Niccolo Ridolfi and the Cardinal's Court: Politics, Patronage and Service in Sixteenth-Century Italy

Niccolò Ridolfi (1501–50) was a Florentine cardinal who owed his status and wealth to the Medici popes. This book examines his court to understand how it played a key part in Rome's resurgence and acted as a hub of knowledge. It explores multidisciplinary intersections to approach church and political history from different angles.

Format: Hardback
Length: 338 pages
Publication date: 29 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Niccolò Ridolfi, a cardinal from Florence, was a close relative of the Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII. He gained wealth and status through their patronage. Ridolfi remained actively involved in Florentine politics, particularly during the transition from a republic to a duchy. He was highly respected as a patron and scholar throughout his life. However, his sudden death during the conclave of 1549–50 sparked allegations of poison, which an autopsy confirmed.

This book explores Cardinal Ridolfi and his court to understand the significant role of cardinalate courts in Rome's resurgence and their role as hubs of knowledge amidst political and reform movements in the church and state. It examines the interactions between the princely court and a more professional and complex knowledge and practice of household management in the early modern Rome's consumer and service economy. The monograph utilizes a diverse range of archival sources and three treatises closely associated with Ridolfi's court to examine these multidisciplinary intersections. It aims to provide a fresh perspective on traditional fields of church and political history by approaching them from different angles.

Niccolò Ridolfi and the Cardinal's Court will be of interest to scholars and enthusiasts studying the organization of elite establishments in sixteenth-century Roman society, the life and patronage of Niccolò Ridolfi in the context of Florentine exiles seeking republicanism, and the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

Weight: 830g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367464431