BICHI, VINCENZO

BICHI, VINCENZO. - Cardinal, b. in Siena in 1668, d. in Rome in 1750. In 1703 he was sent as nuncio to Switzerland and thence, in 1709, to Portugal. At first he did not enjoy the favor of the court, but later he succeeded in winning the heart of King Giovanni V to such an extent that, when B. was recalled to Rome, the king initially objected, then requested the cardinal’s hat for him (1720). It was in fact customary for nuncios leaving the courts of Vienna, Paris, and Madrid to be made cardinals, and Giovanni V wished to establish this custom also for Portugal. Having received a refusal from the Pope, B. declined to return to Rome, and the king refused to receive the new nuncio, Monsignor Firrao. B.’s disobedience provoked the anger of the Sacred College and the consequent reprisals of the king, which, repeatedly threatened, were carried out in the summer of 1728, with the order for all Portuguese to leave Rome and to sever all relations with the Holy See; in Lisbon the nunciature was closed. Since the matter was prolonged to the grave detriment of religion, Clemente XII finally agreed to appoint B. cardinal, provided that he justified his disobedience, as he did at Florence (1731). Giovanni V then withdrew his retaliatory decrees.