PAMPHILI, FAMILY. - Originally from Gubbio. IACOPO and FRANCESCO obtained from Frederick III in 1461 the title of counts of the Holy Roman Empire. GIROLAMO, a disciple of St. Philip Neri, dean of the Rota, was promoted cardinal by Clement VIII on Sept. 17, 1603, appointed vicar, d. on Aug. 11, 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 rich heiress (d. in 1657). She managed to impose herself so thoroughly on her brother-in-law the pontiff, whom she had previously subsidized, as to dominate the papal court in everything that did not belong to spiritual governance. Her son CAMILLO was first appointed general of the Church, commander of the fleet, governor of Borgo, and was finally created cardinal on Nov. 14, 1644; but he renounced the purple on Jan. 21, 1647 in order to marry, against his mother's will, Olimpia Aldobrandini, princess of Rossano, on Feb. 10 (d. July 26, 1666); hence struggles and jealousies of predominance between the two
Olimpias. Francesco Maidalchini, Olimpia's nephew, was created cardinal-nephew at the age of 17 on Oct. 7, 1647 (d. in 1700); but when he proved incapable, he was replaced by Camillo Astalli, another relative of Olimpia, created cardinal on Sept. 19, 1650, who assumed the surname and coat of arms of the P. as nephew and received as a gift the Janiculum Villa and the Palazzo in Piazza Navona (d. at Catania, where he was bishop, on Dec. 21, 1663).
Out of gratitude toward his predecessor, Innocent XI on Sept. 1, 1681 created as cardinal BENEDETTO, Innocent's great-nephew, who was grand prior of Rome. He was archpriest of St. Mary Major, then of the Lateran, and died during the Conclave on March 20, 1730 (G. Novaes, Elementi della storia de' sommi Pontefici, XI, Rome 1822, p. 37).
The family died out in 1760 and the inheritance passed to the Doria Landi and the Borghese Aldobrandini.
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Pio Paschini