Luigi d'Aragona
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (September 2022) |
His Eminence Luigi d'Aragona | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Aquiro | |
 Cardinal Luigi d'Aragona | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 Sep 1474 |
| Died | 21 Jan 1519 (age 44) |
Luigi d'Aragona (1474–1519) (called the Cardinal of Aragón) was an
Early life
Luigi d'Aragona was born in
On 3 June 1492 he married Battistina Cibo Usodimare, granddaughter of Pope Innocent VIII, at the Vatican in the presence of the pope.[1] When Battistina died, Luigi ceded his title of marquis to his brother Carlo and determined to enter the ecclesiastical state.[1]
Ecclesiastical career
He received the
On 10 December 1498 he became the
Following the death of Pope Alexander VI, he traveled to
He traveled to
He assisted at the opening of the
He was administrator of the see of Alessano from 18 May 1517 to 17 May 1518, and administrator of the see of Nardò from 17 June 1517 until his death.[1] In April 1517, he left Rome for a tour of Switzerland, Germany, the Low Countries, and France, where he was entertained lavishly by Francis I of France.[1] He arrived back in Rome on 16 March 1518.[1] The cardinal's secretary, Antonio de Beatis, wrote a history of this trip that is much valued by historians.[1] He died on 21 January 1519.[1] He is buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.[1]
Death of his sister
In 1510 his sister Giovanna d'Aragona, the widowed Duchess of Amalfi, was discovered to have married her majordomo, Antonio Beccadelli di Bologna, and given birth to two children by him. The Cardinal and his brother Carlo were allegedly enraged, perceiving the marriage to be a stain on the family honour. The couple fled from Amalfi with their children, but the duchess was intercepted on her way to Venice. With her children and her maid, she was brought back to Amalfi. None of them were ever seen again. Her husband Antonio was murdered in 1513. Matteo Bandello, who knew her husband, wrote an account of these events, alleging that the Cardinal and his brother had arranged for the Duchess and her children to be strangled, and paid an assassin to kill Antonio.[2][3]
In John Webster's play The Duchess of Malfi, based on these events, Luigi d'Aragona appears in fictionalised form as "The Cardinal", a villainous figure described by the play's version of Antonio in the words, "the spring in his face is nothing but the engend'ring of toads; where he is jealous of any man, he lays worse plot for them than ever was impos'd on Hercules"
References
- ^ OCLC 53276621. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- ^ Matteo Bandello, «Il signor Antonio Bologna sposa la duchessa di Malfi e tutti dui sono ammazzati», Novelle, Novella XXVI. In: La prima parte de le novelle del Bandello. Tomo secondo, Londra: presso Riccardo Bancker (i.e. Livorno: Tommaso Masi), 1791, pp. 212 ff.
- ^ Charles R. Forker, Skull beneath the Skin: The Achievement of John Webster, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, IL., 1986, p.115.
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