Emmanuele de Gregorio (18 December 1758 – 7 November 1839) was an Italiancardinal of theRoman Catholic Church and son ofLeopoldo de Gregorio, Marquis of Esquilache.[1]
De Gregorio was born at sea while his mother was traveling toSpain.[2] Although he had one other cardinal among his relatives, no other information about his early life survives. However, by age 22 in 1780 he had become archpriest of the patriarchal Lateran basilica and in the following two decades became caught up in the controversy of theFrench Revolution, being imprisoned in 1798 and kept in captivity between 1811 and 1814. He was deputy vicar of Rome for long periods from 1795 to 1818 as the actual vicar,Cardinal Giulio Maria della Somaglia, was frequently absent. However, it is known that at one point the revolutionary government of France had planned to create himantipope in opposition toPope Pius VI when the Pontiff condemned the French Revolution in 1791.
In 1816,Pope Pius VII made De Gregorio a cardinal and in the following decade he rose to be one of the most powerful men in the Church. In both the1829 and1830conclaves, he was considered one of the leadingpapabili but had too many opponents to be elected Pope.
He died in Rome in 1839.[3]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
