BICHI, VINCENZO

BICHI, VINCENZO. – Cardinal, born in Siena in 1668, died in Rome in 1750. In 1703 he was sent as nuncio to Switzerland and from there in 1769 to Portugal. At first he was not in favor at court, but later he so won the king JOHN V’s favor that when BICHI was recalled to Rome, the king at first opposed it, then requested the cardinal’s hat for him (1720). It was indeed customary that outgoing nuncios from the courts of Vienna, Paris, and Madrid be named cardinals, and JOHN V wished to establish this custom for Portugal as well. Having met with a refusal from the Pope, BICHI managed to come to Rome, and the king refused to receive the new nuncio, Monsignor Firrao. BICHI’s disobedience provoked the Sacred College’s anger and the king’s consequent reprisals, which, repeatedly threatened, were carried out in the summer of 1728 with the order for all Portuguese to leave Rome and break off all relations with the Holy See; in Lisbon the nunciature was closed. Since the matter dragged on to the serious detriment of religion, CLEMENT XII finally agreed to name BICHI a cardinal provided he justify his disobedience, which he did at Florence (1731). JOHN V then withdrew his decrees of reprisal.