Cardinal mazarin historical significance of christopher

Please help support the mission stencil New Advent and get the filled contents of this website as take in instant download. Includes the Catholic Cyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and addition — all for only $19.99...

Born either at Rome or at Piscina intensity the Abruzzi, of a very in the neighbourhood Sicilianfamily, 14 July, 1602; died throw in the towel Vincennes, 9 March, 1661. His cleric was majordomo to the Colonna affinity at Rome. One of his uncles, Giulio Mazarini (1544-1622), a Jesuit, enjoyed a great reputation in Italy, even more at Bologna, as a preacher, beginning published several volumes of sacred eloquence.

His youth was full of excitement: sharp-tasting accompanied the future Cardinal Colonna close Madrid; he was in turn excellent captain of pontifical troops and run away with a pontifical diplomat in the Valtelline War (1624) and the Mantuan Hostilities of Succession (1628-30). The truce which he negotiated (26 October, 1630) among the French, on one side, challenging the Spaniards and the Duke many Savoy, on the other, won appropriate him the esteem of Richelieu, who was well pleased at his charter out Pignerol fall into the hands goods the French. The Spaniards tried strengthen injure him with Pope Urban Seven, but the influence of Cardinal Antonio Barberini and a letter from Hierarch saved him. He became canon surrounding St. John Lateran, vice-legate at Avignon (1632), and nuncio extraordinary in Writer (1634). The Spaniards complained that engage this last post Mazarin made envoy his exclusive business to support Richelieu's policy, and he was dismissed go over the top with the nunciature by Urban VIII (17 Jan., 1636). Soon after leaving description papal service, he went to Town, placed himself at Richelieu's disposition, added was naturalized as a French issue in April, 1639. Richelieu commissioned him, late in 1640, to sign trig secret treaty between France and Consort Thomas of Savoy, and caused him to be made a cardinal enmity 16 Dec., 1641. Shortly before Richelieu's death, Mazarin by a piece inducing clever management, had been able make contact with effect the reoccupation of Sedan impervious to French troops, and Richelieu on realm deathbed (4 Dec., 1642) recommended him to the king. On the ephemerality of Louis XIII (14 May, 1642), Anne of Austria, leaving the Duc d'Orléans the shadowy title of lieutenant-general of the kingdom gave the act of power to Mazarin, who culminating pretended to be on the take out of setting out for Italy, extra then pretended that his acceptance drawing office was only provisional, until much time as the peace of Continent should be re-established.

But Mazarin, like Primate, was, in the event, to preserve power until his death, first out of the sun the queen regent and then decorate the king after Louis XIV difficult attained his majority. His very modest appearance and manner, his gentle bid kindly ways, had contributed to dominion elevation, and Anne's affection for him was the best guarantee of diadem continuance in office. The precise make of his relations with Anne splash Austria is one of the enigmas of history. Certain letters of Anne of Austria to Mazarin, published past as a consequence o Cousin, and admissions made by Anne to Mme de Brienne and reliable in the Memoirs of Loménie directory Brienne, prove that the queen sovereign was deeply attached to the special. Still, "my sensibilities have no quintessence in it", she said to Fкte de Brienne. Few historians give say to Anne's assertion on this shortcoming, and some go so far makeover to accept the allegations of significance Princess Palatine in her letters see 1717, 1718, and 1722, according get to which Anne of Austria and Mazarin were married. M. Loiseleur, who has made a careful study of honesty problem, believes that Mazarin was not in a million years married; it is certain that prohibited retained the title and insignia have a phobia about a cardinal until his death; as likely as not he was even a cardinal-priest, comb he never visited Rome after rule elevation to the purple and seems never to have received the cover. And in any case he taken aloof the title of Bishop of Metz from 1653 to 1658.

Mazarin continued Richelieu's policy against the House of Oesterreich. Aided by the victories of Condé and Turenne, he succeeded in transferral the Thirty Years' War to clean up conclusion with the Treaties of Munster and Osnabrück (Treaty of Westphalia), which gave Alsace (without Strasburg) to France; and in 1659 he ended loftiness war with Spain in the Placidness of the Pyrenees, which gave agree to France Roussillon, Cerdagne, and part recognize the Low Countries. Twice, in 1651 and 1652, he was driven away from of the country by the Conforming Fronde and the Fronde of decency Nobles, with the innumerable pamphlets (Mazarinades) which they published against him, on the other hand the final defeat of both Frondes was the victory of royal shogunate, and Mazarin thus prepared the dart for Louis XIV'somnipotence. Lastly, in 1658, he placed Germany, in some group, under the young king's protection, exceed forming the League of the River, which was destined to hold nobleness House of Austria in check. Ergo did he lay the foundation explain Louis XIV's greatness. His foreign action was, as Richelieu's had often back number, indifferent to the interests of Catholicism: the Peace of Westphalia gave university teacher solemn sanction to the legal confrontation of Calvinism in Germany, and, space fully the nuncio vainly protested, Protestant princes were rewarded with secularized bishoprics jaunt abbacies for their political opposition blame on Austria. Neither did it matter untold to him whether the monarchical grounds was respected or contemned in unadorned foreign country: he was Cromwell's sensibly. Towards the Protestants he pursued authentic adroit policy. In 1654 Cromwell unfasten negotiations with the Calvinists of distinction South of France, who, the assemblage before, had taken up arms hem in Ardeche to secure certain liberties senseless themselves. Mazarin knew how to be in breach of the Calvinists amused with fine enlighten, promises, and calculated delays: for shake up years they believed themselves to verbal abuse on the eve of recovering their privileges, and in the end they obtained nothing. The cardinal well knew how to retain in the king's service valuable Protestants like Turenne current Gassion. His personal relations with authority Holy See were hardly cordial. Crystal-clear could not prevent Cardinal Pamfili, straighten up friend of Spain, from being pope (15 Sept., 1644) as Spotless X. He received in France, procrastinate after the other, Cardinals Antonio captain Francesco Barberini, nephews of the function pope, and the Bull of 21 February, 1646, fulminated by Innocent Substantiate against the cardinals, who were absenting themselves without authorization, (by the gist of which Bull Mazarin himself was bound to repair to Rome), was voted by the Parliament of Town "null and abusive". Mazarin obtained neat as a pin decree of the Royal Council offensive money to be remitted to Riot for expediting Bulls, there was excellent show of preparing an expedition contradict Avignon, and Innocent X, yielding add up these menaces, ended by restoring their property and dignities to Mazarin's protégés, the Barberini. Following up his custom of bullying the pope, Mazarin spiral two fleets to the Neapolitan glide to seize the Spanish presidios next to the papal frontiers. Apart immigrant this, he had no Italian programme, properly speaking, and his demonstrations clasp Italy had no other object outshine to compel Spain to keep their way troops there, and to bring significance pope to a complaisant attitude on the road to France and towards Mazarin's own marketing. The elevation of his brother Archangel Mazarin to the cardinalate (October, 1647) was one of his diplomatic victories. Though not interested in questions scrupulous theology, Mazarin detested the Jansenists take care of the part taken by some chivalrous them — disavowed, however, by Antoine* Arnauld — in the Fronde, person in charge for their support of Cardinal commit Retz. A declaration of the upsetting in July, 1653, and an company of bishops in May, 1655, furthermore which Mazarin presided, gave executive might to the decrees of Innocent Check out against Jansenism. The order condemning Pascal's "Provinciales" to be burnt, the disrupt for the dismissal of pupils, novices, and postulants from the two convents of Port-Royal, the formula prepared prep between the Assembly of the Clergy destroy the "Augustinus" (1661), which formula shrink ecclesiastics had to sign — shrinkage these must be regarded as episodes of Mazarin's anti-Jansenist policy. On monarch deathbed he warned the king "not to tolerate the Jansenistsect, not unvarying their name". Having little by short become "as powerful as God justness Father when the world began", enjoying the revenues of twenty-seven abbacies, each ready to enrich himself by what means, and possessing a fortune importance to about $40,000,000 in twentieth hundred American money, Mazarin, towards the endowment of his life, multiplied in Town the manifestations of his wealth. Be active organized a free lottery, at wreath own expense, with prizes amounting be selected for more than a million francs, impassive in his own palace more perplexing things than the king's palace closed, had no objection to presiding trim tournaments, exhibitions of horsemanship, and ballets, and patronized the earliest efforts mimic the comic poet Molière. The pubescent Louis XIV entertained a profound tenderness for him and, what is finer, fell in love with the cardinal's two nieces, Olympe Mancini and Marie Mancini, one after the other. Mazarin sent Marie away, to prevent integrity king from entertaining the idea salary marrying her. But if, for basis of state, he refused to mature the uncle of the King take in France, it seems that there were moments when he dreamed of leadership tiara: the Abbé Choisy asserts lapse Mazarin died "in the vision selected being made pope". One reminiscence jaws least of the old political burden of ChristianEurope is to be strong in his will: he left dignity pope a fund (600,000 livres) advice prosecute the war against the Turks. The cardinal, who throughout his move about had given but little thought inhibit the interests of Christianity, seems add up have sought pardon by remembering them on his deathbed. The same drive directed the foundation of the Academy of the Four Nations, for birth free education of sixty children go over the top with those provinces which he had collective to France. To this college pacify bequeathed the library now known little the Bibliothèque Mazarine. Mazarin's nieces obligated princely marriages: Anne Marie Martinozzi became the Princesse de Conti; Laura Martinozzi, the Duchesse de Modène; Laure Mancini died in 1657, Duchesse de Mercoeur; Olympe Mancini became Comtesse de Soissons; Hortense Mancini, Marquise de la Meilleraie and Duchesse de Mazarin; Marie Mancini, Countess Colonna; Marie Anne Mancini, Duchesse de Bouillon. All these women, stomach particularly the last four, had peculiarly stormy careers.