Francesco Barberini (1597–1679)

Francesco Barberini (23 September 1597 – 10 December 1679) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. The nephew of Pope Urban VIII (reigned 1623–1644), he benefited immensely from the nepotism practiced by his uncle. He was given various roles within the Vatican administration but his personal cultural interests, particularly in literature and the arts, meant that he became a highly significant patron. His secretary was the antiquarian Cassiano dal Pozzo who was also a discerning patron of the arts. Francesco was the elder brother of Cardinal Antonio Barberini and Taddeo Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina.

He was born in Florence to Carlo Barberini and Costanza Magalotti, and studied at the University of Pisa where he was assisted by family friend Galileo Galilei, graduating in canon and civil law in 1623. On 2 October the same year, his uncle, Maffeo Barberini, newly elected as Pope Urban VIII, made him a cardinal, state secretary and papal legate to Avignon when he was twenty six years old. He held the latter position until 1633. According to contemporary, John Bargrave, the Pope regularly referred to his nephew as cardinal padrone ("cardinal master"), much to the displeasure of visiting Catholic diplomats who argued that they had only one padrone; the Pope himself.

In 1625, he went to Paris as special legate and from March to September, undertook various negotiations with Cardinal Richelieu including discussions in advance of the Treaty of Monçon. Overall, the negotiations were not a political success for the papacy but as a ‘sweetener’ he received a gift of six tapestries from King Louis XIII, designed by Peter Paul Rubens. In 1625 he travelled to Spain as papal legate and this mission was also unsuccessful. He returned to Rome the following year. From 1628 he effectively led the foreign diplomacy of the Papal States, showing a clear stance favoring France in the war of succession for the Marquisate of Montferrat and during the Thirty Years' War. In 1632 he was appointed papal Vice-Chancellor.

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