(2) 1. DUBOIS, Guillaume (1656-1723)
Birth. September 6, 1656, Brive la Gaillarde, diocese of Limoges, France. His father was a physician or an apothecary (1).
Education. Fathers of the Christian Doctrine, Brive la Gaillarde (early education); Collège Saint-Michel, Paris, 1672; obtained a doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law. Received the clerical tonsure in 1670.
Early life. Private tutoring for nine years. Sub-tutor to the duke of Chartres, nephew of King Louis XIV, 1683; full tutor, 1687. Secretary to the duke of Chartres when he became duke of Orléans, 1700; all advancements in his career were due to his friendship with the duke. During the regency of King Louis XV, state councilor, 1716; ambassador extraordinary in England and Holland; councilor of foreign affairs, March 1717; secretary of the Royal Cabinet, April 1717; minister and secretary of State for foreign affairs, September 1718.
Priesthood. Ordained, March 1720.
Episcopate. Elected archbishop of Cambrai, May 6, 1720. Consecrated, June 9, 1720, church of Val de Grâce, Paris, by Cardinal Armand-Gaston de Rohan, bishop of Strasbourg. Superintendent des postes, October 1721. Member of the Council of Regency, and soon after, ministre principal (prime minister), August 1722. Member of the Académie Française, November 26, 1722. President of the Assembly of the Clergy, 1723.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of July 16, 1721; never received the red hat and the title. Because of his humble origin, strong opposition to Jansenism, and reversal of the aristocratic regime prevalent under King Louis XIV, he was disliked by the nobility. His ecclesiastical career left a great deal to be desired. Although there is no proof of the prevalent assertion that he got secretly married, his licentiousness, and notorious impiety, even at the time of his death, make it evident that he pursued and used ecclesiastical dignities principally to enhance his political position and prestige. (2)
Death. August 10, 1723, Versailles. Exposed and buried in the church of Saint-Honoré, Paris, where he had been a canon.
Bibliography. Bliard, Pierre. Dubois, cardinal et premier ministre (1656-1723). 2 vols. Paris ; P. Lethielleux, 1901-1903; Bourgeois, Emile. Le secret de Dubois, cardinal et premier ministre. Paris : A. Colin, 1910. (La diplomatie secrète au XVIIIe siècle; ses débuts, III); Capefigue, Jean-Baptiste-Honoré-Raymond. Les cardinaux-ministres. Le cardinal Dubois et la régence de Philippe d'Orléans. [S. l.] : [s.n.], 1861; Mémoires secrets et correspondance inédite du cardinal Dubois, premier ministre sous la régence du duc d'Orléans; recueillis, mis en ordre et augm. d'un précis de la paix d'Utrecht, et de diverses notices historiques. Charles Louis de Sévelinges, editor. 2 vols. Paris : Chez Pillet, 1815.
Links. Biography, in English; and his portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, United States of America.
(1) Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, VIII, 195, says that he was born of onesti ma poverissimi genitori.
(2) Cardella, Memorie storiche de' cardinali della Santa Romana Chiesa, VIII, 196, indicates that Archbishop Dubois, in order to obtain the cardinalitial dignity, suggested that the Regent try to make Parliament accept the bull Unigenitus and thus earn the favor of Pope Innocent XIII, who greatly resisted the promotion. Msgr. Giuseppe Passerini, ablegato to bring the new cardinal's red biretta to Paris, was charged by the pope with recommending Dubois to amend his customs and live a life proper of an ecclesiastic exalted to the first and most conspicuous dignity of the church. The new cardinal, with tears in his eyes, thanked the pope, promised to obey him and assured him that he will not regret having promoted him to the cardinalate. Cardella adds le parole non corrisposero in tutto ai fatti, singolarment rispetto alla bramata riforma dei costumi.
(3) 2. ALBANI, Alessandro (1692-1779)
Birth. October 15, 1692, Urbino. Of a distinguished Italian family, descendant of refugees from Albania in the fifteenth century. Cousin of Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) and brother of Cardinal Annibale Albani (1711). Other cardinals of the family include Gian Girolamo Albani (1570), Gian Francesco Albani (1747), and Giuseppe Albani (1801).
Education. (No information found).
Early life. Member of the military brotherhood of justice of the Hospital of San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, Rome, August 26, 1701. Colonel of a regiment of Dragons in the pontifical troops, 1707. Entered the ecclesiastical life at the request of Pope Clement XI and caused him many problems due to his worldly and undisciplined customs. Envoy, with his brother Carlo, to Bologna to welcome King Frederick IV of Denmark. Referendary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature, 1718. Secretary of Memorial, December 8, 1718. Cleric of the Apostolic Chamber, May 10, 1719. Sent to Vienna to conclude the negotiations for the restitution of Comacchio, 1720.
Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of July 16, 1721; granted dispensation to be promoted to the cardinalate having a brother in the Sacred College of Cardinals and not having received the minor orders, July 16, 1721; received the red hat and the deaconry of S. Adriano, September 24, 1721. Granted dispensation to receive the sacred orders outside of Ember days and without time intervals, August 2, 1721. Received the subdiaconate, December 20, 1721. Opted for the deaconry of S. Maria in Cosmedin, September 23, 1722. Participated in the conclave of 1724, which elected Pope Benedict XIII. Participated in the conclave of 1730, which elected Pope Clement XII. Participated in the conclave of 1740, which elected Pope Benedict XIV. Abbot commendatario of Nonantola, 1730. Opted for the deaconry of S. Agata in Suburra, retaining in commendam until his death the deaconry of S. Maria in Cosmedin. Opted for the deaconry of S. Maria ad Martyres, March 11, 1743. Opted for the deaconry of S. Maria in Via Lata, April 10, 1747. Cardinal protodeacon. Minister of Austria before the Holy See, 1756 until his death. Participated in the conclave of 1758, which elected Pope Clement XIII. Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, August 12, 1761 until his death. Participated in the conclave of 1769, which elected Pope Clement XIV. Participated in the conclave of 1774-1775, which elected Pope Pius VI. A patron of arts, he built Villa Albani, 1760, and filled it with Roman and Greek art works. Since the pontificate of Pope Clement XIV he aligned himself with the zelanti against the interference of the European monarchs.
Death. December 11, 1779, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome, where the funeral took place. Transferred privately to the church of S. Sebastiano fuori le mura, Rome, and buried in his family's tomb.
Link. The Albani family, in English, and his engraving by Marguerite Le Comte, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, United States of America.
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