Thecaptain general of the Church (Italian:Capitano generale della Chiesa) was thede factocommander-in-chief of thePapal States' armed forces (generally, thePapal Army and thePapal Navy) from theMiddle Ages into theearly modern period. The post was usually conferred on anItalian or other noble with a professional military reputation or (later) a relative of thepope.
The paralleloffice of gonfalonier was more a formal and ceremonial honor than the responsibility of a tactical military leader.[1] The office was at times made subordinate to temporary offices.[2]
For example,Pope Callixtus III appointed Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (later PopeAlexander VI) as the chief and general commissary of the Papal Army. A number of such offices under many titles were used as ministers of war by popes, the captain general operated as a field commander under these offices.Pope Innocent XII removed both ranks and replaced them with the position ofFlag-bearer of the Holy Roman Church (Vessilifero di Santo Romana Chiesa), which later became hereditary in the Naro Patrizi.[3]
It was traditional for the captain general to carry abaton of command blessed by the pope.[4]
 |
| Captain General | Portrait | Appointing Pope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlemagne* |  | Leo III (798–816) | "It is safest to conclude that the pope desired that the royalpatrician should regard himself as captain-general of the church, and that he should in that capacity be entitled to the military services of its subjects, when called on by the church to interfere for the protection of her temporary rights."[5] |
| Guillaume Durand |  | Martin IV (1281–1285) | [6] |
| James II of Aragon |  | Boniface VIII (1294–1303) | Gonfalonier, Admiral, and Captain General of the Church; compelled to wage war against his own brother (cf.Sicilian Vespers)[7][8] |
| Philip VI of France |  | Benedict XII (1334–1342) | Circa August 1336[9] |
| Louis I of Hungary | .jpg) | Innocent VI (1352–1362) | "Louis was appointed captain of the Church, with the duty ofhelping its armies against Francesco Ordelaffi and the other rebels in Romagna, when requested to do so by the pope or his legate."[10] |
| Juan Fernández de Heredia |  | Innocent VI (1352–1362) | [11] |
| Daniele del Carretto | Gregory XI (1370–1378) | [12] | |
| Carlo I Malatesta |  | Boniface IX (1389–1404) | "temporary vicar and captain-general of the church"[13] |
| Braccio da Montone |  | Gregory XII (1406–1415) | Appointed in 1414; "Used the army nominally belonging to the Pope to conquerPerugia for himself"[14] |
| Ranuccio Farnese il Vecchio |  | Eugene IV (1431–1447) | Appointed 1435; grandfather ofPope Paul III[15] |
| Niccolò Piccinino |  | Appointed June 6, 1442;Condottiero; also the commander of theDuke of Milan's forces and thus "one of the first concrete indications" of the alliance between the pope andMilan[16] | |
| Jacques Cœur |  | Nicholas V (1447–1455) | Died as Captain General[17] |
| Ludovico Trevisan |  | Callixtus III (1455–1458) | Trevisan played an important role in organizing the naval campaign against theOttomans in December 1455, both responsible for the construction of the Papal Navy and appointed "apostolic legate, governor general, captain and generalcondottiere" in charge of it.[18] |
| Giovanni I Ventimiglia, Marquess of Geraci (1445 and 1455) | |||
| Pedro Luis de Borja | AlsoPrefect of Rome,[19] not to be confused withPedro Luis de Borja Lanzol de Romaní | ||
| Antonio Piccolomini | Pius II (1458–1464) | Son of the sister of Pius II; lay relative; salary of 2000 ducats a year and castellan ofCastel Sant'Angelo; hereditary principate asDuke of Amalfi, conferred through King Ferrante, an office held by later papal relatives as well[20] | |
| Girolamo Riario |  | Sixtus IV (1471–1484) | Pazzi conspirator; brother ofcardinal-nephewPietro Riario;[21] title later removed[22] |
| Franceschetto Cybo | Innocent VIII (1484–1492) | Illegitimate son of Innocent VIII[23] | |
| Roberto Eustachio | Formercondottiero for Milan; led the campaign againstAlfonso of Calabria; later returned to the service of theRepublic of Venice[24] | ||
| Niccolò di Pitigliano (Orsini) |  | Appointed June 27, 1489, in the midst of a conflict withFerrante[25] | |
| Giovanni Borgia | .jpg) | Alexander VI (1492–1503) | Son; alsoDuke of Gandia andGonfalonier; assassinated by an unknown perpetrator, most likely his political enemies.[26] |
| Cesare Borgia |  | Son; formercardinal-nephew, alsoGonfalonier; often directly or indirectly accused of Giovanni's assassination,[27][28] but unlikely to have been the actual culprit.[26][29] Julius II, the "Warrior Pope", refused to confirm Cesare upon his election.[30] | |
| Francesco Maria I della Rovere |  | Julius II (1503–1513) | Son of Julius II's brother, Giovanni, and the adopted heir of Guidobaldo,Duke of Urbino;[31] retained for one year after Julius II's death, paid 13,844ducats plus a 30,000 ducat allowance for his company of 200 men-at-arms and 100 light cavalry[32] |
| Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici |  | Leo X (1513–1521) | Giuliano's cousinGiulio (future Pope Clement VII) was papal legate to the army[33] |
| Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino |  | Appointed after the death of Giuliano in 1516; initially commanded the Papal Army in theWar of Urbino (1517)[34] | |
| Bernardo Dovizi |  | Appointed after the wounding of Lorenzo; commanded the Papal Army in theWar of Urbino (1517)[citation needed] | |
| Federico II, Duke of Mantua |  | Son ofIsabella d'Este; alsoGonfalonier; did not intervene in theSack of Rome (1527)[35] | |
| Adrian VI (1522–1523) | |||
| Francesco Maria I della Rovere |  | Clement VII (1523–1535) | Reappointed by Clement VII after his dukedom had been stripped by Leo X and then reinstated byAdrian VI[36] |
| Pier Luigi Farnese |  | Paul III (1534–1549) | Appointed February 2, 1537l; son of Paul III and formerGonfaloniere (appointed January 1535); held both titles simultaneously[37] |
| Giambattista del Monte | Julius III (1550–1555) | Nephew of Julius III[38] | |
| Guidobaldo II della Rovere |  | [39] | |
| Giovanni Carafa | Paul IV (1555–1559) | Appointed after the resignation of Guidobaldo; nephew of Paul IV; allegedly "affable and incompetent"[39] | |
| Marcantonio Colonna |  | Gregory XIII (1572–1585) | Led the papal fleet during theBattle of Lepanto (1571)[40] |
| Taddeo Barberini |  | Urban VIII (1623–1644) | Brother ofcardinal-nephewAntonio Barberini[41] Gaspare Altieri (c.1670) nephew of Pope Clement X, later Prince of Oriolo. Engraving byAbraham Brueghel and Nicolas Guerard of the "Wine of St. Martin: dedicated to Gaspare Altierti, Generale di Santa Chiesa. |
| Livio Odescalchi |  | Innocent XI (1676–1689) | Nephew of Innocent XI; alsoGonfalonier[42] |
| Antonio Ottoboni |  | Alexander VIII (1689–1691) | [43] |
