Birth. January 9 (1), 1554, Bologna. Of a patrician family of Florentine origin established in Bologna in the 12th century. Third child of Count Pompeo Ludovisi and Camilla Bianchini. Uncle of Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi (1621). Cousin of Cardinal Marcantonio Gozzadini (1621).

Education. Studied at Collegio Romano (philosophy and theology); and at the University of Bologna, where he earned a doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, on June 4, 1575.

Early life. Returned to Rome on June 23, 1575, and Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585) named him judge of the Campidoglio. Referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and Grace, July 13, 1593. Lieutenant of Cardinal Girolamo Rusticucci, vicar of Rome, August 13, 1596. Vicegerent of Rome, April 2, 1597 until May 1598. Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota, August 17, 1599. Lieutenant of La Sapienza University, Rome.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Bologna, March 12, 1612. Consecrated, Tuesday May 1, 1612, church of S. Andrea al Quirinale, Rome, by Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli-Borghese, assisted by Fabio Biondi, titular patriarch of Jerusalem, and by Volpiano Volpi, archbishop of Chieti. In the same ceremony was also consecrated Profirio Feliciani, bishop of Foligno. Nuncio extraordinary to Savoy, August 13, 1616, to solve dispute between Duke Carlo Emmanuel I of Savoy and King Felipe III of Spain concerning the Duchy of Monferrato.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 19, 1616; received the red hat on November 20, 1618; and the title of S. Maria in Traspontina on December 3, 1618. Participated in the conclave of 1621 and was elected pope.

Papacy. Elected pope on February 9, 1621. Took the name Gregory XV. Crowned, February 14, 1621, patriarchal Vatican basilica, Rome, by Cardinal Andrea Baroni Peretti Montalto, cardinal protodeacon of S. Maria in Via Lata. Took possession of the patriarchal Lateran basilica, Rome, May 14, 1621. On November 15, 1621, he issued the bull Æterni Patris, regulating the papal elections, which established three ways of choosing the pope: scrutiny, compromise and quasi-inspiration (2); also, the voting had to be secret and in writing. On January 6, 1622, he established the S.C. of Propaganda Fide, the missionary dicastery of the Roman Curia. Another bull, Decet Romanum Pontificem of March 12, 1622, established the ceremonial that regulated the three manners of election of the pope.

Death. July 8, 1623, Quirinale palace, Rome. Buried in the patriarchal Vatican basilica; transferred to the Annunziata chapel of Collegio Romano on June 13, 1634; and later, when its construction was finished, transferred to the church of S. Ignazio, Rome. A monument was erected to his memory in the metropolitan cathedral of Bologna (3).

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. 9 vols. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, VI, 188-189; Combaluzier, Fernand. "Sacres épiscopaux à Rome de 1565 à 1662. Analyse intégrale du Ms. «Miscellanea XIII, 33» des Archives Vaticanes." Sacris Eruduri, XVIII (1967-1968), p. 171; Del Re, Niccolò. Il vicegerente del vicariato di Roma, Rome : Istituto di Studi Romani Editore, 1976, p. 50-51; Die Hauptinstruktionen Gregors XV. : für die Nuntien und Gesandten an den europäischen Fürstenhöfen, 1621-1623. Edited by Klaus Jaitner. Tübingen : M. Niemeyer, 1997. (Instructiones Pontificum Romanorum). Other titles: Hauptinstruktionen Gregors 15; Hauptinstruktionen Gregors des Fünfzehnten. Responsibility: im Auftrag des Deutschen Historischen Instituts in Rom.; Koller, Alexander. "Gregorio XV." Enciclopedia dei papi. 3 vols. Roma : Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana, 2000, III, 292-297; Gauchat, Patritium. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen IV (1592-1667). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1967, pp. 13, 15-17, 45 and 118; Meluzzi, Luciano. I vescovi e gli arcivescovi di Bologna. Bologna : Grafica Emiliana, 1975, (Collana storico-ecclesiastica; 3), pp. 422-429.

Webgraphy. Biography by Alexander Koller, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 59 (2002), Treccani; biography by Michael Ott, in English, The Catholic Encyclopedia; portraits, bust and biography, in English, Wikipedia; his episcopal lineage by Charles N. Bransom, in English, Apostolic Succession in the Roman Catholic Church; his bust by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Palazzo Venezia, Rome, Wikipedia; his portrait by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri Guercino, The J. Paul Getty Trust; images, arms and biographical data, in German, Kirchen Geschichte bei Vatican History; brief biography, in German, with portrait and medal, Salzburg Coins Interactive; his engraving by Matthäus Merian, Antiquariat Hille, Berlin; his engraving, portrait and arms, Araldica Vaticana; his portrait and arms, secolo XIX (1890-1899), archdiocese of Bologna, Beni Ecclesiastici in Web (BeWeb); Vaticano - Un 6 de enero de 1622 el Papa Gregorio XV funda la Congregación “de Propaganda Fide” para la reunificación de los cristianos y la difusión de la fe, Agenzia Fides, Ciudad del Vaticano, lunes, 3 enero 2022; Propaganda Fide, la Congregazione nata come dono dei Re Magi by Angela Ambrogetti, ACI Stampa, Città del Vaticano, 06 gennaio, 2022 / 2:00 PM.

(1) Most of the sources consulted give this as the day of his birth but some also indicate that he was born on January 15 or January 29.
(2) The last two forms of election were suppressed by Pope John Paul II by the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, n. 62. The document was issued on February 21, 1996.
(3) This is the text of the inscription in his monument, kindly provided by Mr. Mark West, from London:

(43) 2. D'AQUINO, Ladislao (1543-1621)

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 19, 1616; received the red hat and the title of S. Maria sopra Minerva, October 17, 1616. Participated in the conclave of 1621, which elected Pope Gregory XV.

Death. February 12 (or 8), 1621 (2), Rome. Buried in the chapel of S. Tommaso in his title, S. Maria sopra Minerva (3).

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 célébre .... Paris : J.-P. Migne, 1857 ; Facsimile edition. Farnborough ; Gregg, 1969, col. 255; Biaudet, Henry. Les nonciatures apostoliques permanentes jusqu'en 1648. Helsinki ; Suomalainen tiedeakatemia, 1910, p. 184 and 199; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. 9 vols. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, VI, 189-190; Eubel, Conradus and Gulik, Guglielmus van. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recientoris Aevi. Volumen III (1503-1592). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1960, p. 328; Fink, Urban. Die Luzerner Nuntiatur 1586-1873 : Zur Behördengeschichte und Quellenkunde der päpstlichen Diplomatie in der Schweiz. Luzern ; Stuttgart : Rex Verlag, 1997. (Collectanea Archivi Vaticani ; Bd. 40) (Luzerner Historische Veröffentlichungen ; Bd. 32); Gauchat, Patritium. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen IV (1592-1667). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1967, pp. 13 and 45; Katterbach, Bruno. Referendarii utriusque Signaturæ a Martino V ad Clementem IX et Praelati Signaturae Supplicationum a Martino V ad Leonem XIII. Città del Vaticano 1931. (Studi e Testi 55), p. 156; Schreiber, H. ed., "Information des Cardinals d'Aquino für seinen Amtsnachfolger". Taschenbuch für Geschichte und Altertum in Süddeutschland, 5, (1846), pp. 223-256; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), I, 297; Weber, Christoph. Legati e governatori dello Stato Pontificio : 1550-1809. Roma : Ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali, Ufficio centrale per i beni archivistici, 1994. (Pubblicazioni degli archivi di Stato. Sussidi; 7), pp. 331 and 611.

Webgraphy. Biography by Gaspare De Caro, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 3 (1961), Treccani; brief biography by Urban Fink, in French Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse; his tomb in the basilica of S. Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, Requiem Datenbank; his engraving and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 328, indicates that he was 38 years old when elected bishop in 1581; Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, says that he died at 75 in 1621, and adds that Teodoro Amidenio, Vite manoscritte dei cardinali, indicates that he died at 78.
(2) Dictionnaire des cardinaux, col. 255, says that in the conclave of 1621, the cardinals had already agreed on his election to the pontificate when he died, after having been judged worthy of that eminent position. This is erroneous because Cardinal Alessandro Ludovisi was elected pope on February 9 and Cardinal d'Aquino died three days later on February 12.
(3) This is the text of his epitaph, taken from Requiem Datenbank, linked above:

44) 3. BELMOSTO, Ottavio (1559-1618)

Webgraphy. His tomb in the church of S. Carlo ai Catinari, Rome. Requiem Datenbank; his arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) According to Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, III, 102, dispensatio super defdefectus temporis, quod non est in sacris ordinibus nisi a V mensibus, with dispensation for not having received the sacred orders even five months before.
(2) According to Francesco Cristofori, Cronotassi dei cardinali di Santa Romana Chiesa (Rome : Tipografia de Propaganda Fide, 1888), p. 178, he received the title of S. Biagio dell'Anello but in that same consistory it was suppressed and transferred to the church of S. Carlo ai Catinari.

(45) 4. CAMPORI, Pietro (ca. 1553-1643)

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 19, 1616; received the red hat on October 3, 1616; and the title of S. Tommaso in Parione on October 17, 1616. Member of the SS. CC. of the Council, Bishops and Regulars, and Holy Office. He was protector of the Order of the Camaldolese. Abbot comendatario of Caramagna in Piedmont. His main task was, however, was the direction of the interests of the Borghese family. Pope Paul V called him Oracolo della Curia. Participated in the conclave of 1621, which elected Pope Gregory XV (2).

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Cremona, March 17 (3), 1621. Consecrated, May 16, 1621, Rome, by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Leni, assisted by Giovanni Luigi Pasolini, bishop of Segni, and by Fabrizio Landriani, bishop of Pavia. In the same ceremony were consecrated Cardinal Giulio Roma, bishop of Recanati e Loreto, and Cardinal Desiderio Scaglia, bishop of Melfi. He resided without interruption in Cremona, administering the diocese personally and with great care; he celebrated a diocesan synod in 1635. Participated in the conclave of 1623, which elected Pope Urban VIII. The conditions in which he exercised his office were in some ways very difficult. On the one hand, he had to assert his authority as a bishop over a clergy that was undisciplined and ignorant; and over decayed monasteries that were trying to escape from his power. On the other hand, there were tensions with the Spanish government in Milan for the usual disputes of jurisdiction. But above all, the entire country was suffering the serious consequences of the wars fought in northern Italy. During the war of succession of Mantua in 1629-1630 and again in the course of the military campaigns against the Duchy of Milan in 1635-1636, it was plundered and devastated by the armies that went through it, and afflicted by the plague that they brought. Cardinal Campori worked hard to protect churches, monasteries and their possessions from the ravages of war. He had planned to have his nephew Cesare as his successor in the see of Cremona but the former died ten years before the cardinal. Of the considerable wealth accumulated over the years due to his great thrift and business skills, Cardinal Campori dedicated in part to generous donations. In particular, he endowed chapels and altars dedicated to Our Lady in the churches of Paradise in Modena, and Castelnuovo at Cremona.

Death. February 4, 1643, Cremona. Buried on the right side of the altar of S. Pietro, in front of the monument of Nuncio Cesare Speciano, in the cathedral of Cremona.

Bibliography. Bernabei, Nicola. Vita del Cardinale Giovanni Morone, vescovo di Modena e biografie dei cardinali modenesi e di Casa d'Este, dei cardinali vescovi di Modena e di quelli educati in questo Collegio di San Carlo. Modena : Tipografica Rossi, 1885, pp. 198-204; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. 9 vols. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, VI, 191-192; Combaluzier, Fernand. "Sacres épiscopaux à Rome de 1565 à 1662. Analyse intégrale du Ms. «Miscellanea XIII, 33» des Archives Vaticanes." Sacris Eruduri, XVIII (1967-1968), pp. 190-191; Gauchat, Patritium. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen IV (1592-1667). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1967, pp. 13, 50 and 167; Sanclemente, Enrico. Series critico-chronologica episcoporvm cremonensivm svb avspiciis prætantissimi antistitis Homoboni Offredi ex authenticis monvmentis avcta et emendata svaqve integritati maxima ex parte restitvta. Cremonæ : apvd Josephvm Feraboli, MDCCCXIV, p. 169-170; Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), V, 134.

Webgraphy. Biography by Rotraut Becker, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 17 (1974), Treccani; his prosopography, in German, Requiem Datenbank; his engravings, portrait and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) Bernabei, Vita del Cardinale Giovanni Morone, vescovo di Modena e biografie dei cardinali modenesi e di Casa d'Este, dei cardinali vescovi di Modena e di quelli educati in questo Collegio di San Carlo, p. 200, indicates that the other applicant was Pellegrino Bertacchi, future bishop of Modena, and that although both did the examination con lode, Rome judged Bertacchi more favorably.
(2) According to the chronicle of the conclave in his Memoirs, p. 345, Marquis François-Annibal d'Estrées says that Cardinal Campori was the principal candidate of the Borghese party to succeed Pope Paul V.
(3) This is according to Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, IV, 13; the same source, IV, 167, says that he was elected on May 17, which is impossible since he was consecrated the day before; Sanclemente, Series critico-chronologica episcoporvm cremonensivm, p. 169, says that he was elected on March 17, 1621.

(46) 5. PRIULI, Matteo (1577-1624)

Birth. 1577 (1), Venice. Eldest of the five children of the future doge of Venice Antonio Priuli, who governed from 1618 to 1623, and Elena Barbarigo. The other siblings were Michele, Agostino (bishop of Bergamo), Girolamo and Adriana (wife of Venetian Doge Francesco Cornaro). His last name is also listed as Prioli; and as Priolus. Other cardinals of the family were Lorenzo Priuli (1596); Pietro Priuli (1706); Luigi Priuli (1712); and Antonio Marino Priuli (1758).

Education. (No information found).

Early life. Called to Rome by the pope, he was named chamberlain of honor. Abbot commendatario of the Camaldolese monastery of S. Maria di Vangadizia.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 19, 1616; received the red hat on September 24, 1616; and the title of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni on October 17, 1616 (2). Participated in the conclave of 1621, which elected Pope Gregory XV. Opted for the title of S. Marco on June 23, 1621 (3). Participated in the conclave of 1623, which elected Pope Urban VIII.

Death. March 13, 1624, Rome. Buried next to the main altar, with only his name engraved in capital letters on the tombstone, in his title, S. Marco.

Bibliography. Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. 9 vols. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, VI, 192-193; Gauchat, Patritium. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen IV (1592-1667). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1967, pp.13, 42 and 44; Weber, Chistoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), II, 779.

Webgraphy. His arms and biography, in Italian, Wikipedia; his prosopography, in German, Requiem Datenbank; Priuli by Mario Brunetti, in Italian, Enciclopedia Italiana (1935), Treccani; his engravings and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) This is according to Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, VI, 192-193, which indicates that he died in 1624 at 47. Enciclopedia italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti, indicates that he was born in 1583.
(2) Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, VI, 192-193, says that although he had a temperamento sano e robusto, creato appena Cardinale, cominciò a dare in cattiva disposizione, per cui ridottosi ad estrema debolezza (healthy and robust temperament, shortly after being created cardinal, he started to have a poor disposition by which he reduced himself to extreme weakness).
(3) Cardinal Priuli occupied the title of S. Marco and Cardinal Giovanni Delfino, who had occupied that title until then, passed to the title of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni, retaining the palace of S. Marco. Some sources indicate that he was elected bishop of Bergamo in 1622 but never occupied the post. He is not mentioned in the episcopal catalog of Bergamo in Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recientoris Aevi, IV, 113. Pius Bonifatius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae (3 v. in 1. Graz : Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 1957), p. 778, does not mention him either among the bishops of Bergamo.

(47) 6. COBELLUZZI, Scipione (1564-1626)

Birth. Very probably in 1564, Viterbo. His father was a pharmacist and became conservatore of Rome on the day his son Scipione was born. Other cardinals members of his family were Girolamo Bernerio, O.P. (1586); Francesco Cennini de' Salamandri (1621); and Desiderio Scaglia, O.P. (1621). His last name is also listed as Cobelluzzio.

Education. Studied at the Jesuit Collegio Nardini, Rome; while later, he had as private teacher of Greek a young Nicolò Alemanni, future scrittore of the Vatican Library; and also studied at the Archgymnasium of Rome. Obtained a doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law.

Early life. Entered the ecclsiastical state. Taught law at the Archgymnasium of Rome at the end of the 16th century. He delivered the oration of Ash Wednesday in the presence of Pope Clement VIII before 1600. Entered the service of Alessandro Gloriero, president of the Annona, as auditor. Later, entered the service of Cardinal Girolamo Bernerio, O.P., also as auditor. In 1611, at the death of Monsignor Marcelo Vestri, secretary of Apostolic Briefs, Cardinals Pompeio Arrigoni and Odoardo Farnese obtained for him that post (1); he remained in the position until 1623. Shortly after, he was named abbreviatore of the Roman Curia. On March 7, 1615, the pope named him custodian of the Archive of Castel Sant'Angelo. Domestic secretary et familiaris and continuo commensalis of Pope Paul V. Notary of the Apostolic See.

Sacred orders. (No information found).

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 19, 1616; received the red hat on September 24, 1616; and the title of S. Susanna on October 17, 1616. Member of the S.C. of Bishops and Regulars. Protector of the city of Viterbo in 1616. He was considered a patron of letterati and a man of culture. Librarian and archivist of the Holy Roman Church, February 17, 1618 until his death; he acquired the Bibliotheca Palatina in Heidelberg, a donation from Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria. Participated in the conclave of 1621, which elected Pope Gregory XV. Member of the SS.CC. the Holy Office and of Propaganda Fide (established on January 6, 1622). He was also one of the six cardinals who composed the commission created to express an opinion on the request for dispensation for the marriage of the Prince of Wales, the future King Charles I of England, and Infanta María of Spain; the commission urged the pope in April 1623, to allow the wedding. Participated in the conclave of 1623, which elected Pope Urban VIII. In April 1624, he was one of the cardinals who welcomed Galileo Galilei on his arrival in Rome. After ceasing as secretary of Brief, he was was not often consulted. He decided to embark on a pious pilgrimage, going to visit the monastery of Monte Cassino and the Shrine of Loreto. While he was traveling, a cancerous affection manifested itself in an arm and he returned to Rome, where doctors advised him to amputate the arm. Having refused to be operated on according to some, or heroically supporting the operation according to others, he died in Rome.

Death. June 29, 1626 (2), Rome. Buried in his title, S. Susanna (3).

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. 690-691; Cardella, Lorenzo. Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa. 9 vols. Rome : Stamperia Pagliarini, 1793, VI, 193-195; Gauchat, Patritium. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen IV (1592-1667). Münich : Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae, 1935; reprint, Padua : Il Messagero di S. Antonio, 1967, pp. 13 and 50; Grafinger, Christine Maria, "Scipione Corbelluzzi" in I cardinali bibliotecari di Santa Romana Chiesa : la quadreria nella Biblioteca apostolica vaticana. Città del Vaticano : Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, 2006 (Documenti e riproduzioni ; 7), p. 162; Santovito, E. "Cobelluzzio (Scipione)", Enciclopedia Cattolica, III, 1902.

Webgraphy. Biography by Franca Petrucci, in Italian, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 26 (1982), Treccani; his prosopography, in German, Requiem Datenbank; his tomb in the church of S. Susanna, Rome, Requiem Datenbank; his engraving, portraits and arms, Araldica Vaticana.

(1) This is according to Hiearchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, IV, 13. Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, VI, 193, refers to the post as Secretary of Latin Letters.
(2) This is according to Hierarchia Catholic Medii et Recentioris Aevi, IV, 13; Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, IV, 194, says that he died in 1627 at 62. His epitaph, note 3, below, also indicates that he died in 1627 at 62.
(3) This is the text of his epitaph taken from Berton, Dictionnaire des cardinaux, col. 690:

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