Taddeo Barberini | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Palestrina Gonfalonier of the Church Prefect of Rome Governor of the Borgo | |
 Bust of Don Taddeo Barberini | |
| Successor | Maffeo Barberini |
| Born | 1603 (1603) Rome,Papal States |
| Died | 1647(1647-00-00) (aged 43–44) Paris,Kingdom of France |
| Spouse | Anna Colonna |
| Father | Carlo Barberini |
| Mother | Costanza Magalotti |
Taddeo Barberini (1603–1647) was anItalian nobleman of theHouse of Barberini who becamePrince of Palestrina andGonfalonier of the Church; commander of thePapal Army.[1] He was a nephew ofPope Urban VIII and brother of CardinalsFrancesco Barberini andAntonio Barberini. Thanks to their uncle's famousnepotism, the brothers shaped 17th-century Italian politics, religion, art, music and architecture.
Barberini was born in 1603, the son ofCarlo Barberini and Costanza Magalotti. He was the nephew of brotherscardinal Maffeo Barberini (laterPope Urban VIII) andAntonio Marcello Barberini (later also Cardinal) and ofLorenzo Magalotti. He was the brother ofFrancesco Barberini andAntonio Barberini,[2] both of whom became Cardinals when their uncle became pope. Like his brothers, Taddeo was educated at theCollegio Romano.[3]
In 1623, Maffeo Barberini was elected asPope Urban VIII and Taddeo Barberini's fortunes improved considerably. Almost immediately, Barberini was appointedGonfalonier of the Church;Commander of the Papal Army, though during later conflicts his brother Cardinal Antonio Barberini also commanded papal andmercenary troops in the field.
In 1624, Taddeo took control of theDuchy of Urbino, relinquished to Urban VIII after the death ofFederico Ubaldo. WhenFrancesco Maria died in 1631, the duchy was transferred to thePapal States.[4]
On 14 October 1627 Barberini marriedAnna Colonna, daughter ofFilippo I Colonna, at a lavish service presided over by the pope himself at theCastel Gandolfo.[5] The agreement drawn up by CardinalFabrizio Verospi between the Barberini andColonnas stipulated adowry worth some 180,000scudi which included cash and credit as well as a Colonna castle inAnticoli.[6] It is thought the transfer of thePalestrinacomune between the two families was tied to the agreement; part of Anna Colonna's dowry. Upon transfer, the commune became afief of the Barberini which allowed the family to appoint one of its number asPrince of Palestrina, a title which was passed from one Barberini patriarch to another while the comune remained among family possessions. Taddeo's son Carlo Barberini later renounced his right to inherit his father's titles (as he would have done as eldest son) to become acardinal. Taddeo's hereditary titles therefore passed to his second son,Maffeo.
As Prince of Palestrina, Taddeo worked to improve local buildings and establish new services, even if many of them were primarily self-serving. He rebuilt the Palazzo Barberini (which still houses theNile mosaic of Palestrina) and his son Maffeo later commissioned a new church nearby. Taddeo built a small privatecasino which operated for a few years during his administration but closed when future princes had no interest in gambling.[7]
Pope Urban further honoured his nephew in 1631 by appointing himGovernor of the Borgo, Commander ofSant'Angelo andPrefect of Rome. Taddeo'sinvestiture as prefect was celebrated with much pomp and extravagance.[4]
It is estimated that by 1632, Taddeo's property was worth as much as 4 millionscudi and that over the course of Urban VIII's 21-year reign, Taddeo amassed 42 million scudi in personal wealth.[5] By 1635, income from Taddeo's property was estimated at 100,000 scudi per year.[4]
In 1639,Odoardo Farnese,Duke of Parma andPiacenza, came to Rome and during his visit managed to insult Taddeo's cardinal brothers. Pope Urban responded by banning grain shipments from Farnese controlled areas. When the Farnese were then unable to pay their debts the Pope sent debt collectors.[8] Finally the Pope troops to occupyCastro. The Pope's forces were led by Antonio Barberini, hismercenary field commanderLuigi Mattei and byFabrizio Savelli. When Savelli proved to be an unenthusiastic commander, he was returned to Rome and Taddeo Barberini was appointed in his place.[9]
Castro fell without significant resistance and the victory was celebrated in song byBarberini family composer,Marco Marazzoli. But the victory was short-lived and thereafter papal troops suffered a series of decisive losses. Pope Urban was forced to accept defeat and signed apeace treaty with the Farnese Dukes in an attempt to prevent them from marching on Rome itself.
In 1644, Taddeo's uncle Pope Urban VIII died and theCollege of Cardinals electedPope Innocent X of thePamphili family. At thePapal conclave of 1644, Taddeo's cardinal brothers engineered a deal to ensure the safety of their family's fortunes. But the new Pope refused to honour the deal and launched an investigation into alleged financial abuses during the First War of Castro. Taddeo Barberini and his brothers were forced into exile and fled toParis in 1646 where they were supported byCardinal Jules Mazarin. Taddeo's wife Anna Colonna appealed to Pope Innocent urging him to allow the Barberini to keep their property. Innocent agreed but the Barberini remained in exile for several more years.
Taddeo Barberini died in 1647 while in exile in France without ever seeingRome again.
Taddeo and Anna Colonna had five children:
The Barberini family was reconciled with the papacy, at least in part, through Taddeo's two sons,Carlo Barberini andMaffeo Barberini. Carlo was elevated to cardinal by Pope Innocent X and Maffeo married a grand-niece of Pope Innocent X,Olimpia Giustiniani, and in turn had a son who was elevated to cardinal,Francesco Barberini (Junior). Taddeo's daughter,Lucrezia Barberini, marriedFrancesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena.[citation needed]
Barberini's secretary, Corinzio Benicampi, accompanied the youngCarlo Maratta to Rome in 1636.[10] The well-known Baroque artist later received one of his first commissions,The Glory of Saints, from Taddeo. The painting was finished in 1645, two years before Taddeo's death.[citation needed]
