Graf Ambrogio Carpegna, Gratulant des Papstes zur Hochzeit Maximilians von Bayern im Jahr 1635

Abstract

Count Ambrogio Carpegna, Congratulator of Pope Urban VIII to the Wedding of Prince-Elector Maximilian of Bavaria, 1635. After the death of his first wife, Maximilian, elector of Bavaria, married Maria Anna of Austria, a daughter of emperor Ferdinand II, on 1635 July 15. The wedding was celebrated in Vienna with moderate expenditure in view of the war, and the newly-married couple remained in the city until July 27. Pope Urban VIII elected to send Count Ambrogio Carpegna, a gentleman in the entourage of his cardinal nephew, to convey his congratulations and deliver the rosa d’oro to the bride. The unusual gesture was not motivated by a particular fondness for the families concerned. Rather, the Viennese festivities were seen as an opportunity to persuade the emperor to approve the ceremonial hierarchy introduced in 1631 by the pope, by which his nephew Taddeo, honoured with the title of prefect of Rome, gained precedence over the ambassadors of the European monarchs. The innovation entailed elevating papal relatives to the rank of princes and was unpopular among almost all of those concerned. In Rome, however, Maximilian of Bavaria was expected to be ready to use his influence to support the papal deputy. Count Carpegna strove to explain the arguments of the Barberini court to the emperor and many of his courtiers, but was unable to overcome the objection that Vienna felt obliged to await the decision of the Spanish king, who, according to his diplomats in Vienna, was unwilling to consent to the new ranking. Carpegna was forced to return without succeeding, but his personal reputation in Rome remained unimpaired.