Source:
Abrège de l'histoire de ce siècle de fer, volume 3, page 139, by Jean Nicolas de Parival, 1665
The account:
La Princesse du Septentrion ayant quitté la France s'en reuint par Livonie à Rome, & fut receuë par tout auec beaucoup de ciuilité, principalement par le Duc de Modene. Elle tascha de faire accomplir le mariage de son maistre d'Hostel Sentinelli auec la Duchesse de Ceri, dont il possedoit les bonnes graces: mais le Pape s'y opposa, fit connoistre à la Reine que ce dessein ne luy aggreoit pas, non plus que son obiection, que le mariage selon l'Eglise Catholique estoit vn saint Sacrement, & commanda que cette Duchesse fut enfermée & bien gardée dans vn Cloistre. Sentinelli disgracié vuida Rome auec son Pere, la Reine blamée de plusieurs. (car les Grands ne sont pas moins exemps du foudre de la medisance que les hautes tours de celuy du ciel) se mit dans la deuotion.
With modernised spelling:
La princesse du Septentrion, ayant quitté la France, s'en revint par Livonie à Rome et fut reçue partout avec beaucoup de civilité, principalement par le duc de Modène. Elle tâcha de faire accomplir le mariage de son maître d'hôtel Santinelli avec la duchesse de Ceri, dont il possédait les bonnes grâces; mais le pape s'y opposa, fit connaître à la reine que ce dessein ne lui agréait pas, non plus que son objection que le mariage, selon l'Église catholique, était un saint sacrement, et commanda que cette duchesse fut enfermée et bien gardée dans un cloître. Santinelli, disgracié, vida Rome avec son père. La reine, blâmée de plusieurs (car les grands ne sont pas moins exempts du foudre de la médisance que les hautes tours de celui du ciel), se mit dans la dévotion.
Swedish translation (my own):
Prinsessan av Norden, efter att ha lämnat Frankrike, återvände via Livland till Rom och mottogs överallt med stor artighet, främst av hertigen av Modena. Hon försökte få sin maître d'hôtel Santinellis äktenskap fullbordat med hertiginnan av Ceri, vars goda nåder han ägde; men påven motsatte sig det, gjorde det känt för drottningen att denna dessäng inte stämde överens med honom, inte heller hans invändning om att äktenskapet, enligt den katolska Kyrkan, var ett heligt sakrament, och han beordrade att denna hertiginna skulle låsas in och välbevaras i ett kloster. Santinelli, vanärat, lämnade Rom med sin far. Drottningen, som anklagades av många (ty de stora är inte mindre befriade från förtalets åskslag än de höga tornen från himlens), föll i devotion.
English translation (my own):
The Princess of the North, having left France, returned via Livonia to Rome and was received everywhere with great civility, principally by the Duke of Modena. She tried to have the marriage of her maître d'hôtel Santinelli accomplished with the Duchess of Ceri, whose good graces he possessed; but the Pope opposed it, made it known to the Queen that this design did not agree with him, nor his objection that marriage, according to the Catholic Church, was a holy sacrament, and he ordered that this duchess be locked up and well kept in a cloister. Santinelli, disgraced, left Rome with his father. The Queen, blamed by many (for the great are no less exempt from the thunderbolt of slander than the high towers from that of heaven), fell into devotion.
Above: Kristina.
Above: Pope Alexander VII.
Note: The Duchess of Ceri (or Cesi), Anna Maria Caterina Aldobrandini (1630-1703) was one of the people involved in the infamous Spana Prosecution. She belonged to one of the most important noble families in Rome, both by birth and by marriage. She was described as a beauty but "difficult to control".
In 1648 she married Francesco Maria Cesi, the Duke of Cesi, in an arranged marriage. The marriage was unhappy, and she allegedly had an affair with Francesco Maria Santinelli. In June 1657, her husband died unexpectedly. Anna Maria's family had her locked up as a widow to prevent her from marrying Santinelli, as he was of lower rank and their marriage would thus have been seen as unequal and shameful to her family.
On January 31, 1659, Giovanna De Grandis was arrested in Rome and imprisoned in the Papal prison at Tor di Nona, which marked the beginning of the Spana Prosecution, exposing a network of poison dealers who sold the poison Aqua Tofana. When Giovanna began to name accomplices and clients, she mentioned Anna Maria. According to Giovanna's testimony, Anna Maria had acquired Aqua Tofana from her through the priest Don Girolamo with the intent of murdering her husband, who died shortly afterwards. When Giovanna came to see the Duke's body on his lit de parade at Santa Maria sopra Minerva, she recognised the symptoms of poisoning from the body of a person who had died from the effects of the Aqua Tofana she had sold.
This information was never investigated, as Pope Alexander VII gave the order that Anna Maria should be left out from the investigation.
No comments:
Post a Comment