mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

Mistress of the Vatican
vice. Hadn’t Olimpia herself managed to wrap him around her little
finger when she was at the height of her beauty? He was still tightly
wrapped, of course, but that might not last long with the princess of
Rossano prancing before him, flashing him brilliant smiles, batting her
long black lashes, and playing the sexy dancing Salome to Innocent’s
entranced Herod.
Europe’s elite were kept well informed of the romantic stalemate in
Rome, which provoked much laughter, speculation, and wagering. On
December 20, 1646, Cardinal Mazarin wrote a friend that Olimpia
“feared that the princess would take ascendancy over the spirit of His
Holiness.” 6 Gregorio Leti explained that Olimpia “feared that the pope
would have greater pleasure in talking with a young niece than with an
old sister-in-law.” 7
Olimpia resolved to put a stop to it. No, she would never tolerate the
union. If Camillo insisted on marrying, Olimpia would find him a girl
of excellent connections to be sure, but a lumpish girl—awkward, painfully
shy, and humbly obedient. Pimples would be a great advantage, as
well as pigeon toes, bad teeth, a flat chest, and eyes that were ever so
slightly crossed.
And she had just such a girl in mind. Lucrezia Barberini was now an
unattractive seventeen-year-old, her eyebrows bushier than ever, living
in French exile with her uncle, Cardinal Antonio. By marrying Camillo
to Lucrezia, the Barberinis could come back immediately and remain
forever grateful to Olimpia, especially in the next conclave. And the
timid Lucrezia would never have the nerve to interfere in papal policy.
But Camillo remained firm. He would never marry Lucrezia Barberini.
Never. He was in love with the princess of Rossano. According
to French reports, the unhappy cardinal made desperate threats— perhaps
suicidal in nature—and Olimpia was close to bursting with rage.
The French envoy Saint-Nicolas reported to Mazarin in January 1647
that the pope was, as usual, torn by indecision. Certainly he was delighted
at the idea of getting rid of his useless cardinal nephew. He also
sympathized with the young man, in love, wanting to do the honorable
thing and continue the Pamphili family line. And clearly Camillo could
not have picked a more magnificent bride.
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