BENTIVOGLIO

A Bolognese family that originated from the castle of that name near Bologna. It claimed descent from Enzio (1224?–72), King of Sardinia. The family belonged to a guild of workingmen at Bologna during the 14th century and became powerful in the 15th. It contracted alliances with Aragon, Milan, and later, Ferrara. The following members are prominent:

Guido, cardinal; b. Ferrara, Oct. 4, 1579; d. Rome, Sept. 7, 1644. He studied law at Padua, where he was also taught by Galileo Galilei. He was named private chamberlain by Clement VII in 1587. Paul V sent him as nuncio to Flanders (1607) and to France (1617) and appointed him cardinal in 1621. Louis XIII of France made him protector of French interests in Rome. Guido also served in the Curia as the head of the Inquisition. A very trusted friend of Urban VIII, he would perhaps have succeeded him, had he not died in the conclave. He served at various times as bishop of Bologna, Rhodes, and Palestrina, to which he was appointed in 1641. His writings were a chronicle of the curial life of his time and were published at Venice in 1688. Among the more noted are Della guerra di Flandria and Lettere diplomatiche di Guido Bentivoglio. His portrait by Van Dyck hangs in the Pitti Palace in Florence.

Annibale, archbishop; date of birth unknown; d. April 21, 1663. Of the poetry in his native tongue that he produced, only Applausi poetici in lode di Lionara Barroni remains. He was nominated titular archbishop of Tebe in 1644.

Marco Cornelio, cardinal; b. Ferrara, March 27, 1688; d. Rome, Dec. 30, 1732. After holding various offices in the Roman Curia he was sent as nuncio to France on Oct. 21, 1711, by Clement XI. There his dealings with the Jansenists were unsuccessful because of his insistence upon the propositions of the bull Unigenitus (Sept. 8,1713). He was recalled at the death of Louis XIV, calumniated, it is said, by the regime. He was created a cardinal (Nov. 29, 1719) and Spanish minister plenipotentiary at Rome (July 1726), which post he held until his death.

Domenico, soldier; b. Bologna, July 3, 1781; d. Rome, Dec. 26, 1851. He was admitted to the guard of honor of Eugene Beauharnais in 1805 as a lieutenant, and then as captain he took part in the Napoleonic campaigns from 1800 to 1814. He entered pontifical service after the fall of the Empire and was made a colonel for the gallant defense of Rieti against Sercognani.

Bibliography: r. belvederi, Guido Bentivoglio e la politica Europea del suo tempo, 1607–1621 (Padua 1964). l. pastor, The History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages v. 23, passim (London–St. Louis 1938–61). r. d. tucci, Il Cardinale Guido Bentivoglio e i suoi Rapporti con la Repubblica di Genova (Genoa 1934). j. wodka, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche ² 2:208.

[r. l. foley]