CAPRANICA. - Two cardinals of this name.
Domenico, b. at Capranica (Rome) on 31 May 1400, d. at Rome on 14 Aug. 1458. At fifteen he attended the University of Padua, where he was a pupil of Giuliano Cesarini (later a cardinal), then that of Bologna, where he took a doctorate in law. Martin V Colonna, of whose family he was a kinsman, appointed him at the age of twenty-two a cleric of the Apostolic Chamber and took him into his secretariat, which included some of the most notable humanists. In 1423 he was sent, together with Leonardo Dati, to the Council of Siena, to urge its dissolution upon the legates. In 1424 he was made an apostolic protonotary and in December was named bishop of Fermo. He acted as peacemaker between the Florentine Republic and the Duke of Milan (1426), was governor of Emilia, legate in the war of Bologna (1428), and legate at Perugia (1430). On 8 Nov. of that year, Martin V—who had certainly designated him cardinal *sub secreto pontificio* before 1426—proclaimed him cardinal deacon of the title of S. Maria in via Lata. But since the Pope died before Capranica could travel to Rome for the customary ceremonies in consistory, when he presented himself to take part in the conclave, the majority of the cardinals, hostile to him because he was a partisan of the Colonna family, refused to recognize him and sent him back to the legation at Perugia. Although this was contrary to the consistorial decree of 24 May 1426, he obeyed. Nor did the new pope, Eugenius IV, wish to recognize the legitimacy of his appointment. Meanwhile Rome was prey to the anti-Colonna faction, so Capranica took refuge on Soracte, vainly awaiting a change in the Pope’s conduct. Since the Council of Basel had just opened, Capranica went there, not to accuse but to defend himself. Indeed, while the Council recognized him as a cardinal, the Roman commission declared him deprived of the dignity of cardinal, of the bishopric of Fermo, of the legation of Perugia, and ordered the confiscation of his goods and palace (1432). Despite the wrong done him, Capranica remained moderate toward his adversaries and respectful toward the Pope, with whom an opportunity for reconciliation arose two years later. A new trial was held, and on 13 July 1434 Cardinal Albergati imposed the hat and ring upon Capranica: as part of the reconciliation pact, he abandoned the Council, which had become schismatic. Thus restored to the Pope’s favor, he received many important assignments. He took part in the union between the Greek and Latin Churches (1439); was extraordinary legate in the war against Francesco Sforza, during which he was wounded in the battle of Montolmo (19 Aug. 1443) and taken prisoner along with Piccinino. To him is chiefly due the withdrawal of Germany from the schismatic faction at Basel and the return to its ancient loyalty to the Roman Church. He was a friend and collaborator of Nicholas V (who entrusted him, among other things, with extraordinary embassies to various Italian states for organizing the war against the Turks [1453]) and of Calixtus III. Eminent in works of piety, he was always concerned with the morals of the clergy, and a project of his for reforming the Church is found in cod. Vat. lat. 4039, ff. 16r–18v. Concerned for good studies and the formation of a cultured and well-prepared clergy, toward the end of 1456 he founded the Capranica College (v. COLLEGI ECCLESIASTICI). A fine humanist and manuscript collector, he assembled a library of more than two thousand volumes, now largely incorporated with the Rossiana collection in the Vatican Library, where his manuscript works are also preserved, mostly on religious subjects; he is credited with an *Ars moriendi* first published at Nuremberg without date.
At the death of Calixtus III, popular voice proclaimed him pope, but he fell ill and died a holy death. He was buried in Rome in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva.
A brother of Cardinal Domenico was Angelo, likewise a cardinal and his equal in austerity of life. He was named on 17 March 1438 archbishop of Siponto; on 5 May 1447 bishop of Ascoli Piceno, and on 25 Sept. 1450 bishop of Rieti. At this time he was occupied with the process for the canonization of St. Bernardino of Siena. He was governor of Foligno and later of Bologna; he was created cardinal by Pius II on 5 March 1460. Returning to Bologna as legate, in 1469 he accompanied the Emperor Frederick III to Viterbo. On 3 Dec. 1471 he was named legate *a latere*, charged with visiting all the Italian princes to induce them to undertake a crusade against the Turks. On 11 Dec. 1472 he became bishop of Palestrina. In 1473 he was for a short time administrator of the church of Fermo, where he held a synod. As commendatory abbot of the monastery of S. Bartolomeo in Ferrara, he ceded it (1468) to Bernardo della Casa, a monk of Settimiano, from whom it passed in perpetuity to the Cistercians of the Congregation of Tuscany. He was among the *papabili* in the conclave of 1471. He died on 3 July 1478 and was buried at the Minerva.