Boncompagni, Family

BONCOMPAGNI, FAMILY. - According to a tradition it would be originally from Umbria, but we find it in Bologna, where it belonged to the "middle class." CRISTOFORO (b. 1470, d. 1546) was a merchant and created for his family a certain state of well-being; he married Angela Marescalchi, by whom he had four children, one of whom, Ugo, later became Pope Gregory XIII. The latter, who at first showed himself reluctant to favor his own, later helped to establish the greatness of the family. A second increase this family had when GREGORY, son of Ugo, married in second nuptials Ippolita Ludovisi (1681), the last heiress of this family, and thus the B. became princes of Piombino and of Venosa and added to their coat of arms, alongside the B.'s dragon with the cut tail, the three gold bands of the Ludovisi. The principality of Piombino remained with the B. until the Napoleonic invasion, and they claimed its patrimonial rights at the Congress of Vienna (1815), with the conclusion of a monetary settlement on the part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, into which Piombino was incorporated. In the 18th century PIETRO GREGORIO B., thanks to his marriage to Maria Francesca, the last of the Ottoboni, added his surname to that of the Ottoboni, though adopting their coat of arms.

While remaining faithful to Spain, the B. took no important part in the politics of their time.

GIACOMO B. was the son whom Ugo had in 1548, outside of lawful marriage, ten years before entering the sacred Orders. His father, having become Pontiff, appointed him in May 1572 castellan of Castel S. Angelo and in Apr. 1573 commander of the pontifical troops. In 1576, on the occasion of his marriage, on 25 Feb., the pope legitimized him; he married the rich countess Costanza Sforza of S. Fiora and thereby entered the high Roman nobility. The B. acquired his major possessions later, and they were the marquisate of Vignola (in 1578), the duchy of Sora (in 1580) and the county of Arpino, all outside the Papal State, in the government of which he took no part. He acquired the palace that was named after him, the Palazzo di Sora, near the Vallicella. On the death of the Pope he was forced to leave Rome and take refuge in Lombardy; he did not return to Rome until under Clement VIII; but he soon moved on to Sora, where he died on 26 Aug. 1612, leaving to his son his titles and his estates.

FILIPPO B., son of Boncompagno, brother of the Pope, was created cardinal of the Holy State at the age of 35 on 15 May 1572 so that he might stand at his side as cardinal nephew; but insignificant and inexperienced as he was, he left the care of the Secretariat to Card. Gallio. He was legate at Venice to greet Henry III, king of France, who came from Poland in 1574, archpriest of S. Maria Maggiore (1581), major penitentiary. On the death of his uncle he favored the Farnese candidacy, but then agreed on that of the cardinal of Montalto. He died in Rome on 9 June 1586 and was buried at S. Maria Maggiore.

CRISTOFORO B., brother of Card. Filippo, did not enjoy the same favor with the Pope, and only on 15 Oct. 1578 was he appointed archbishop of Ravenna, and at the beginning of 1579 he took up residence. The following year he began the pastoral visitation, which he conducted with great diligence; he repeated it in 1582. He also gathered four diocesan synods and one provincial synod (1582), showing true zeal in the government of the diocese. He died in Sept. 1604.

The cardinalate returned to the B. family with a great-nephew of Gregory XIII, FRANCESCO; b. at Sora in 1596, created cardinal by Gregory XV on 19 Apr. 1621, appointed archbishop of Naples on 2 March 1626. He then lived in fame of sanctity for his piety and charity. He died on 9 Dec. 1641. Three other cardinals the B. family gave to the Church. GIROLAMO, nephew of the preceding, b. at Isola di Sora on 22 March 1622, archbishop of Bologna on 11 Dec. 1651. He was majordomo of the Apostolic Palace in June 1660 and was created cardinal on 14 Jan. 1664. He died at Bologna on 24 Jan. 1684.

GIACOMO B., nephew of Card. Girolamo, b. at Sora on 19 May 1653, knight of Malta, governor of Orvieto then of Fermo, was appointed archbishop of Bologna on 15 Apr. 1690 and then cardinal by Innocent XII on 12 Dec. 1695. He blessed at Modena, as legate of the Pope, the nuptials of the future emperor Joseph I with Wilhelmina Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and received with great magnificence at Bologna Maria Casimira, queen of Poland. He had a more noble monument erected in the Vatican basilica to Gregory XIII. On 19 June 1724 he also received the suburbicarian see of Albano and died in Rome on 24 March 1731.

IGNAZIO B. LUDOVISI, b. on 18 June 1793 at Rome, was vice-legate at Bologna and occupied himself greatly with hydraulics for the regulation of the waters of that region. Created cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Portico (whence he later passed to the Pantheon and then to S. Maria in Via Lata) on 17 July 1775 and published on 13 Nov., he went to Bologna as cardinal legate. On the death of Card. Pallavicino (23 Feb. 1785), after long hesitation Pius VI appointed him secretary of State in June; but the B. did not leave Bologna except reluctantly, and, judged variously, on 17 Aug. He was a friend of Card. de Bernis and of Azara, chargé d'affaires of Spain, and was acceptable to Joseph II. He did not lack talent and learning and took pleasure in the friendship of the learned; but he was accused of turning night into day and of being of little-corrected morals. He soon lost the confidence of the Pope, so that he gave his resignation and left Rome on 12 June 1789 to return there in Dec. "become better and more courteous," as Gaetano Marini wrote. Having gone to the Bagni di Lucca to take a cure, he died there on 9 Aug. 1790.

In times closer to our own, the family B. was honored by prince BALDASSARE, an illustrious scholar and researcher in the field of the history of mathematics and a writer of highly esteemed memoirs.

UGO B. LUDOVISI, b. in 1856 to Rodolfo, prince of Piombino; left widowed twice, he became a priest and became a Vatican canon and vice-chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church. He died at Rome on 9 Nov. 1935.

He published: Ricordi di mia madre Ágnesa Borghese B. Ludovisi (Rome 1921); Lettere di una signora romana del sec. XVIII: Eleonora B. Ludovisi (ibid. 1935); Roma nel Rinascimento (Albano-Laziale 1928-29) in four volumes, which did not meet with favor; Vita della ven. Camilla Orsini Borghese (Rome 1931) and some other hagiographic work. After the demolition of the Palazzo di Piombino at Piazza Colonna, he built the Palazzo B. on Via Vittorio Veneto.