Pio da Carpi, Family

PIO DA CARPI, Family. - A PIO who was podestà of Modena in 1177 can be considered its progenitor. One of his descendants, EGIDIO, was expelled from Modena in 1264 together with other Ghibelline leaders. In 1331 GUIDO, son of Egidio, and his cousin MANFREDO were vicars of Modena for John of Bohemia and became its lords, but the league formed against John forced them to cede the city to the Este, receiving in exchange Carpi for Manfredo and S. Felice for Guido. For almost two centuries the P. found themselves in conflict with the Este, who aspired to the dominion of Carpi and offered other fiefs in the Modenese territory in compensation. In 1450 ALBERTO P., a captain in the service of Francesco Sforza, abandoned him for the Savoy, who granted him permission to add the name of Savoy to his own.

Roberto Palmarocchi

The family was made illustrious in the 16th century by ALBERTO, b. ca. 1475 to Lionello I and Caterina Pico, sister of the famous Giovanni; he had as teachers Aldo Manuzio, whom he always protected, and Gregorio di Spoleto; he collected Latin, Greek and Hebrew books, was a friend of Ariosto and acquired a reputation as a "distinguished theologian." He married Cecilia Gonzaga of Mantua and was involved in family discord, fomented by the Este of Ferrara, who aimed at his fief of Carpi. He went to Maximilian, king of Germany, in 1500 and represented him in the Curia on the occasion of the league against Venice of 1508-10. In 1512 he was imperial ambassador in Rome and was held in great favor by Leo X. During the Conclave of 1523 he sided with the Medici and with the French party, of which he was a great supporter, together with Gian Matteo Giberti and Lodovico di Canossa, bishop of Bayeux. With them he worked to keep Clement VII in the anti-imperial policy, so that the envoy of Charles V could report: "Carpi is a devil: he knows everything and meddles in everything; the Emperor should win him over or annihilate him." He was with Clement VII in Castel S. Angelo during the sack of 1527 and was sent by him to King Francis I. Charles V then took from him Carpi, which on 8 Apr. 1530 he granted in fief to Alfonso d'Este. He died in Paris in Jan. 1531, leaving two daughters. A diplomat and humanist, in 1526 he sent, in manuscript, to Erasmus of Rotterdam a Responsio accurata et parenetica to a letter of his, printed in Paris in 1529 together with Erasmus's reply. Alberto answered him with his XXIII Libri in locus lucubrationum variarum Erasmi Roterodami (Paris and Venice 1531); he intended to combat Luther by means of criticism against Erasmus. Against him, already dead, Erasmus then wrote an Apologia (Basel 1531).

RODOLFO, cardinal, son of Lionello II (brother of Alberto) and of Maria Martinengo, b. 2 May 1500, doctor in philosophy at Padua, knight of Jerusalem, was secret chamberlain of Clement VII (1523-34), by whom he was employed in diplomatic dealings. Appointed bishop of Faenza on 13 Nov. 1528, he governed it through vicars; concerned to free it from the penetration of Protestantism and to remove its abuses, he had a reform synod celebrated there in Aug. 1533. He renounced this diocese in favor of his brother Teodoro (10 Oct. 1544) and obtained through the favor of Charles V that of Agrigento, where likewise he did not reside. Nuncio in France on 26 July 1530, he went to Savoy on 29 May 1533 on the occasion of the Conference of Nice between the Pope and the King, and returned to Rome with the Pope on 21 Nov. 1533. He was appointed nuncio in France again by Paul III on 9 Jan. 1535 with the task of announcing the Council, defending the Pope's neutrality, eliminating the political influence of England and seeking support against corsair raids. Created cardinal on 12 Dec. 1536 together with Pole, Carafa, Sadoleto, del Monte and Aleandro, he left France in Apr. 1537. He was sent there again on 19 Dec. 1537 with the task of conducting the negotiations for peace between Charles V and Francis I, which were continued by the Pope at the second Conference of Nice of May-June 1538. Paul III left him as his legate in Rome on 12 Aug. 1541, when he went to the Conference of Lucca, and in Feb. 1543, when he went to Bologna and then to Busseto. Rodolfo was again legate in France under Julius III in Sept. 1551; he belonged to the imperial party, and besides some letters there survives from him in manuscript a Discorso a Carlo V Cesare del modo di dominare drawn up in 1543. With this tendency he participated in the Conclave of 1550; in that of 1559, on 6 Sept., an attempt was made to elect him pope by way of homage; the attempt was repeated in vain on the following days.

He belonged to the Roman Inquisition already under Paul III and during the following pontificates was an authoritative member of it and a zealous promoter of the Catholic Reform. As protector of the Capuchins he convoked their Superiors in Rome in 1542 on the occasion of Ochino's apostasy, in order to make himself guarantor of their faith. He was also the only protector the Jesuits had and the first member of the Compagnia della Grazia instituted by St. Ignatius. He was a benefactor of the sanctuary of Loreto. A son of his century, he built a vigna on the Quirinal and in his palace at Campo Marzio gathered a library (which he left to the scholar Latino Latini) and also statues, bronzes, various antiquities and paintings. Bishop of Ostia and dean on 18 May 1562, he died in the Curia on 2 May 1564, leaving a reputation as "a man of great virtue, doctrine and prudence in affairs, of experience and judgment." On his tomb at S. Trinità dei Monti, Pius V, who had been a most intimate friend of his, had a monument erected. Felice Peretti (Sixtus V) too had enjoyed his support.

From the branch of the P. of Savoy transplanted to Ferrara came CARLO EMANUELE, b. in 1578, created cardinal deacon by Clement VIII on 9 June 1604. He always lived in the Curia, and was generous in his favor to Abbot F. Ughelli for his Italia sacra; he died bishop of Ostia on 1 July 1641. His nephew, son of Ascanio and Porzia Mattei, CARLO the younger, b. 9 Apr. 1622, after a youth spent under arms was cleric of the Chamber and treasurer until he was created cardinal deacon by Innocent X on 2 March 1654. On 2 Aug. 1655 he was appointed bishop of Ferrara and died bishop of Sabina on 13 Feb. 1689.

Pio Paschini