The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Biographical Dictionary
Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484)
Consistory of December 18, 1476 (III)


(11) 1. COSTA, Jorge da (1406-1508)

Birth. 1406 (1), Alpedrinha, Beira, diocese of Guarda, Portugal. Of a poor family. Son of Martin Vaz and Caterina Gonçalves da Costa (2). He had several siblings: Martinho da Costa, archbishop of Lisbon; Jorge da Costa, his namesake, archbishop of Braga (3); Catherina da Costa; Isabel da Costa; Elvira da Costa; and Margarida Vaz. He was called the Cardinal of Portugal or of Lisbon.

Education. Initial studies and humanities in Alpedrinha; studied at the University of Paris, which his brothers Martinho and Jorge also attended.

Early life. Returned to Lisbon and became pastor of Scalabo, where the court had moved because of the plague. Chaplain and confessor of Infanta D. Catarina, daughter of the king, who became a Clarisse nun. Counselor and confessor of King Afonso V of Portugal, who sent him as ambassador before the king of Castilla. Dean of the cathedral chapter of Lisbon.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Évora, March 6, 1463. Consecrated (no information found). Sent to Gibraltar to obtain the peace with King Enrique IV of Castilla. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Lisbon, November 26, 1464; resigned the government of the archdiocese of Lisbon in favor of his brother Martin, June 28, 1500. Protector of the Academy of Coimbra. Prime minister of Portugal. Abbot commendatario of the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça, archdiocese of Lisbon, from 1475 to April 21, 1488, when he resigned; and again from 1493 until 1505. Promoted to the cardinalate at the request of King Afonso V of Portugal.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of December 18, 1476; published in the patriarchal Vatican basilica on December 20, 1476; received the red hat and the title of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro, January 15, 1477. Due to incompatibilities with Prince João II, heir to the throne, the cardinal left Portugal at the death of King Afonso V and went to live in Rome; he arrived very quietly and ill on June 14, 1480; he was received in public consistory on July 8, 1484; and on the following July 14th, in private consistory, the pope finished the rites of his cardinalitial creation. Named legate a latere in Venice on March 19, 1484, for the pacification of Italy; he left on March 22nd for Cesena to his legation but did not go any further. He returned to Rome to participate in the conclave of 1484, which elected Pope Innocent VIII. Opted for the title of S. Maria in Trastevere, November 8, 1484. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, January 11, 1486 to 1487. Named archbishop of Braga in 1486; celebrated a synod in 1488; resigned the see in favor of his brother Jorge in 1488 (4); administrator of the see from 1501 to 1505. Opted for the title of S. Lorenzo in Lucina, October 15, 1489; he had his residence next to that title. Resigned the commendam of the Cistercian monastery of Tarauca, diocese of Lamego. Opted for the order of cardinal bishops and the suburbicarian see of Albano, October 10, 1491; kept the title of S. Lorenzo in Lucina in commendam until his death. On March 22, 1492, he received Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici in the church of S. Maria del Popolo. In May 1492, he escorted the relic of the Holy Lance from Narni to Rome. Participated in the conclave of 1492, which elected Pope Alexander VI. On February 13, 1495, he received, in commendam, the see of Genoa, which Cardinal Fregoso had resigned in his favor, reserving the right of return; Cardinal Costa resigned the commendam in favor of Cardinal Fregosos on July 29, 1496. He accompanied the new Pope Alexander VI to Orvieto on May 27, 1495; returned to Rome with him the following June 27th. On August 31, 1496, he resigned the commendam of the Benedictine monastery of São Miguel de Fojas, archdiocese of Braga. He was part of a commission of six cardinals for the bull of reform in 1497; he had been responsible for its preparatory work. On November 21, 1498, he resigned the commendam of the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria de Pomberto, archdiocese of Braga. In January 1499 he attended the pope's audience with the ambassadors of Spain and Portugal. Opted for the suburbicarian see of Frascati, May 14, 1501. Opted for the suburbicarian see of Porto e Santa Rufina, after April 10, 1503. Sub-dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Participated in the first conclave of 1503, which elected Pope Pius III. Participated in the second conclave of 1503, which elected Pope Julius II. Protector of the Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans). Named bishop of Visu at the beginning of 1505; resigned the see before June 1505. For the solemn entrance of Pope Julius II in Rome on March 28, 1507, he had an arch of triumph built in Campo Marzio. He was a protector of the arts and one of the richest cardinals of his time (5) and used his rents for noble causes.

Death. September 18, 1508 (6), Rome. Buried in the chapel of S. Caterina, which he had built in 1489, in the church of S. Maria del Popolo, Rome, which he had decorated with frescoes by Pinturicchio (7).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, III, 192-196; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, cols. 1259 and 1389; Cunha, Rodrigo da. História eclesiástica dos arcebispos de Braga. 2 vols. Braga : [s.n.], 1634, 1989. Note: Originally published: Braga : Manoel Cardozo, 1634-1635. Reprodução fac-similada com nota de apresentação de José Marques., II, 267-281; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1933, p. 151-152; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen II (1431-1503). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1914; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 17, 43, 47, 48, 50, 52, 55, 63, 64, 110, 149 and 258; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen III (1503-1592). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 58 and 56; Mendonça, Manuela. D. Jorge da Costa : "Cardeal de Alpedrinha". Lisbon : Colibri, 1991. (Colibri História, 1).

Webgraphy. His engraving, arms and biography, in Portuguese, Wikipedia; biographical entry, in Portuguese, under "D. JORGE DA COSTA (Cardeal de Alpedrinha)", patriarchate of Lisbon; Casa do Cardeal, in Portuguese, Junta de Freguesia de Alpedrinha; his tomb, church of S. Maria del Popolo, De Porto e Não Só; his tomb, church of S. Maria del Popolo, Requiem Datenbank; Dom Jorge da Costa - Cardeal Alpedrinha na história e na lenda, Lendas da Gardunha, in Portuguese, Literatrad.

(1) This is according to "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933, p. 151; his epitaph indicates that he died in his SECUNDUM SUPRA CENTESSIMUM year, which means that he was more probably born in 1407 than in 1406.
(2) Cunha, História eclesiástica dos arcebispos de Braga, p.267; and Francisco da Fonseca, Évora gloriosa (Roma : Na Officina komarekiana, 1728), indicate that he was a natural son of Antonio de Gusmão, and Maria da Costa; and that he was raised as son of Martin Vaz.
(3) He was archbishop of Braga between 1486 and 1500; it is known that he was born ca. 1459; homonymy, and the age difference, indicates that he would be a nephew rather than a brother, but even so, more than 50 years of difference between uncle and nephew is quite unusual.
(4) This is according to Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, II, 110; Cunha, História eclesiástica dos arcebispos de Braga, II, 272-273; and Pius Bonifatius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae (3 v. in 1. Graz : Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1957), p. 94; Bulário Bracarense. Sumários de Diplomas Pontifmcios dos Séculos XI a XIX, no. 367, makes reference to a bull of Pope Innocent VIII of February 1, 1486) translating Jorge da Costa, brother of Cardinal Alpedrinha, from bishop of Silves to archbishop of Braga.
(5) Besides several dioceses, he had eight deanships and sixteen abbeys: eight Benedictine, two Augustinian and six Cistercian.
(6) This is according to all the sources consulted except Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1389, which says that he died on September 19, 1508.
(7) This is the text of his epitaph taken from Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1389:

GEORGIVS. EPISCOPVS. ALBANEN. CARDINALIS.
VLIXPONEN. DVM. SE. MORTALEM.
ANIMO. VOLVIT. VIVENS. SIBI.
POSVIT.

D      O      M
GEORGIVS. LVSITANVS. EPISCOPVS. PORTVENSIS. S. R. E. CARD.
VLIXPNENSIS. VISTVTISQ. DOCTRINÆQ. ERGO. IN.
REGIAM. ADSCITVS. AC. MVLTIS. DOMI. FORISQVE.
PRÆCLARIS. FACINORIBVS. EDITIS. AD. REGNI.
PROCVRATIONEM. PROVECTVS. A. XYSTO. IV.
IN. SENATVM. ALLECTVS. ROMANO. ADSCITVS.
MAGNAM. INGENII. PIETATIS. PROVIDENTIÆQVE.
LAVDEM. ADEPTVS. SVB. IVLIO. II. PONTIFICE. MAX.
QVEM. VNICE. DILEXIT. ET. OBSERVAVIT. ANNVM.
AGENS. SECVNDVM. SVPRA. CENTESIMVM. OBIIT.
MDVIII.

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(12) 2. BOURBON, Charles I de (1435-1488)

Birth. 1435 (1), Moulins, France. Third child of Charles Ier de Bourbon and Agnès de Bourgogne. He was called the Cardinal de Bourbon and was the first one of the family. Uncle of Cardinal Louis II de Bourbon de Vendôme (1517). Other cardinals of the family were Charles II de Bourbon-Vendôme (1548); and Charles III de Bourbon-Vendôme (1583). Another cardinal of the family was Luis de Vendôme (1667).

Education. (No information found).

Early life. Canon chantre of the chapter of the metropolitan cathedral of Lyon. Protonotary apostolic. With Gabrielle Bastine, he had an illegitimate daughter, Isabelle de Bourbon.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Lyon, November 7, 1446; he was eleven years old; administrator of the archdiocese through a vicar general; celebrated a synod in 1449 to try to end the schism of Antipope Felix V against Pope Nicholas V; the assembly was followed by successful results. Prior commendatario of La Charité-sur-Loire, abbot commendatario of Fleury and abbot commendatario of Saint-Vaast de Arras in 1462. Named papal legate in Avignon in 1465. Enthroned in Lyon as archbishop in 1466. He was the chief of an embassy sent by King Louis XI to Rome before Pope Paul II. Charged by the king with the negotiation of a treaty between Charles, duke of Bourgogne, and François II, duke of Brittany. Godfather of the future King Charles VIII in June 1470. He received the episcopal consecration on September 21, 1466, 21st Sunday after Pentecost, in the metropolitan cathedral of Saint-Jean, Lyon, from Jean Coeur, archbishop of Bourges, assisted by Antoine Gobert, bishop of Alet, and by Étienne Chassaigné, bishop of Beryte, auxiliary of Lyon. He was present at the interview of Kings Louis XI of France and Edward IV of England in 1475 and the signature of the peace concluded between them in Picquigny.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of December 18, 1476; published in the patriarchal Vatican basilica on December 20, 1476. received the red hat and the title of Ss. Silvestro e Martino, January 15, 1477. Administrator of the see of Clermont, March 10, 1476 until his death. Did not participate in the conclave of 1484, which elected Pope Innocent VIII. He had the archiepiscopal palace of Lyon built. Took the title duke of Bourbon on April 1, 1488, after his brother Jean died without children.

Death. Saturday September 17, 1488 (2), Lyon. Buried in a magnificent tomb in the Bourbon chapel, which he had built, in the metropolitan and primatial cathedral of Saint-Jean de Lyon. His tomb was discovered on December 27, 1816.

Bibliography. Berton, Charles. Dictionnaire des cardinaux, contenant des notions générales sur le cardinalat, la nomenclature complète ..., des cardinaux de tous les temps et de tous les pays ... les détails biographiques essentiels sur tous les cardinaux ... de longues études sur les cardinaux célèbre ... Paris : J.-P. Migne, 1857 ; Facsimile edition. Farnborough ; Gregg, 1969, col. 532; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, III, 196-197; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, cols. 1259 and 1312; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1933, p. 152; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen II (1431-1503). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1914; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 17, 49, 65, 130 and 182; Fisquet, Honoré. La France pontificale (Gallia christiana), histoire chronologique et biographique des archevêques et évêques de tous les diocèses de France depuis l'établissement du christianisme jusqu'à nos jours, divisée en 17 provinces ecclésiastique. 22 vol. Paris : E. Repos, 1864-1873, X, 365-371.

Webgraphy. Biography in La France pontificale (Gallia christiana), histoire chronologique et biographique des archevêques et évêques de tous les diocèses de France depuis l'établissement du christianisme jusqu'à nos jours, divisée en 17 provinces ecclésiastique. Lyon / by M. Honoré Fisquet (1818-1883). Auteur du texte, in French, pp. 365-371, Gallica; his portrait, arms and biography, in French, Wikipédia; his portrait by Jean Hey; his genealogy, Partie 2, 1.D; his effigy on a medal.

(1) This is according to his first biography in French, linked above; the second one, also linked above, says that he was born in 1433.
(2) This is according to Fisquet, La France pontificale, X, 370; Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, II, 17, 49 and 65, says that he died on September 13, 1488; the same source, p. 182, indicates that he died on September 17, 1488; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933, p. 152, says that he died on September 13, 1488.

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(13) 3. FERRIS, Pedro (1415/1416-1478)

Birth. April 15, 1415/1416, Cocentaina, diocese of Valencia, Spain. He was an illegitimate child. His first name is also listed as Pere and his last name as Ferrís and Ferriz. Relative of Pope Paul II. He was called the Cardinal of Tarazona.

Education. Initial studies in Cocentaina; then, studied in Valencia (Latin) and in Lérida (law); later at the University of Bologna, where he obtained doctorates in theology and in utroque iure, both canon and civil law.

Early life. After finishing his studies in Bologna, he went to Rome and entered the service of Cardinal Guillaume d'Estaing, bishop of Metz, as magister domus et auditor suus; the cardinal died not long after on October 28, 1455; he then entered the service of Cardinal Pietro Barbo, who was later elected Pope Paul II. For his own merits, the pope named him canon of the cathedral chapter of Mallorca, papal chaplain and auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota for the crown of Aragón. Referendary of the pope around 1458. Apostolic commissary in Liège. Sent as legate to Germany in 1462, accompanied by Jurist Francisco de Toledo, to fix the situation of the archdiocese of Mainz, whose archbishop-elector, Diether von Isenbourg, had been deposed by Pope Pius II. He ratified in Frankfurt in October 1463, in the name of the pope, the treaty between the archbishop-elector of Mainz and his competitor Adolph von Nassau. In May 1464, he received in Worms Friedrich, Palatine elector, into the communion of the church. When after two years he finished his mission in Germany, he returned to Rome; on his way, he received the news that Pope Paul II had promoted him to the episcopate.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Tarazona, October 1, 1464; occupied the see until his death. Consecrated (no information found). Named referendary intimus et carissimus in 1464; he hedl the office for twelve years; he was charged with some of the most difficult businesses of the papal court. Dean of Tudela, 1471. He had the total trust of the two popes and rendered them so many services that he was called Dextera Pontificum, the right hand of the pontiff.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest secretly on December 16, 1468 (or November 21); he was never published. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of December 18, 1476; published in the patriarchal Vatican basilica and received the red hat on December 20, 1476; received the title of S. Sisto on December 30, 1476. From 1474 to 1479, he acted as agent of the king of Aragón in Rome. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals to replace the titular during his absence from Rome because of the plague, June 25, 1478. Abbot commendatario of the Benedictine monastery of San Juan de Corias, diocese of Oviedo; and of that of Santa Maria de Verola, diocese of Tarazona. Protector of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). He always said the Divine Office, which he never omitted no matter how busy he was. He had a very large library and his two great intellectual interests were letters and history.

Death. September 25, 1478, at 1 p.m., in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Rome. In the same evening of his death, his body was taken to the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, and placed in its major chapel, next to the main altar; later, he was buried in the church's cloister. His obsequies were celebrated the following month of November; the funeral oration was pronounced by Ludovico d'Imola, O.F.M. (1) His tomb was sculpted by the Renaissance sculptor Mino da Fiesole, and funded by his friend Cardinal Domenico della Rovere, who composed the epitaph, and his nephew, Andrés Martínez de Ferris, who succeeded him as bishop of Tarazona three days after his death (2).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, III, ; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, cols. 1259 and 1272; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1933, p. 152; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen II (1431-1503). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1914; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 17, 41, 42, 65 and 251; Goñi Gaztambide, José. "Ferriz (Ferrici, Ferris), Pedro." Diccionario de historia eclesiástica de España. 4 vols and Supplement. Dirigido por Quintín Aldea Vaquero, Tomás Marín Martínez, José Vives Gatell. Madrid : Instituto Enrique Flórez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1972-1975; Suplemento (1987), II, 317-318.

Webgraphy. Biographical data, in English, Enciclopèdia.cat; his tomb, church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Requiem Datenbank; his epitaph, Requiem Datenbank.

(1) The oration provided the essential facts of the cardinal's life; they were later completed by Paulus de Crottis, canon of Cremona, numerary acolyte of the Holy See, and majordome and secretary of the late cardinal.
(2) This is the text of his epitaph taken from Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1272: PETRO FERRICI è citeriore Hispaniaoriundo, tit. Sancti Sixti Presbytero Cardinali Tyrasonensi, quem ut singulare aetatis suae integritatis, iustitiae doctrinae, religionis, & vistutum omniis exemplar Principes nationes omnes Christianae patrem & patronum, duo praecipue clarissime Pontifices Romani Paulus II. & Xystus IV. inrescribendo & navicula Petri regenda, dexteram suam apellare dignabantur. Cum de humano genere & hac Sede summo cum labore & patientiae benemeritus, incredibili de se apud mortales omnes desiderio relicto Romae obiisset anno salutis 1478. 7. Kalend. Octobris. Dominicus Cardinalis S. Clementis collega, & Andreas Epsic. Tyrasonensis avunculo B. M. Vixit annos LXIII. menses quinque, dies 10. There are some minor orthographic discrepancies between this text and the epitaph linked above.

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(14) 4. MELLINI, Giovanni Battista (1405-1478)

Birth. June 9, 1405, Rome. Of a noble family. Called the Cardinal of Urbino. His last name is also listed as Millini. Other cardinals of the family were Giovanni Garzia Millini (1606); Savo Millini (1681); and Mario Millini (1747).

Education. Received funds from Pope Martin V to study law.

Early life. Named canon of the chapter of the patriarchal Lateran basilica by Antipope John XXIII when he was seven years old; resigned in the pontificate of Pope Nicholas V, who named him economous of the patriarchal Vatican basilica and offered him the sees of Anagni and Sutri, which he declined. Abbreviatore de parco maggiore in the pontificate of Pope Eugenius IV. Corrector of apostolic letters and referendary under Pope Pius II. Papal datary in the pontificate of Pope Paul II.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Urbino, April 27, 1468; kept the see until his death; permitted to retain all his other posts. Consecrated (no information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of December 18, 1476; published in the patriarchal Vatican basilica on December 20, 1476; received the red hat and the title of Ss. Nereo ed Achilleo, December 30, 1476. On January 1, 1477, he was named legate in Milan and Lombardy with full powers to maintain the peace after the death of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza, who had died on December 26, 1476; he left for his legation on January 27, 1477 and returned on Friday May 9 of the same year and was received in public consistory. He was very erudite, charitable and of irreproachable customs.

Death. July 24, 1478, Rome. Buried in the Mellini chapel in the church of S. Maria del Popolo, Rome (1).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, III, 198-200; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, cols. 1259 and 1272; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1933, p. 152-153; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen II (1431-1503). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1914; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp. 17, 40, 41, 64 and 260.

Webgraphy. His tomb, church of S. Maria del Popolo, Rome, Requiem Datenbank; another view of his tomb, Australlian National University.

(1) This is the text of his epitaph taken from Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1272: IOANNI. BAPTISTÆ. MILLINO. VTRIVSQUE. IVRIS. CONSVLTO. QVEM. OB. EIVS. RELIGIONEM. PRVDENTIAM. IVSTITIAM. MERITAQ. ERGA. SEDEM. APOSTOLICAM. XYSTVS. IV. PONTIFEX. MAXIMVS. CONGRATVLANTIBVS. OMNIBVS. IN. NVMERVM. CARDINALIVM. RETVLIT. PETRVS. MILLINVS. FRATRI. B. M. POSVIT. IS. VBI. LEGATVS. POST. MORTEM. GALEACII. DVCIS. INSVBRVM. LIGVRVMQVE. RES. TVRBATAS. COMPOSVISSET. LXXIII. ÆTATIS. ANNO. MORITVR. INCREDIBILI. DE. SE. APVD. OMNES. DESIDERIO. RELICTO. VALE. QVI. LEGIS. ET. OPTA. VT. MVLTI. HVIC. VIRO. PERSIMILES. HVMANO. DENTVR. GENERI. OBIIT. ANNO. DOMINI. MCDLXXVIII. NONO. KALENDAS. AVGVSTI.

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(15) 5. FOIX, le jeune, Pierre de (1449-1490)

Birth. February 7, 1449, Pau, France. Son of Gaston IV, count of Foix and of Bigorre, and Leonor I d'Aragón, queen of Navarre. Grand-nephew of Cardinal Pierre de Foix, O.F.M., le vieux (1414). Nephew of King Louis XI of France. He was called the Cardinal de Foix. His last name is also listed as De Fuxo.

Education. Studied in Paris, where his uncle the cardinal had sent him; later, he obtained a doctorate in law in Ferrara, where he studied under Felino Sandei, one of the most famous jurisconsults of the time.

Early life. Went to Rome and delivered an elegation oration before Pope Paul II and the Sacred College of Cardinals. Entered the Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) (1). Apostolic protonotary.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Vannes, May 17, 1475; confirmed by the pope, March 11, 1476; occupied the see until his death. Consecrated (no information found). Named bishop of Aire, July 31, 1475; later, administrator until May 5, 1484.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of December 18, 1476; published in the patriarchal Vatican basilica on December 20, 1476; received the red hat and the deaconry of Ss. Cosma e Damiano, January 15, 1477. Resigned the commendam of the Cluniacense monastery of Saint-Pierre de Lézat, diocese of Rieux, January 24, 1477. Administrator of the see of Bayonne, May 5, 1484 until his death. Did not participate in the conclave of 1484, which elected Pope Innocent VIII. Administrator of the metropolitan see of Palermo, May 14, 1485 until July 6, 1489. Opted for the title of S. Sisto, August 1485. Resigned the commendam of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Savin, diocese of Tarbes, September 16, 1485; remained as abbot commendatario of Sainte-Mélaine de Rennes. He reconciled the duke of Brittany with King Charles VIII of France, around 1485. Entered Rome for the first time on January 27, 1488; received by the pope in public consistory the following day. Departed from Rome in July 1488. Went to Naples to visit the king, his friend; perhaps he was named papal legate to reestablish the peace. Returned to Rome on October 15, 1488. Named administrator of the see of Malta, July 6, 1489 until his death. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Palermo.

Death. August 10, 1490 (2), Rome. Buried in the church of S. Trifone, Rome, which was later demolished.

Bibliography. Berton, Charles. Dictionnaire des cardinaux, contenant des notions générales sur le cardinalat, la nomenclature complète ..., des cardinaux de tous les temps et de tous les pays ... les détails biographiques essentiels sur tous les cardinaux ... de longues études sur les cardinaux célèbre ... Paris : J.-P. Migne, 1857 ; Facsimile edition. Farnborough ; Gregg, 1969, col. 921; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, III, 200-203; Chacón, Alfonso. Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm ab initio nascentis Ecclesiæ vsque ad Vrbanvm VIII. Pont. Max. 2 volumes. Romae : Typis Vaticanis, 1630, II, cols. 1259 and 1312-1313; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933. Paris : Maison de la Bonne Presse, 1933, p. 153; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi. Volumen II (1431-1503). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1914; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, pp.17, 49, 65, 66, 80, 192, 211 and 264; Mendonça, Manuela. D. Jorge da Costa : "Cardeal de Alpedrinha". Lisbon : Colibri, 1991. (Colibri História, 1).

Webgraphy. His engraving, arms and biography, in French, Wikipédia; his genealogy, A4 B1 C1 D2, Genealogy EU; his genealogy, 6.[8], histarcachon.free.fr; his arms, Araldica Vaticana; his tomb, Requiem Datenbank.

(1) This is according to Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1259 and 1312. It is the only source that mentions it.
(2) This is according to his two genealogies linked above; "Essai de liste générale des cardinaux. VII. Les cardinaux de la fin du XVe siècle". Annuaire Pontifical Catholique 1933, p. 153, says that he died on July 17, 1490.

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