mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

Eleanor Herman
whom she could easily dominate. Cheerful, jolly, easygoing—exactly
the kind of man Olimpia would have been attracted to. She would
never stand for a man likely to demean her for being a woman.
Maybe Sforza saw the young man’s eyes follow his daughter’s sprightly
figure when she went to Mass. Or perhaps, at the annual procession of
Saint Rosa, Paolo Nini’s gaze lingered on her, and such a glance would
not be lost on the eagle-eyed Sforza. Here was the perfect solution to all
the family woes. If only Paolo could be enticed all the way to the altar
despite the pitiful dowry, Olimpia would have the worldly life she
longed for—a husband, household, children, and social position. The
Maidalchini family prestige would rise dramatically. The terrible priest
scandal would fade to a vague wisp of old gossip when compared with
the reality of the prosperous landowner’s wife.
In any event, it is likely that once Sforza was aware of the attraction,
he did everything humanly possible to encourage it. We can assume that
using his considerable charm, he invited Paolo to dinner, card parties,
and hunting expeditions, events where Paolo and Olimpia could spend
time getting to know each other. And we can assume that Olimpia, using
the considerable Maidalchini family charm she had inherited from
her father, did her level best to win the rich young bachelor.
Defenseless against the charms of both Sforza and Olimpia, Paolo
Nini agreed to marry her for a dowry of only five thousand scudi, shockingly
low given the wealth and social status of the groom. Paolo was
clearly smitten, willing to sacrifice money and reputation to marry the
scandalous Olimpia. The dowry documents were signed on May 18,
1608.
Some four months later, on September 29, seventeen-year-old Olimpia
married Paolo Nini in the ninth-century Church of Saint Sixtus.
The marriage of the richest man in town to the disgraced daughter of
the town tax collector was an exciting event for Viterbo, and hundreds
of guests must have crammed the church. Colorful tapestries would
have hung from the drab, cold walls and the domed apse behind the
altar, loaned by family and friends to add to the festive atmosphere.
The richly attired bride and groom would have walked down the
aisle and up the fifteen steps to the main altar of Saint Sixtus for the holy
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