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...
nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, a nephew of Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III , born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, 1277 to his death in 1280, was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight Popes, been made cardinal-deacon of St...
and a grandson of Matteo Rosso Orsini
Matteo Rosso Orsini
Matteo Rosso Orsini , called the Great, was Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III. He was named a senator of the City of Rome by Pope Gregory IX in 1241: In this capacity he took a firm stand against the ventures in Italy of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and defeated him in 1243...
.
He was sometimes recorded under the names Gian Gaetano Orsini and Giangaetano Orsini.
In 1326 the Avignon Pope
Avignon Papacy
The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven Popes resided in Avignon, in modern-day France. This arose from the conflict between the Papacy and the French crown....
John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
sent him as his Legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
a latere to Italy
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...
, then much troubled by civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
s, with the task of bringing peace. In the event, Orsini found himself embroiled in battles with the Emperor, Ludwig of Bavaria
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
and his antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
, Nicholas V
Antipope Nicholas V
Nicholas V, born Pietro Rainalducci was an antipope in Italy from 12 May 1328 to 25 July 1330 during the pontificate of Pope John XXII at Avignon. He was the last Imperial antipope, that is, set up by a Holy Roman Emperor.-Life:Rainalducci was born at Corvaro, an ancient stronghold near Rieti in...
. After taking 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...
and becoming Captain of the City, he pursued his own Orsini interests, however, and lost the support of the Pope. He was dismissed as legate in 1334 and died the next year.
Early life
Orsini was the son of Matteo Rosso Orsini II, who was prominent in the public life of Rome in the 13th century, and a grandson of the great Matteo Rosso OrsiniMatteo Rosso Orsini
Matteo Rosso Orsini , called the Great, was Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III. He was named a senator of the City of Rome by Pope Gregory IX in 1241: In this capacity he took a firm stand against the ventures in Italy of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and defeated him in 1243...
(1178–1246), who had held almost a dictatorship over Rome in the early 1240s. He was thus a member of the Monterotondo
Monterotondo
-History:According to some historians, Monterotondo is the heir of ancient Sabine town of Eretum, although the modern settlement appeared in the 10th-11th centuries in a different location...
branch of the Orsini family. Born about 1285, he was given exactly the same name as his father's brother, Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, better known as Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III , born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, 1277 to his death in 1280, was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight Popes, been made cardinal-deacon of St...
, who had died in 1280.
He was enrolled at the University of Padua
University of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
from 1308 to 1310 and studied letters, including rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. He seems not to have made a study of law formally, but he had a wide knowledge of it, while he had very little of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. He was already a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Reims Cathedral
Reims Cathedral
Notre-Dame de Reims is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Reims, where the kings of France were once crowned. It replaces an older church, destroyed by a fire in 1211, which was built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptized by Saint Remi, bishop of Reims, in AD 496. That original...
before 1308.
Career
By 1316 Orsini was at the papal palacePalais des Papes
The Palais des Papes is a historical palace in Avignon, southern France, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe....
in Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
serving his cousin Cardinal Napoleone Orsini
Napoleone Orsini Frangipani
Napoleone Orsini Frangipani was an Roman Cardinal. His ecclesiastical career lasted 57 years, 54 of them as a cardinal, and included six conclaves. He was a member of the Orsini and Frangipani families....
, through whose offices in September 1316 he was appointed archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Bibiesca, Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, and a protonotary
Prothonotary
The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. prothonotarius , from Greek protonotarios "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine Empire, from Greek protos "first" + Latin notarius ; the -h-...
apostolic. In the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 17 December 1316 he was created cardinal deacon of San Teodoro and in 1317 received the title of San Marco in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...
.
From 1326 to 1334 Orsini was Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
's legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
a latere in Italy
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...
, with particular faculties over the provinces of Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, and Marca Umbria
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, which were troubled by civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
s, and was given the task of pacifying them. John chose Orsini as his legate, seeing him as an Italian prince who could find his way through the maze of Italian politics as no Gaul could hope to do. However, the people of Italy saw Orsini not as an Italian but as a Roman, and very specifically as a prince of the Orsini family.
The interests of the Pope were more scholarly than political, and he entrusted many practical decisions to Orsini. At the end of 1327, an embassy from Rome to Avignon offered the Pope a stark ultimatum
Ultimatum
An ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
: if he did not immediately return to the city, Rome would submit to his opponent Ludwig of Bavaria
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Louis IV , called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was the King of Germany from 1314, the King of Italy from 1327 and the Holy Roman Emperor from 1328....
. The Pope declined to be commanded, and Orsini attempted to enter Rome but was turned away, retaliating by placing an interdict
Interdict
The term Interdict may refer to:* Court order enforcing or prohibiting a certain action* Injunction, such as a restraining order...
on the city. In January 1328 Ludwig was crowned Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
in Rome and installed the Antipope Nicholas V
Antipope Nicholas V
Nicholas V, born Pietro Rainalducci was an antipope in Italy from 12 May 1328 to 25 July 1330 during the pontificate of Pope John XXII at Avignon. He was the last Imperial antipope, that is, set up by a Holy Roman Emperor.-Life:Rainalducci was born at Corvaro, an ancient stronghold near Rieti in...
. However, Ludwig was almost entirely dependent in Rome on Sciarra Colonna
Sciarra Colonna
Sciarrillo Colonna, byname of Giacomo Colonna , was a member of the powerful Colonna family, and a strong enemy of Pope Boniface VIII. During the Outrage of Anagni, in September 1303, Sciarra reportedly slapped the pope in the face. He was brother to Stefano Colonna the Elder.The Colonna family was...
and lacked the support of Stefano Colonna the Younger
Stefano Colonna
Stefano Sciarr-illo byname of Colonna was the name of several members of the Italian family of Colonna. The most important include:*Stefano Colonna the Elder was son of Giovanni Colonna and one of the most important political figures in Rome in the first half of the 14th century. He was heir of...
. In the summer of 1328, his remaining support melted away when Robert, King of Naples, sent a fleet to blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
the port of Ostia
Ostia Antica (district)
thumb|300px|The Castle of Julius II in Ostia Antica.thumb|300px|The square of Ostia Antica, with the church of Santa Aurea on the right.Ostia Antica is a district in the commune of Rome, Italy, five kilometers away from the coast. It is distinct from Ostia.- History :Under the Romans, Ostia Antica...
, while Orsini massed forces outside the city. Ludwig and his antipope fled the city on 4 August, and Orsini entered it triumphantly on Sunday, 8 August. Ten days later an Angevin
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
army led by William, Count of Eboli, marched into Rome in the name of Robert of Naples.
Late in 1328, Orsini began a campaign against Corneto
Tarquinia
Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy.- History :Tarquinii is said to have been already a flourishing city when Demaratus of Corinth brought in Greek workmen...
and Viterbo
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
, which was harbouring the antipope. Both cities submitted to papal authority in 1329. The same year, the antipope also surrendered himself to the Pope, while Ludwig remained as a powerful enemy of the Pope in his Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
to the north.
As Orsini's power increased, he expanded the influence of his family in Rome and also pursued a policy of aggrandizing the Roman commune itself in the region. In the later months of 1329 and early 1330, the militia of Rome raided the towns of the Campagne and Maritime Province
Campagne and Maritime Province
The Campagne and Maritime Province was one of the seven provinces of the Papal States from the 12th century to the end of the 18th....
to extract new taxes from them. When the Pope heard of this, he wrote to Orsini ordering him to stop the practice, but it continued. Two months later the Pope had to write again, this time addressing Orsini as Captain of the City (capitaneatum Urbis). By the early 1330s Orsini had assumed signorile power in Rome. The Pope also disapproved of Orsini's hostilities against the Colonna family
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...
. Eventually, Pope John ordered Orsini back to Tuscany, and in 1332 Stefano Colonna the Younger was appointed as the 'vicar in Rome' of Robert of Naples, continuing to lead the Colonna war against the Orsini.
In August 1334, the Pope cancelled Orsini's legation. He returned to Avignon, where he remained until his death a year later.
Following the death of Pope John XXII on 4 December 1334, Orsini took part in the conclave which elected Pope Benedict XII
Pope Benedict XII
Pope Benedict XII , born Jacques Fournier, the third of the Avignon Popes, was Pope from 1334 to 1342.-Early life:...
. He died on 27 August 1335 at Avignon and was entombed there in the church of the Franciscans.
Likeness
In his Will, Orsini left money for the saying of massesMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in the Chapel of St Blaise
Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea . According to his Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded...
in Old St Peter's Basilica, Rome. A sculpture of a pope with a cardinal kneeling at his feet, which is thought to have been moved from St Blaise's chapel to the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of St Peter's
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in 1623, is supposed to represent Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III , born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, 1277 to his death in 1280, was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight Popes, been made cardinal-deacon of St...
and his nephew Orsini, but this is uncertain.