PAMPHILI, FAMIGLIA. — Originating from Gubbio. In 1461, IACOPO and FRANCESCO obtained from Frederick III the title of counts of the Holy Roman Empire. GIROLAMO, a disciple of St. Filippo Neri and dean of the Rota, was elevated to the cardinalate by Clement VIII on 17 September 1603, appointed vicar, and died on 11 August 1610.
Among the sons of his brother CAMILLO were GIOVANNI BATTISTA, the future Innocent X, and PAMPHILIO, the firstborn (d. in 1639), who married Olimpia Maidalchini, a wealthy heiress (d. in 1657). She succeeded in asserting such influence over her brother-in-law the pope, whom she had previously supported financially, that she dominated the papal court in everything that did not pertain to spiritual governance. Her son CAMILLO was first appointed general of the Church, commander of the fleet, and governor of the Borgo, and was finally created cardinal on 14 November 1644; but he renounced the purple on 21 January 1647 in order to marry, against his mother’s wishes, Olimpia Aldobrandini, princess of Rossano, on 10 February (d. 26 July 1666); hence the struggles and jealous rivalries for predominance between the two
Olimpias. Francesco Maidalchini, Olimpia’s nephew, was made cardinal-nephew at the age of seventeen on 7 October 1647 (d. in 1700); but when he proved incapable, he was replaced by Camillo Astalli, another relative of Olimpia, created cardinal on 19 September 1650, who assumed the surname and coat of arms of the P. as nephew and received as a gift the Villa gianicolense and the Palazzo di Piazza Navona (d. at Catania, where he was bishop, on 21 December 1663).
Out of gratitude toward his predecessor, Innocent XI created BENEDETTO, Innocent’s great-nephew, a cardinal on 1 September 1681; he was grand prior of Rome. He was archpriest of S. Maria Maggiore and subsequently of the Lateran, and died during the Conclave on 20 March 1730 (G. Novaes, Elementi della storia de' sommi Pontefici, XI, Rome 1822, p. 37).
The family became extinct in 1760, and the inheritance passed to the Doria Landi and the Borghese Aldobrandini.