The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

MICHELE BONELLI. "]"]
son of Domenica Bonelli, named Antonio, to study at the
Germanicum. This man had followed in his uncle's footsteps,
and had entered the Dominican order, taking the name of
Michele. At the time of the Pope's election this great-nephew,
who was then twenty-live years of age, was studying at
Perugia. At the very commencement of the pontificate it
was said in Rome that Michele Bonelli would be made a
Cardinal,^ and indeed, on March 6th, 1566, he was received
into the Sacred College. ^ The Pope had only allowed himself
to be persuaded to take this step at the urgent request of all
the Cardinals and the Spanish ambassador, who pointed out
to him the necessity of the appointment of a trustworthy
confidant for the carrying out of his many duties.^
Cardinal Alessandrino, as Bonelli was called, remained.
1 *Avviso di Roma of January 12, 1566, Vatican Library. See
App. n. 3. In his *report of February 27, 1566, C. Aldrovandi
describes Michele Bonelli as " giovane di buoni costumi." State
Archives, Bologna.
^ At first Bonelli stayed for some days in secret in the Dominican
convent at the Minerva ;
he presented himself at the Vatican for
the first time on March 2 ; see the *letter of Cusano of March 2,
1566, State Archives, Vienna, and the *Avviso di Roma of March
2, 1566, Urb. 1040, p. 187b, Vatican Library. Ihid. 185b, an
Avviso di Roma of Februr.ry 24, 1566, according to which the
envoy from Alessandria asked for the promotion of the Pope's
nephew. The college of jurists at Alessandria also sent a special
mission ;
see Riv. d' Alessandria, XV., 483.
^ For the nomination of Michele Bonelli on March 6, 1566, c/.,
besides Legaz. di Serristori, 424, and Tiepolo in Torne, 241 seq.,
the *reports of Babbi of March 5 and 7, 1566 (State Archives,
Florence), the P.S. to the *report of Arco of March 5, with the
account of the consistory of March 6, 1566 (State Archives, Vienna),
and the report of F. Borgia to the Jesuit rector at Genoa on
March 8, 1566, in Suau, II., 129 seq. See further Corresp. de
Granvelle ed. Poullet, II., 154
; Ciaconius, III., 1029 seq. ;
LiTTA,, 80 ; Mazzuchklli, II., 3, 1593 ; Gulik-Eubel, 47
Cardella, v., no seq. For the tomb of Bonelli see Berthier,
Minerve, 259 seq. His portrait by Scipione Pulzone in Cosmos
illusir., 1904, 25.