mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

Mistress of the Vatican
audience hall. When he arrived, she vented her fury, accusing him of
masterminding Astalli’s promotion to ruin her and Cardinal Maidalchini.
She threatened him. She cursed him. But Cardinal Panciroli,
who must have been delighted that for the first time in the six-year pontificate
he would no longer have to share his power with Olimpia,
gravely replied that “things did not, as she might think, depend upon
his councels, but upon the Popes inclinations, who lov’d to do what he
pleased, and nothing else.” 7
Olimpia stirred up her daughters’ families, both of whom had been
hoping to have one of their relatives named the new nephew. Prince
Ludovisi, who took all of his family disappointments out on his helpless
wife, yelled at Costanza that the pope held the Maidalchini relatives in
greater esteem than the Pamphilis. If he had married Olimpia’s niece,
instead of the pope’s niece, his reward would have been far more honorable.
Andrea Giustiniani believed the pope was going senile. How else
could he choose as nephew his brother’s wife’s half-brother’s daughter’s
husband’s brother, which was a stretch even for Italian concepts of family?
Princes Giustiniani and Ludovisi galloped out of Rome in a huff.
Olimpia and her in-laws were not the only ones shocked at the choice
of nephew. Though handsome and charming, Cardinal Astalli-Pamphili
had very little in the way of diplomatic experience and found himself
suddenly standing in for the pope. Cardinal Pallavicino wrote,
“This was done to the wonder of the court which saw in Astalli only
mediocrity and nothing so distinguished or attractive as to warrant such
advantages.” 8
On October 8, Teodoro Amayden wrote, “The court believes that
the pope preferred a youth without experience to all of them, among
whom are men of great merit.” 9
Leti stated, “This astonished the whole court, seeing a man elevated
to such an important position to assist the pope in the most urgent
matters of state and in all other political affairs while he was still
so inexperienced, not having had the occasion to receive instruction in
the management of such affairs.” 10 Others found it odd that the new
cardinal nephew, assigned the responsibility of conducting foreign affairs,
had never been more than a few miles from Rome in his life.
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