MADRUZZO, CRISTOFORO. — Cardinal and prince-bishop of Trent, b. at Castel Nano in Val di Non on 5 July 1512, d. at Tivoli on 5 July 1578. A scion of a noble Trentine family, he enjoyed a brilliant and rapid career: bishop of Trent (1529), administrator of Brixen (1542) and cardinal.
In 1556 he was appointed by Philip II governor of Milan, and in 1561 by Pius IV legate of the Marches. His principal merit was that, as prince-bishop of Trent, he overcame all difficulties and provided for the manifold needs of victualling and public security necessary for the smooth and tranquil conduct of the Council. Owing to his family and personal standing, he aspired to mediate between Papacy and Empire, the Latin and Germanic worlds, the Protestant revolution and the Catholic Reformation, but achieved little because of a lack of political skill and prudence. Though sincerely pious, he was not always understood by many Italian prelates. A friend of Cardinals Gonzaga, Sadoleto, Morone and Pole, there can be no doubt of his Catholic sentiments. Yet his inadequate theological grounding led him to protect and defend innovators and reformers, even heterodox figures like Carnesecchi and Vergerio; and at the Council, because of his stance on the questions of justification and the translation of the Bible, he was unjustly suspected of being the leader of the German party, i.e., Lutheran. Living between the Renaissance current and the Catholic Reformation, Madruzzo was a typical representative of that period of transition.