Birth. August 3, 1696, Cortona.

Education. Collegio Romano, Rome (doctorates in philosophy and theology, January 13, 1716); University of Macerata, Macerata (doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, October 27, 1716).

Early life. Referendary of the Supreme Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Grace and of Justice, November 17, 1724. Voter of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Grace. Relator of the S.C. of Good Government. Civil lieutenent of the tribunal of the vicariate of Rome. Relator of the SS.CC. of the Consistory and of Religious Immunity. Canon of the chapter of the patriarchal Liberian basilica. Pro-vicegerent of Rome, 1738 to 1742.

Priesthood. Ordained, March 30, 1739.

Episcopate. Elected titular archbishop of Tarso, July 20, 1739. Consecrated, August 2, 1739, Rome, by Cardinal Giovanni Antonio Guadagni, O.C.D. Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, August 3, 1739. Vicegerent of Rome, January 8 1742 until September 24, 1759. Promoted to the titular patriarchate of Constantinople, February 1, 1751.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Silvestro in Capite, November 19, 1759. Prefect of the S.C. of the Tridentine Council, September 28, 1759 to February 4, 1775. Opted for the title of S. Cecilia, December 14, 1767. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, February 4, 1765. Participated in the conclave of 1769. Performed also the functions of vicar general of Rome. Because of poor health and advanced age did not participate in the conclave of 1774-1775 and died during its celebration.

Death. February 4, 1775, Rome. Exposed and buried in his title.

Bibliography. Re, Niccolò del. "I cardinali prefetti della Sacra Congregazione del Concilio dalle origini ad oggi (1564-1964)." Apollinaris, XXXVII (1964), p. 129.

Birth. 1690, Forlì. Second of the two sons of Simone Merlini and Chara Fachinei.

Education. (No information found).

Priesthood. Ordained (no date found). Referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace, July 21, 1729; also, voter of the same tribunals. Ordinary judege of S. Michele. Secretary of the Apostolic Hospice. Relator of the S.C. of the Ecclesiastical Immunity. Canonois of the Apostolic Penitentiary. Pro-auditor Santissimo.

Episcopate. Elected titular archbishop of Atena, October 27, 1740. Consecrated, December 8, 1740, Rome, by Pope Benedict XIV. Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, December 11, 1740. Procurator of the Holy See to solve the controversy with the curia of Savoy, January 11, 1741. Nuncio in Sardinia and in Savoy, January 27, 1741 until December 1753. President of the State Urbino, with faculties of legate a latere, September 20, 1756 until December 10, 1759.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Prisca, July 21, 1760. Opted for the title of S. Marcello, April 12, 1762.

Death. November 12, 1762, Rome. Exposed and buried in the church of S. Marco, Rome, where the funeral took place.

Bibliography. Karttunen, Liisi. Les nonciatures apostoliques permanentes de 1650 à 1800. Genève : E. Chaulmontet, 1912, p. 250; Ritzler, Remigium, and Pirminum Sefrin. Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi. Volumen VI (1730-1799). Patavii : Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 21, 45, 48 and 104; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), II, 621; Weber, Christoph. Legati e governatori dello Stato Pontificio : 1550-1809. Roma : Ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali, Ufficio centrale per i beni archivistici, 1994. (Pubblicazioni degli archivi di Stato. Sussidi; 7) pp. 420 and 779.

Birth. October 15, 1713, Genoa.

Education. La Sapineza University, Rome (doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, November 23, 1736).

Early life. Vice-legate in Bologna. relator of the S.C. of the Sacred Consulta. Received the minor orders, March 15, 1744; subdiaconate, March 19, 1744; diaconate, March 22, 1744.

Priesthood. Ordained, March 25, 1744.

Episcopate. Elected titular archbishop of Laodicea, April 13, 1744. Consecrated, April 19, 1744, Rome, by Pope Benedict XIV. Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, April 19, 1744. Nuncio in Cologne, April 23, 1744. Nuncio in Switzerland, January 22, 1754. Nuncio in Spain, November 8, 1754.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Balbina, December 15, 1760. Legate in Bologna, July 13, 1761. Legate before Maria Giusepa, future queen of Naples, September 28, 1767. Legate in Ferrara for a triennium, January 25, 1768. Legate before Maria Carolina, future queen of Naples, March 14, 1768. Participated in the conclaves of 1769 and 1774-1775. Opted for the title of S. Cecilia, March 13, 1775. Opted for the order of bishops and the suburbicarian see of Palestrina, retaining his title in commendam, April 3, 1775.

Death. July 22, 1784, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Cecilia, Rome, where the funeral took place, and buried in that same church.

Birth. March 4, 1684, Venice.

Education. University of Padua, Padua (doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, December 30, 1709).

Priesthood. Ordained, August 4, 1709. Vicar general of Padua.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Padua, September 11, 1758. Consecrated (no information found). Succeeded Pope Clement XIII in that see.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; never received the red hat and the title.

Death. February 1, 1767, Padua. Exposed and buried in the cathedral of Padua.

Birth. April 27, 1695, Trevi, diocese of Spoleto.

Education. La Sapienza University, Rome (doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, March 20, 1719).

Priesthood. Ordained, March 31, 1736. Lawyer in the Roman Curia. Referendary of the Supreme Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Grace and of Justice. Fiscal procurator. Promotor of the Faith. Assessor of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition. Examiner of the prelates promoted to the episcopacy. Secretary of the Congregation of the Reform of the Breviary, 1741-1747.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Susanna, November 19, 1759.

Episcopate. Elected bishop of Rimini, September 24, 1759. Consecrated, October 14, 1759, Castelgandolfo, by Pope Clement XIII. Opted for the title of S. Croce in Gerusalemme, December 20, 1762.

Death. October 18, 1763, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Andrea delle Fratte, where the funeral took place, and buried in his title.

Birth. October 4, 1705, Milan. Of a noble family.

Education. Collegio San Carlo, Modena, 1715; Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles, Rome, 1724.

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). General treasurer and ordinary and commendatary general preceptor of the archhospital of S. Spirito in Sassia, Rome.

Birth. August 1, 1708, Gualdo, archdiocese of Ravenna. Son of Count Giacomo Fantuzzi, patrician from Ravenna, and Laura Gottifredi, Roman noblewoman. Baptized in San Giovanni in Compito.

Education. Collegio San Carlo, Modena, 1719; University of Pisa, Pisa (doctorate in law and mathematics); entered the ecclesiastical state in 1730 and went to Rome to study theology.

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). Member of the study of Msgr. Peralta, auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota, and later, his secretary. In the pontificate of Pope Benedict XIV, chamberlain of honor and prelate refrendary. Auditor of Cardinal Annibale Albani, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church. Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota. Auditor of the causes of the Apostolic Palace. Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary. Consultor of the S.C. of Rites.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Agostino, November 19, 1759. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, February 16, 1767. Opted for the title of S. Pietro in Vincoli, April 6, 1767. Participated in the conclaves of 1769 and 1774-1775. Prefect of the S.C. of the Ecclesiastical Immunity.

Death. October 1, 1778, Rome. Exposed and buried in his title.

Bibliography. Bernabei, Nicola. Vita del Cardinale Giovanni Morone, vescovo di Modena e biografie dei cardinali modenesi e di Casa d'Este, dei cardinali vescovi di Modena e di quelli educati in questo Collegio di San Carlo. Modena : Tipografica Rossi, 1885, pp. 291-293.

Birth. May 9, 1692, Florence. Of an aristocratic family. His baptismal name was Agostino Francesco.

Education. Studied grammar and rhetoric in the Jesuit school, Florence. Entered the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Fiesole, February 21, 1708; at his profession he took the name Giuseppe Agostino.

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). Master of studies for some time at the convent of San Marco, Florence. Professor of theology and prior, Collegio S. Tommaso d'Aquino, Rome, 1731-1734. Theologian of Cardinal Neri Corsini, nephew of Pope Clement XII, 1734-1738. Secretary of the S.C. of the Index, 1738. Master of the Sacred Palace (papal theologian, post traditionally occupied by a Dominican friar), 1749. Noted theologian, and ecclesiastical historian, he wrote profusely on dogmatics, apologetics, and church history.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Sisto, November 19, 1759.

Death. June 13, 1761, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, where the funeral took place, and buried in his title.

Birth. December 4, 1694, Iesi.

Education. (No information found).

Sacred orders. Received the subdiaconate, April 17, 1745; diaconate, June 12, 1745. Assessor of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition. Secretary of the S.C. of Bishops and Religious.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of Ss. Trinità al Monte Pincio, November 19, 1759. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, January 25, 1768. Participated in the conclave of 1769.

Death. November 15, 1773, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, Rome, where the funeral took place, and buried in his title.

Birth. January 24, 1685, Bergamo.

Education. Collegio Borromeo, Milan; University of Pavia, Pavia (doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law).

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). Civil lieutenent of the auditor general of the Apostolic Chamber. Secretary of the S.C. of the Tridentine Council.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of Ss. Quirico e Giulitta, November 19, 1759. Recognized philologist, historian, archeologist, and collector of ancient art and books. Promoted the excavations of Villa Adriana, Tivoli (1). His book on mosaics, De Musivis, became a classic on the subject. Left his personal library to his native city and it became the beginning of the current Mai Library.

Death. January 14, 1764, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva, where the funeral took place, and buried in the church of Ss. Bartolomeo ed Alessandro dei Bergamaschi, also called S. Maria della Pietà, Rome.

(1) It is said that Pope Benedict XIV offered him the cardinalate in exchange for two centaurs found in the excavations but that he refused.

Birth. February 24, 1689, Camerino.

Education. (No information found).

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). Secretary of the S.C. of Good Government.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni, November 19, 1759. Opted for the title of S. Stefano al Monte Celio, March 21, 1763. Participated in the conclave of 1769.

Death. December 14, 1770, Rome. Exposed in the church of S. Andrea delle Fratte, Rome, where the funeral took place, and buried in the Camerinense church of S. Venenzio, Rome.

Birth. October 31, 1705, Sant' Arcangelo di Romagna, diocese of Rimini. Eldest of the four children of Lorenzo Ganganelli, a medical doctor, and Angela Serafina Maria Mazza; her last name is also listed as Macci and Mazzi. He was baptized on November 2, 1705, in the parish of Sant'Agata.

Education. Studied with the Jesuits of Rimini and the Piarist Fathers of Urbino. Entered the Order of the Friars Minor Conventuals, May 15, 1723, Mondaino, Forlì; changed his baptismal name Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio to Lorenzo, his father's name; professed, May 18, 1724. Obtained a doctorate in theology, 1731.

Priesthood. Ordained (no information found). Lector of theology in Franciscan houses of study for several years. Recot of St. Boniface's, Rome, 1740. Definitor general of his order, 1741. In 1743 he dedicated his Diatriba theologica to St. Ignatius Loyola (1495-1556), founder of the Society of Jesus. Consultor of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, 1746. In 1753 and 1756, he declined the generalship of his order (some authors say because of desire for higher ofice). He was an accomplished theologian, loved music, poetry and horse riding.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the title of S. Lorenzo in Panisperna, November 19, 1759. It is said that he was created cardinal at the instance of Father Lorenzo Ricci, the superior general of the Jesuits (1). Opted for the title of Ss. XII Apostoli, March 29, 1762. Participated in the conclave of 1769. Until then, he had been regarded as a friend of the Jesuits but now he distanced himself from them.

Papacy. Elected pope on May 19, 1769; took the name Clement XIV; crowned, June 4, 1769, by Cardinal Alessandro Albani, protodeacon of S. Maria in Via Lata.

Episcopate. Consecrated bishop of Rome, May 28, 1769, patriarchal Vatican basilica, Rome, by Cardinal Federico Marcello Lante, bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina, vice-dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, assisted by Cardinals Giovanni Francesco Albano, bishop of Sabina, and Henry Benedict Mary Stuart, duke of York, bishop of Frascati. Pressured by several European monarchs, he suppressed the Society of Jesus on July 21, 1773, by the apostolic brief Dominus ac Redemptor, which he personally wrote.

Death. September 22, 1774. Exposed and buried, on September 27, 1774, in the patriarchal Vatican basilica. On January 21, 1802, transferred to the basilica of Ss. XII Apostoli, Rome, and buried in marble mausoleum sculpted by Antonio Canova.

Bibliography. Chapeau, O.S.B., André and Charles N. Bransom. "Franciscan bishops." Franciscan Studies, XLVIII (1988), 335; Rosa, Mario. "Clemente XIV." Enciclopedia dei papi. 3 vols. Roma : Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana, 2000, III, 475-492; Weber, Christoph and Becker, Michael. Genealogien zur Papstgeschichte. 6 v. Stuttgart : Anton Hiersemann, 1999-2002. (Päpste und Papsttum, Bd. 29, 1-6), IV, 572.

Birth. October 22, 1696, Naples.

Education. Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles, Rome, 1718.

Early life. Governot of Rieti, October 17, 1722. Cleric of the Apostolic Chamber, January 2, 1730. Treasurer general of the Apostolic Chamber.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal deacon in the consistory of September 24, 1759; received the red hat and the deaconry of S. Giorgio in Velabro, November 19, 1759. Participated in the conclave of 1769.

Death. February 24, 1772, Rome. Exposed in the basilica of Ss. XII Apostoli, Rome, where the funeral took place, and buried in the church of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Rome.