The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church

Biographical Dictionary
Pope Paul III (1534-1549)
Consistory of April 8, 1549 (XII)


(68) 1. VERALLO, Girolamo (1497-1555)

Birth. 1497 (1), Cori, diocese of Velletri. Eldest of the twelve children of Girolamo Veralli, a Roman physician, and Giulia Jacovazzi. His family had relations with the Farnese. Nephew of Cardinal Domenico Giacobazzi (1517). Uncle of Cardinal Fabrizio Verallo (1608). Relative of Cardinals Cristoforo Giacobazzi (1536); and Giambattista Castagna (1583), future Pope Urban VII. His last name is also listed as Veralli; and as Varallo.

Education. Studied law.

Early life. Went to Rome and was named referendary of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature. Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota, November 26, 1534. Auditor of the Sacred Apostolic Palace. In 1535, together with Latino Giovenale Manetti, went in a mission before Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and King François I of France, concerning the succession to the duchy of Camerino after the death of its last duke, Giovanni Maria Varano. Nuncio to Venice, 1537 until February 1540; protected Ignacio de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, future saint, and the first Jesuits.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Bertinoro, August 20, 1540. Consecrated (no information found). Named nuncio before Ferdinand, king of the Romans, June 17 (2), 1541 until March, 1545. In August 1542, he accompanied Otto Truchess von Waldburg, future cardinal, to the Diet of Nuremberg to present the bull Initio nostri huius pontificatus of May 22, 1542, with which Pope Paul III summoned the council in Trent on November 1, 1542; he also brought the document to the Hungarian bishops; he worked to convince the German bishops to participate in the council; the assembly could not be opened because of the war between the emperor and the French king, which did not end until 1544 with the Peace of Crépy. Transferred to the see of Caserta, November 14, 1541. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Rossano, November 14, 1544. Nuncio to Austria, February 1545 until 1547.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of April 8, 1549; received the red hat and the title of S. Martino ai Monti, May 10, 1549. Transferred to the see of Capaccio, with the condition that he had to resign the government of the see of Rossano within six months, November 9, 1549 until March 1, 1553. Participated in the conclave of 1549-1550, which elected Pope Julius III. Legate a latere before the king of France, September 9, 1551. Resigned the see of Rossano and Capaccio in favor of his brother, Paolo Emilio Verallo, in 1551. Sent to a mission before King Henri II of France in 1551 to negotiate the end of the war of Parma and della Mirandola; his relative Giambattista Castagna, future Pope Urban VII, accompanied him as datary. Pope Julius III gave him ad vitam the palace of S. Apollinare, separated from the property of the church of the same name, September 18, 1551. Prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature and member of the tribunal of the Inquisition, 1552-1553. Opted for the title of S. Marcello, November 29, 1553. Participated in the first conclave of 1555, which elected Pope Marcellus II. Participated in the second conclave of 1555, which elected Pope Paul IV.

Death. October 10, 1555, Rome. Buried in the church of S. Agostino, Rome (3).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, IV, 292-293; 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, col. 1563; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, III, 30, 65, 67, 139, 152, 155 and 286; Katterbach, Bruno. Referendarii utriusque Signaturae a Martino V ad Clementem IX et Praelati Signaturae Supplicationum a Martino V ad Leonem XIII. Città del Vaticano 1931. (Studi e Testi 55), pp. 102, 104, 112 and 115; Squicciarini, Donato. Nunzi apostolici a Vienna. Città del Vaticano : Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1998, pp. 43-45; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), VI, 946-947.

Webgraphy. Biography by Giampiero Brunelli, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, in Italian, Volume 98 (2020), Treccani; biography, in Italian, Wikipedia; his portrait (1600-1699), diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno, Beni Ecclesiastici in Web (BeWeb); his engravings and arms, Araldica Vaticana; his tomb, church of S. Agostino, Rome, Requiem Datenbank.

(1) This is according to his biography in German, linked above; and the list of Personaggi Illustri of Cori, his native town; Squicciarini, Nunzi apostolici a Vienna, p. 43, says that he was probably born in 1497; his epitaph, linked above and transcribed in n. 3, indicates that he died at 55 in 1555, so he must have been born in 1500 or in late 1499.
(2) This is according to Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 139; Katterbach, Referendarii utriusque Signaturae a Martino V ad Clementem IX et Praelati Signaturæ Supplicationum a Martino V ad Leonem XIII, p. 102, says that he was named on July 7, 1541.
(3) This is the text of his epitaph, transcribed from the image linked above:

D     O.     M.
HIERONYMO. VERALLO. ROMANO.
A. PAVLO. III.
ROMANA. PVRPVRA. DONATO.
QVEM. LOCVM. ET. MERVIT.
AD. CARLVM. V. IMPERATOREM.
IN. GERMANIA. NUNCIVS.
DECRETO. IN. TVRCAS. BELLO.
AC. RELIGIONE. STRENVE.
PROCVRATA.
ET. SVSTINVIT. AD. HENRICVM. II.
GALL. REGEM. LEGATVS.
PARMENSI. BELLO. FELICITER.
COMPOSITO.
ET. AMPLIFICAVIT. VRBANO. VII.
SOBRINO. ALVMNOQ. SVO.
AD. CHRISTIANAE. REIP. REGIMEN.
DOMESTICA. INSTITVTIONE.
PERFECTO.
OBIIT. AN. DOM. MDLV.
AETATIS. SVAE. LV.

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(69) 2. MEDICI, Giovanni Angelo de' (1499-1565)

Birth. March 31, 1499, in the parish of S. Martino in Nosiggia, Porta Nuova, Milan. Second of the eleven children of Bernardino de' Medici, a notary and Milanese patrician, and Clelia Serbelloni. He was not related to the famous Medici family of Florence. Uncle of Cardinals Carlo Borromeo (1560); and Gianantonio Serbelloni (1560). Relative of Cardinals Federico Borromeo, seniore (1587); Guido Luca Ferrero (1565); Giberto Borromeo (1652); and Federico Borromeo, iuniore (1670).

Education. Studied philosophy, medicine, and jurisprudence at the Universities of Pavia and Bologna (doctorate in civil and canon law, May 11, 1525).

Early life. Cleric of Milan. Protegé of Cardinal Giovanni Girolamo Morone in Milan. Went to Rome in 1526 and entered the court of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, seniore, future Pope Paul III. Protonotary apostolic de numero participantium. Archpriest of Mazzo. Protonotary apostolic. Domestic prelate. Governor of Ascoli Piceno, 1534; Città di Castello, 1535; Parma, four times between 1536 and 1541; and Fano, 1539. Commissary general with the papal forces in Hungary and Poland against the Turks and the Lutherans in 1542. Pope Paul III named him commendatario perpetuo of the priorate of S. Gemolo di Gama in November 1542. Charged by the pope with a diplomatic mission to Busseto to solve a border dispute between the duke of Ferrara and the government of the legation of Bologna; returned to Rome in 1544. Governor of Ancona, 1544. Referendary apostolic, 1544. He fathered three natural children.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Ragusa, December 14, 1545. Consecrated, April 20, 1546, Rome, chapel of his consecrator, by Filippo Archinto, bishop of Borgo San Sepolcro, assisted by Marco Cornaro, archbishop of Split, and Giovanni Campeggio, bishop of Parenzo. Commissary general with the papal forces sent to assist Holy Roman Emperor Charles V against the Schmalkald League in 1546. Vice-legate in Bologna, 1547. Vice-legate in Perugia, 1548. The General Council of Milan proposed him as a candidate to the see of Como but the local authorities opposed the nomination with tenacity before the pope.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of April 8, 1549; received the red hat and the title of S. Pudenziana, May 10, 1549. Participated in the conclave of 1549-1550, which elected Pope Julius III. Charged, together with Cardinal Bernardino Maffei, with preparing a plan for the reform of the Roman Curia and the conclave in order to avoid the scandals and abuses that occurred during the vacant see, July 21, 1550; the results, delayed because of the legation in Romagna, were presented in the consistory of September 1552. Opted for the title of S. Anastasia, September 1, 1550. Legate a latere in Romagna and superintendent of the papal troops, May 22, 1551; returned to Rome in 1552. Opted for the title of S. Pudenziana, again, March 23, 1552. Governor of Campagna e Marittima, 1552. Abbot comendatario of S. Silano in Romagnano. Prior commendatario of S. Maria di Calvenzao, near Marignano, until 1558. Transferred to the see of Cassano al Ionio, March 1, 1553. Opted for the title of S. Stefano al Monte Celio, December 11, 1553. Participated in the first conclave of 1555, which elected Pope Marcellus II. Participated in the second conclave of 1555, which elected Pope Paul IV. Prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Grace, May 30, 1555. Transferred to the see of Foligno, June 25, 1556 until May 7, 1557. Opted for the title of S. Prisca, September 20, 1557. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, January January 14, 1558 to January 27, 1559. Fell into disfavor with Pope Paul IV and left Rome in 1558 and retired to Lombardy and Tuscany. Participated in the conclave of 1559 and was elected pope.

Papacy. Elected pope on December 25, 1559. Took the name Pius IV. Crowned, January 6, 1560, patriarchal Vatican basilica, by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, iuniore, protodeacon of S. Lorenzo in Damaso; more than 25 people were suffocated by the multitude. During his pontificate, he created forty six cardinals in four consistories. Convoked again the Council of Trent and brought it to conclusion, 1562-1563. Issued the bull In eligendis of October 9, 1562, concerning the papal election.

Death. December 9, 1565, Rome, of complications following an infection in the urinary tract and high fever. Buried in the patriarchal Vatican basilica; transferred to the church of S. Maria degli Angeli, Rome, on January 4, 1583.

Bibliography. Beltrami, Giuseppe. Notizie su prefetti e referendari della Segnatura Apostolica desunte dai brevi di nomina. Città del Vaticano, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1972, p. 1; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, IV, ; 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, col. ; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, III, 30-31, 59, 69, 71, 156, 199 and 281; Kelly, John Norman Davidson, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1986, pp. 266-268; Penteriani, Ulderico. "Pio IV." Mondo vaticano. Passato e presente. Edited by Niccolò Del Re. Città del Vaticano : Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995, pp. 841-843; Rurale, Fabio. "Pio IV." Enciclopedia dei papi. 3 vols. Roma : Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana, 2000, III, 142-160.

Webgraphy. Biography by Flavio Rurale, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 83 (2015), Treccani; biography by James Loughlin, in English, The Catholic Encyclopedia; portrait, statue and biography, in Italian; his portrait, Scuola Romana, Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome; portrait in his deathbed, church of S. Maria degli Angeli, Rome; his bust, church of S. Maria degli Angeli, Rome; his statue, metropolitan cathedral, Milan, Italy; his engraving, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nürnberg, Germany; another engraving; his effigy on a coin; his engraving and arms, Araldica Vaticana; commemorative site for the 500th anniversary of his birth, melegnano.net.

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(70) 3. FERRERO, Filiberto (1500-1549)

Birth. 1500, Biella. Eldest of the seven children of Goffredo Ferrero, marquis of Bordolano, and his second wife Margherita Sanseverino, marquioness of Bordolano. Brother of Cardinal Pier Francesco Ferrero (1561). Nephew of Cardinals Gianstefano Ferrero (1500); and Bonifacio Ferrero (1517). Uncle of Cardinal Guido Luca Ferrero (1565). Another member of the family was Cardinal Antonio Ferrero (1505).

Education. He had a non ordinaria erudizione (1). (No further educational information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Ivrea, May 17, 1518 (2); constituted administrator until reaching the canonical age of 27; occupied the see until his death. Almoner ordinary of the king of France from 1528. Ambassador of the duke of Savoy to Venice, 1530.

Sacred orders. Ordained deacon and priest on December 23, 1531, church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, by Guglielmo, O.S.A., titular bishop of Nicomedia. Consecrated bishop, December 28, 1531, in the chapel of the consecrator, in Rome, by Cardinal Bonifacio Ferrero, former bishop of Ivrea, assisted by Onofrio de' Medici, archbishop of Pisa, and by Guglielmo, titular bishop of Nicomedia. In the same ceremony was consecrated Cardinal Rodolfo Pio, bishop of Faenza. Nuncio before the duke of Savoy, November 12, 1532. Governor of Piacenza from 1534. Abbot commendatario of S. Michele della Chiusa, 1535-1538; and 1539-1549. Nuncio before the king of France, April 26, 1537 until March 11, 1541. Abbot commendatario of S. Stefano, diocese of Ivrea, from October 28, 1537.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of April 8, 1549; received the red hat and the title of S. Vitale, May 10, 1549.

Death. August 14, 1549, Rome (3). Transferred to Biella and buried in the tomb of his ancestors.

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, IV, 296; 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, col. 1564; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, III, 31, 71 and 214; Gams, Pius Bonifatius. Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae. 3 v. in 1. Graz : Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1957, p. 816; and Zedler, Johann Heinrich, and Carl Günther Ludovici. Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon aller Wissenschafften und Künste. 64 v. Graz, Adakemische Druck, 1961- . Reprint. Originially published : Halle : J. H. Zedler, 1732-50. Vols. 19-64 ed. by Carl Günther Ludovici, IX, 639.

Webgraphy. Biography by Raffaella Cascioli, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, in Italian, Volume 47 (1997), Treccani: his engraving and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, IV, 296.
(2) This is according to Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 214; Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiæ Catholicæ, p. 816, says that he was elected on May 1, 1518 and occupied the see until his death, which he says occurred on August 24, 1550.
(3) This is according to Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 31 and 71, and 214; Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae, p. 816, says that he died on August 24, 1550; Zedler, Grosses vollständiges Universal-Lexicon aller Wissenschafften und Künste, says that he died on August 24; and Ferdinando Ughelli, Cist., in his addition to Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, col. 1564, says that he died on 9 Kal Sept., which is August 24.

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(71) 4. MAFFEI, Bernardino (1514-1553)

Birth. January 27, 1514 , Rome (1). Of an illustrious family originally from Bologna, which had sought refuge in Verona in 1274, because of the fight between Guelfs and Gibelins. Second of the eight children (first son) of Girolamo Maffei and Antonia Mattei. Brother of Cardinal Marcantonio Maffei (1570). Uncle of Cardinals Orazio Maffei (1606) and Marcello Lante (1606). Grand-uncle of Cardinal Gregorio Naro (1629).

Education. Studied at the University of Padua (jurisprudence).

Early life. Roman cleric. Secretary to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, iuniore (2). Canon of the chapter of the patriarchal Vatican basilica.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Massa maritima, April 22, 1547 (3). Consecrated, Monday of Pentecost May 30, 1547 at the Sistine chapel, Vatican, by Giovanni Giacomo Barba, bishop of Teramo (co-consecrators unknwon). In the same ceremony were consectaed Nicolas Vernely, bishop of Bagnoregio, and Michele della Torre, bishop of Ceneda, future cardinal.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of April 8, 1549; received the red hat and the title of S. Ciriaco alle Terme, May 10, 1549. Transferred to the see of Caserta, June 7, 1549; occupied the post until November 9, 1549. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Chieti, November 9, 1549; resigned the government of the diocese of Caserta, July 14, 1553. Participated in the conclave of 1549-1550, which elected Pope Julius III. He was a close friend of Ignacio de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus and future saint. Pope Julius III highly esteemed him. He wrote a commentary to the Letters of Cicero, considered one of the best; another of his works was De inscriptionibus et imaginibus veterum numismatum. He was a poet, orator, historian and antiquarian.

Death. July 16, 1553 (4), Rome (5). Buried in the Maffei Chapel in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, Rome (6).

Bibliography. Berton, Charles. Dictionnaire des cardinaux, contenant des notions générales sur le cardinalat, la nomenclature complète ..., des cardinaux de tous less 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. 1176; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, IV, 296-297; 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, col. ; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, III, 31, 63, 155, 237 and 311; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), II, 579.

Webgraphy. Biography by Renato Sansa, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 67 (2006), Treccani; biography by Francis Mershman, in English, The Catholic Encyclopedia; his arms, Araldica Vaticana; his tomb, Requiem Datenbank.

(1) This is according to Berton, Dictionnaire des cardinaux, col. 1176; Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, IV, 296; and Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, 1565; his biography in English, linked above, says that he was born in Bergamo.
(2) This is according to Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, IV, 296; and Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, 1565; Berton, Dictionnaire des cardinaux, col. 1176; and his biography in English, linked above, say that he was secretary to Alessandro Farnese, seniore, future Pope Paul III; he probably substituted for Girolamo Dandini, the pope's secretary, during his absences.
(3) This is according to Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 237; his biography in English, linked above, says that he was named on March 12, 1547.
(4) This is according to Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 31 and 63; his biography in English, linked above, says that he died on August 1, 1549; and Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, 1565, says that he died anno 1553. 17. Kal. Augusti.
(5) This is according to Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, IV, 297; and his biography in English linked above; Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 31, says that he died extra Curia Romana.
(6) This is the text of his epitaph transcribed by Ferdinando Ughelli, Cist., in his addition to Chacón, Vitæ, et res gestæ Pontificvm Romanorum et S. R. E. Cardinalivm, II, 1565:

D.      O.      M.
BERNARDINO. HIERONYMI. FILIO MAPHEO. S. R. E.
PRESBYTERO. CARDINALI. TITVLI. SANCTI
CIRIACI. IN. THERMIS.
VIXIT. ANNOS. XXXIX. MENS. V. DIES. XX.
OBIIT. XVII. KAL. AVGVSTI. MDLIII
.

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