CELESTIAL PROTECTION

Decisions taken in the Synode in Constance of 1567
Source: Konstantin Maier

Sometimes it is a pleasure to look at documents of yore. The above page relates to Declarations and Regulations issued by a Bishopric Synode in Constance in 1567. Those legal acts represent in turn the implementation of acts agreed upon at the Council of Trent. This 19th Ecumenical Council had convened to reform the Catholic Church so as to counter the expansion of Protestantism. What has this to do with the Emser, you may well ask? Quite a lot, has to be the answer. The second son of Wolf Dietrich (and brother of Jakob Hannibal I) was the Pope's representative, as Cardinal, at the Council. Once the Council had finished its deliberations, it was his task, as Prince Bishop of Constance, to implement the Council agreements within his Diocese. So there!

Merk Sittich II von Ems (1533-1595) spent his childhood, like his brother Jakob Hannibal I, under the wings of his uncle, the fierce mercenary leader Gian Giacomo de' Medici. He also served as battalion captain under him – as did his brother – in the Italian campaign in 1551 as well as the Siege of Siena 1553-1555. How was it possible for him to re-invent himself as Cardinal and Prince Bishop less than 10 years later?

Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain making peace at Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559
Source: Palazzo Publico, Siena

To get a good answer to this, we have to delve briefly into Papal politics of the times. During the Great Italian Wars (1494-1559), the Popes as sovereign of the Papal States were rather involved in the struggles between the French Kings and the Habsburger, switching side from time to time, but towards the end taking the side of King Henry II. It went as far as Pope Paul IV refusing to acknowledge Ferdinand I as Roman Emperor after Charles V's abdication, even threatening Ferdinand with excommunication if he did not relinquish his title.

This impasse was resolved rather immediately with the election of Giovanni Angelo de' Medici as Pope Pius IV (1559-1565). This reformer among Popes decided to concentrate papal policy on countering the ever growing threat of reformation, rather than on affairs of state, and to acknowledge the fact that the Italian Wars had ended, granting (Spanish) Habsburg dominance of Italian affairs, and with the King of Spain reigning over Milan as well as Southern Italy. To succeed in his ambition to constrain the on-going reformation North of the Alps, he realised that he would depend on creating an alliance with the Habsburg Emperor. This came easy for him, since his brother Gian Giacomo de' Medici was one of the foremost mercenary leaders under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his brother Ferdinand I.

Pope Pius IV
Source: Collezione Camuccini  Painter: Cerchia di Tiziano

Among the first acts of his new office, he called upon three nephews to assist him in his new politics. In those times, it was customary for a newly elected Pope to appoint such close nepotes, since family usually could be trusted to be loyal to the new leader. Not only that, the nepotes of the previous Pope had to be dealt with, who were responsible for the predecessor's strategies. Pius IV carried this out with a vengeance; he had Cardinal Carlo Carafa, his brother Duke Giovanni Carafa and their nephew, Cardinal Alfonso Carafa arrested, seizing their belongings and accusing them of abuse of power during Paul's regime. Subsequently and rather speedily, the first two were executed through strangulation.

Now back to Pope Pius' young relatives. They were his two Emser nephews Jakob Hannibal I and Merk Sittich II, plus, last but not least, young nephew Carlo Borromeo (1538-1584). Carlo, who had a solid education behind him, with a doctorate in both Roman and Ecclesiastic Law, was immediately made Cardinal and secretary of the Pope's private office ("Cardinal Nephew"). Jakob Hannibal, who recently had entered into the service of Philip II of Spain and fought a successful campaign in France, was made Papal Envoy to the court of Philip.

Greater care had to be taken as concerns Merk Sittich. This young warrior was lacking any type of education other than in the art of war, a bit like Carlo Carafa in the previous regime (the one who got strangulated). So his advancement had to be arranged gradually and in a subtle fashion. To start with, Pius appointed him as Governor of Ancona (a small domain to the Northeast, a discontiguous part of the Papal States), and also Bishop of Cassano (in the remote region of Calabria), to start his ecclesiastic career.

Bull by Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, elevating the Ems family to the hereditary position of Imperial Count.
Source: Vorarlberger Landesarchiv

Concurrently, Pius IV sent a mission to King Ferdinand I, headed by a venerable Bishop named Hosius, with the purpose of conveying his Papal Blessing to Ferdinand's elevation to Roman Emperor as well as his assurance that earlier conflicts between the Papal States and the Habsburger had been put to rest. As an aside, Hosius also was to discretely inform the Emperor of the Pope's intimate relationship with two Emser and to indicate that any honour bestowed on them by the Emperor would please their uncle. Ferdinand's response to this discrete request was immediate. He elevated all Members of the Ems family to the hereditary position of Imperial Count. Tellingly, in the Bull concerned, he explicitly grounded it also in the following fact "Auch in sonderlicher betrachtung das gemelte von Emps der jeczigen Päbstlichen Hailigkait Papst Pio dem Vierdten vunnserm lieben herren mit nahennder vluett Freuntschafft verwanndt" (also in respect of the fact that the above named von Ems are blood related to our dear Sir, His Holiness the Pope Pius IV)!

This elevation gave Merk Sittich II a position equal to a Principe in Rome. Already the year after (1561), he was appointed Cardinal Deacon and, with strong support of the Emperor, Prince Bishop of Constance, an important province on the frontline between the Catholic and Protestant German regions. Furthermore, he was sent (in 1562) as one of the five Papal Legates to the re-opened Council of Trent, together with his younger cousin, Carlo Borromeo. Carlo was not altogether pleased with these elevations, but could be placated by Pius with the argument that Merk Sittich's German background was useful in building relations with the Catholic Habsburger.

The 1562-1563 Session of the Council of Trent.
The Papal Legates, in red, sitting on the podium. Merk Sittich second from the left, Carlo third. 
Fresco in Capella Altemps, Santa Maria de Trastevere    Artist: Pasquale Cati

So, off Merk Sittich went to Trent in early 1562. If truth be told, he was not altogether successful in this, his first important mission. His theological insights were nil and neither did he speak Latin. A friendly joke from the Council said that Marcus Sitticus "hears nothing, ventures nothing, writes nothing and does not even know how to pray Paternoster in Latin". Pius made haste to relieve him from his mission and sent him instead to Vienna, to congratulate Maximilian II to his recent election as King of the Romans.

Even if his lack of education caused him to be ridiculed at Trent, Merk Sittich soon proved himself as an able diplomat, with easygoing amiable manners. His influence at the Vatican during the reign of Pius IV concerned mostly advice in administrative and financial issues; on the surface he preferred to appear as a non-assuming nobleman. In contrast to the other Cardinals, he did not acquire a palace to live in, preferring instead to rent a relatively modest residence.

That notwithstanding, his income during the reign of his uncle was outstanding, amounting to about 30 000 scudi per year. In present day moneys, this would amount to € 2,6 million, valued at the present price of gold. The Bishopry of Constance alone brought him 10 000 scudi. To this has to be added payments for his services to the Pope, income from his Governance of domains within the Papal States, and income from several rich abbeys and nunneries, in Italy as well as in France, that he managed to get hold of.

His substantive income was wisely invested in further real estate, taking care to spread acquisitions all over Italy, so as not to concentrate ownership in the Papal States. He certainly remembered the fate of the Carafa, and the fact that Pius IV was treating rashly many of his adversaries among the Cardinals. When, in late 1565, it became apparent that his uncle may not last much longer, he made haste to remove all movable wealth from Rome to his possessions without the Papal States, lest he be the prey of an adversary that may become Pope.

"La Monstra della Giostra". Tournament celbrating in 1565 the union of the houses of Hohenems and Borromeo
Source: British Museum

Pius IV was very grateful for his services, in particular since Merk Sittich was one of only three Cardinals from Germany, and the one with the best relations to the Emperor. It was a bit bothersome, though, that Carlo Borromeo, a true believer and God's fiercest warrior, could not but condescend with his cousin's worldly affairs. The sly Pope found a solution to this problem. He arranged for Carlo's sister Hortensia to be wed, in 1564, to Merk Sittich's brother Jakob Hannibal. Not only that, he arranged festivities at this occasion that were so extraordinary that they became a legend in the chronicles of Rome. Never since has a wedding in Rome been fêted by a Princely Tournament! It is laid down in the Annals of History as "La Monstra della Giostra" or "La Giostra de Belvedere". This put an end to Carlo's condescension and he agreed to consecrate Merk Sittich in the following year.

However, Pius IV died soon after and was succeeded by Pius V (1566-1572), who was not precisely a friend of his predecessor's nepotes. Carlo Borromeo was beyond his reach, but Merk Sittich made haste to get out of Rome. He visited, for the first time, his domains in Constance, and exercised also some Church business in Augsburg and other German domains. During this period, his natural son Roberto was born, from a mistress called Olivia Giganti, which may have conributed to his wish to be absent from Rome.

He returned eventually to the Vatican after it became clear that Pius V did not consider any actions against him. Still, he took care not to offend this the more puritan of the Popes. This was underpinned by his next sejour in Constance in 1567, during which he held the first German synode to implement the conclusions of Trent (see title picture). Upon his return to Rome he was not active in Papal administration. Instead, he used his energy to improve his wealth, acquire properties and establish his main residences, that is, the Palazzo Altemps in Rome and the Villa "Mondragone" in the Alban Hills, both of them built/rebuilt by his favourite architect Martino Longhi. Notably, already in 1562, he had asked the same architect to start constructing the Palace in Hohenems, so that the family's exaltation to Imperial Counts be mirrored in a suitable residence.

Villa "Mondragone" in the Alban Hills, named to honour Pope Gregory XIII
Source: Centro Congressi Villa Mondragone

His standing at the Vatican much improved with the next Pope, Gregory XIII (1572-1585), whose election was to a great degree due to the influence of cousin Carlo Borromeo, and who became a personal friend. Despite his puritan regime, the new Pope did not mind personal comfort and stayed regularly  in Merk Sittich's "villa" on the countryside during the hot and pest infected Summers in Rome. To please his friend the Pope, the owner gave the villa its present name, which recalls the dragon depicted in the shield of Gregory's family, the Boncampi. It may also have helped that he was the only Cardinal from Germany left after 1578, and thus a warrant for good relations between the Emperor and the Holy See.

Encouraged by this, to him, more beneficial Papal regime, he dared to take the first steps towards providing for his only male descendant. Already in 1572, the new Pope helped Merk Sittich to acknowledge his son as his legitimate son and heir, with the name of Roberto Altemps (1566-1586). In 1579, a marriage was arranged with Cornelia Orsini, from an exalted noble family. Prior to that, also in 1579, Merk Sittich had bought a large domain, consisting of Gallese, Soriano and Bassano, and gifted it to his son, whom Gregory soon after elevated to Duca de' Gallese and to Captain of the Swiss Guard.

Things took a wrong turn, however, after the ascendancy of Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590). Merk Sittich had opposed his election in the conclave, which did not endear him to the new Pontifex. Furthermore, his unruly son allegedly got the bad idea of abducting and seducing a noble teenage virgin, which created a scandal in Rome. Upon intervention of his uncle, Count Jakob Hannibal I, who happened to visit Rome at the time, he was not tried for his crime (adultery), but exiled to Avignon. One year later he was allowed to move to and retire in his Duchy. Soon after, he died under mysterious circumstances.

Colonnade in Palazzo Altemps
Source: Musei di Roma

It is a sign of the position Cardinal Merk Sittich IV held already at this stage of his career, that the Pope could not touch him in person. He could do so only indirectly, by letting himself be inspired by the case of Roberto to issue an Apostolic Edict, Postquam verus. This act prohibited persons who had children to become a consecrated Cardinal and be part of the Collegium! Since this in effect excluded Merk Sittich, he chose to abstain forthwith from all official functions and retreat into private life until the death of Sixtus V.

This was the time when he entered into theological studies, sponsored contemporary artists such as Torquato Tasso (who wrote a touching epitaph at his death) and created an impressive collection of paintings and sculptures, still to be admired in Palazzo Altemps, which nowadays forms an important part of the Musei di Roma. Neither did the Edict prevent him from completing an extension – called Capella Altemps – to his titular church, the venerable Church of Santa Maria de Trastevere. This new sidearm of the church constitutes a glorious example of early Baroque architecture, with its fabulous frescoes depicting the Cardinal's and Pope Pius IV´ contributions to the Apostolic Faith (see the above Frescoe depicting the Council of Trent).

As a small spite to the Pope-Antagonist, he even installed a substantive grave memorial for his son Roberto in the Capella, just opposite a corresponding memorial for his predecessor Cardinal Hosius. This monument could have, at the outset, been planned for himself. But the death of his son may have caused him such sorrow, as it did to the son's wife Cornelia, that he decided to re-designate the memorial and build another one for himself at the chapel's floor.

Memorial Grave of Roberto, "extinguished at the age of XX"
Photographer: Anthony Majaniahti

Under the following three Popes, essentially Clement VIII (1592-1605), all altercations were put aside and he was re-installed in his official functions. Clement even appointed him to Governor of the Papal Estates (Legacione del Patrimonio). It may have helped that he had continued to nurse good relations with the Habsburger, even abdicating, in 1589, from his Prince Bishopry of Constance in favour of Ferdinand II' of Tyrol morganatic son Andreas – but only after having been assured of a yearly "pension" of 12 000 scudi.

Thus remained to him a short period of time, during which he could put his house in order. In the true tradition of his family, his relatives were his greatest concern. His three nephews all obtained great support in their endeavours to gain ecclesiastic nobility: Wolf Dietrich von Rathenau and Merk Sittich IV von Hohenems, later both Prince Bishop of Salzburg; and Federico Borromeo, becoming Cardinal already in 1587.

Cardinal Merk Sittich II in 1594
Source: Museum Policka    Painter: Anton Boys

Isn't it an amazing story? Starting out as mercenary soldier and ending up as a distinguished Member of Roman nobility? And becoming the wealthiest of them in his time? Despite many ups and downs in his career he was active in participating in fully seven Papal Conclaves. And, at his death in 1595, the combined wealth from his real estate and movable valuables amounted to close to a million scudi, about € 90 million, valued at the present price of gold (which underestimates the purchasing power of the scudo).

Shield of the Altemps family

But his most important accomplishment in my view is the creation of a new branch of the Emser family, especially since it is based on a natural son! His grandson Giovan Angelo Altemps ((1587-1620), the second Duke of Gallese, made his name as a great maecen of the arts in Rome. And Giovan Angelo's son Giovan Pietro Altemps (1607-1691) managed to raise the family's status even further, not to speak of restoring its wealth, by marrying into the Medici family (The Florence Medici this time around!). This became a long lived family indeed! The last male descendent, Don Alessandro Eugenio Maria Marco Amiceto Altemps, passed away as recently as 1964, leaving it to his two daughers Altea and Angela to carry on the name a bit longer. 

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I trust you agree that it is by now established how the two brothers Jakob Hannibal I and Merk Sittich II could afford to embellish the family estate at Hohenems. Merk built and financed the Palace. Jakob embellished the fortress on the hill and built the church – a cleric built the Palace and a mercenary built the Church! But both died already in their fifties and it would be up to the next generation to finish the job. This fell upon Kaspar von Hohenems, Jakob's son, whose story will be told in another blog post.

Let's just round things up by looking at a painting, which in a charming way shows all three of Pope Pius IV' nepotes. This Frescoe was painted in 1797 at the occasion of a substantial enlargement and refurbishment, in late Baroque style, of Jakob Hannibal's original church. Carlo Borromeo was canonised already in 1604 and, in his honour, the Church was dedicated to him two hundred years later, in 1804. The cleric in the middle is Merk Sittich IV, Prince Arch Bishop of Salzburg and Jakob's younger son, whom we will get to know better in a forthcoming blog post, as we also will concerning Carlo Borromeo.

Frescoe in the Church of St. Charles Borromaeus in Hohemens
Painter Andreas Bruggner

But now, I realise that it's time to stop, lest you accuse me of misusing your patience, Dear Readers. Instead, let us continue our trip upriver, along the Alpine Rhine, to gain further insights into the captivating Emser history.