| Barberini | |
|---|---|
 Barberini coat of arms. | |
| Country | Italy |
| Founded | Between 1530 and 1559 |
| Founder | Antonio Barberini (1494–1559) |
| Current head | Benedetto Francesco Barberini, Prince of Palestrina (born 1961) |
| Titles |
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| Estate(s) | Palestrina |
| Cadet branches |
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TheHouse of Barberini is a family of theItalian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th centuryRome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, asPope Urban VIII. Their urban palace, thePalazzo Barberini, completed in 1633 byBernini, today houses Italy'sGalleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica (National Gallery of Ancient Art).
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The Barberini family was originally a family of minor nobility from the Tuscan town ofBarberino Val d'Elsa, who settled inFlorence during the early part of the 11th century.[1]
Carlo Barberini (1488–1566) and his brother Antonio Barberini (1494–1559) were successful Florentine grain, wool and textile merchants. In 1530 Antonio participated in the defense of theFlorentine Republic but after the capture of the city by Imperial troops, and the return to power of theMedici, Antonio grew weary of Medici rule and left Florence in 1537 to oversee Barberini business inRome.[2]
In 1552, Carlo's son Francesco followed his uncle to Rome and business flourished. Francesco became a very rich man and bought several high offices within government and theCatholic church. In 1559, his uncle Antonio was murdered by forces loyal to the Medici.
Francesco continued to build his fortune and amass titles until he died in 1600. Ordinarily, his estate would have been "fined" by theCamera Apostolica for operating a business while holding church office but his relatives successfully appealed to the head of the organization Francesco had, himself, once directed. The continuation of Barberini's business fell to his nephews (the sons of his brother, Antonio Barberini, who had died in 1571) including Maffeo Barberini.
The Barberini acquired great wealth and influence when Cardinal Maffeo Barberini was elected to the papal throne in 1623, taking the namePope Urban VIII. He elevated a brotherAntonio Marcello Barberini (Antonio the Elder) and two nephews,Francesco Barberini andAntonio Barberini, to the cardinalate.[3] He made another brother Duke ofMonterotondo, and gave a third nephew,Taddeo Barberini, the principality ofPalestrina.[1] Taddeo was also madeGonfalonier of the Church,Prefect of Rome andCommander ofSant'Angelo.[3]
The ecclesiastical, diplomatic, and cultural accomplishments of Urban's reign were overshadowed by the nepotism the pope practised. Urban's contemporary,John Bargrave, wrote:[4]
Upon his elevation, his kindred flew from Florence to Rome like so many bees (which are the Barberini's arms), to suck the honey of the Church, which they did excessively.
Likewise, theWar of Castro, toward the end of Urban's papacy, sullied Urban's reputation and the popularity of those family members who survived him. It is estimated that during Urban's reign, the Barberini amassed 105 millionscudi in personal wealth.[3]
When the pope removed the ancient bronze beams from the portico of thePantheon to procure bronze for thebaldachin ofSt. Peter's Basilica and for the papal cannon foundry, an anonymous critic punningly wrote:[5]
Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini
This translates to "What the barbarians did not do, the Barberini did". The pope erected a tablet proudly proclaiming his re-use of these hidden beams for the glory and defense of the church.
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The Barberini participated extensively in theFirst War of Castro. The conflict began whenOdoardo Farnese,Duke of Parma andPiacenza, visited Rome and insulted the pope's nephews by suggesting the brothers were too young to manage the Pope's affairs. The war produced no clear victor, and Pope Urban died in 1644, only months after a peace accord was signed.[3]
Despite Urban's appointment of several relatives as cardinals, theCollege of Cardinals electedPope Innocent X of thePamphili family. Almost immediately, Innocent X launched an investigation into the conduct of various members of the Barberini family during the wars.[3]
The three nephews who had risen to prominence under their unclePope Urban VIII, cardinals Antonio and Francesco and Prince Taddeo were forced into exile and fled toParis under the protection ofCardinal Mazarin. Antonio and Taddeo left first, by sea, but not before hanging theFrench coat of arms above the door of thePalazzo Barberini to confirm they were under the protection of France. Francesco joined his brothers soon after.
Taddeo's wife,Anna Colonna also joined her husband and children in Paris but not before making a passionate appeal (in person) to the Pope, urging him not to strip the Barberini of their assets. The Pope agreed and, though he paid some debts out of the Barberini estate, left the Barberini alone.[3]
In Paris, they relied on the hospitality ofLouis XIV, King of France, until 1653 when most of the family finally returned to Rome. Though Taddeo died in exile in 1647, his brothers eventually reconciled with the papacy through the marriage of Taddeo's younger sonMaffeo withOlimpia Giustiniani, a niece of Pope Innocent. Maffeo was given his father's former title, that ofPrince of Palestrina.
Taddeo's older sonCarlo Barberini was made a cardinal by Pope Innocent X. Taddeo's daughter,Lucrezia Barberini, marriedFrancesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena (who had previously sided with theFarnese during the First War of Castro), further stabilizing relations.
The 1627 marriage ofTaddeo Barberini andAnna Colonna, daughter ofFilippo I Colonna began the century-long process which would eventually see the Barberini merge with theColonna family.
In 1728, the Carbognano branch (Colonna di Sciarra) of the Colonna family added the name Barberini to its family name when Giulio Cesare Colonna di Sciarra married Cornelia Barberini, daughter ofUrbano Barberini, the last legitimate male Barberini heir.[6]
Though Urbano's wives bore him no legitimate male heirs, Urbano fathered a son, Maffeo Callisto Barberini in 1688 before any one of his three marriages. The will of Urbano Barberini's last wife, Maria Teresa Boncompagni, makes mention of this Maffeo Callisto as the Marquis of Corese. A large portion of the Barberini estate was left for him in her will.[7]
Later her progeny came into conflict with his over claims to the Barberini estate but the quarrel was settled with an agreement signed inParis in 1811 which divided the estate between the two claimant branches of the family.
The Colonna line became extinct again on the death of Prince Enrico Barberini-Colonna and the name went to his daughter and heiress Maria and her husband Marquis Luigi Sacchetti, who received the title of Prince of Palestrina and permission to use the Barberini name.
On 21 June 2005, Augusto Barberini, the 13th Prince of Palestrina, died in Rome.[8] The family is now represented by Benedetto Francesco Barberini, Prince of Palestrina (born 1961), whose heir is his eldest son.
The Palazzo Barberini, the Barberini library (now a core section of the Vatican'sBiblioteca Apostolica), and the many buildings, altars, and other projects spread across Rome (and marked with the heraldic three bees) give evidence of the family's wealth, taste and magnificence in the seventeenth century. The family commissioned many artists, such asLorenzo Ottoni, to undertake various Barberini-centric projects. The family were also important early patrons of opera, maintaining "star" singers likeMarc'Antonio Pasqualini on payroll, and building the privateTeatro delle Quattro Fontane. Many objects from the Barberini art collections are scattered in museums around the world including:
A nucleus remains in the hands of the family, as well as in theGalleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, which occupies part of thePalazzo Barberini in Rome. The cultural influence of the dynasty was considerable, and provided the subject for a major international conference in December 2004 (and subsequent publication), entitledI Barberini e la Cultura Europea.
Family tree of the 16th and 17th century Barberini[6] (hereditary patriarchy of the family is indicated by the colored squares).
| Carlo Barberini (born 1488) | Cassandra del Branca | Antonio Barberini (born 1494) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Francesco Barberini | Antonio Barberini | Camilla Barbadori | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carlo Barberini | Costanza Magalotti | Alessandro Barberini | Niccolo Barberini | Pope Urban VIII | Antonio Marcello Barberini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Francesco Barberini (senior) | Camilla Barberini | Maria Barberini | Taddeo Barberini | Anna Colonna | Clarice Barberini | Antonio Barberini | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Francesco I d'Este | Lucrezia Barberini | Carlo Barberini | Maffeo Barberini | Olimpia Giustiniani (Pamphili) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rinaldo d'Este | Costanza Barberini | Camilla Barberini | Francesco Barberini (junior) | Urbano Barberini (1664–1722) | Taddeo Barberini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Barberini".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 386. This cites:
