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mistress of the vatican.pdf - End Time Deception

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Eleanor Herman<br />

her extensive Viterban properties. Family archives contain several letters<br />

to Vittoria from both Olimpia and Pamphilio regarding <strong>the</strong> rents, crops,<br />

and improvements. There are no extant letters from Olimpia or Pamphilio<br />

to Sforza, with whom relations were, apparently, strained.<br />

In a letter to her mo<strong>the</strong>r dated October 11, 1622, Olimpia wrote, “I<br />

saw what Your Excellency said in your letter <strong>of</strong> September 27, and I did<br />

not fail to immediately write a letter to my fa<strong>the</strong>r, which you will see<br />

here enclosed. If it seems appropriate to you <strong>the</strong>n pass it on to him. I<br />

have tried to write lovingly so that he no longer has any doubts.” At<br />

Christmastime, Olimpia sent warm seasonal greetings to her mo<strong>the</strong>r,<br />

adding, “and to signor fa<strong>the</strong>r, too.” 5<br />

Sforza died in <strong>the</strong> late spring <strong>of</strong> 1623 at about <strong>the</strong> age <strong>of</strong> sixty-three,<br />

suffering agonizing stomach pains. According to a letter Pamphilio<br />

wrote to Vittoria Gualtieri on July 22, 1623, Sforza had never finished<br />

paying <strong>the</strong> dowry he had promised Olimpia in 1612. Now Pamphilio<br />

wanted <strong>the</strong> money out <strong>of</strong> Sforza’s estate. It is not known if he ever obtained<br />

it. Certainly, coming on top <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> convent story, <strong>the</strong> dowry issue<br />

must have been an additional source <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fa<strong>the</strong>r-daughter rupture.<br />

It is uncertain when Olimpia’s mo<strong>the</strong>r died. The last letter written to<br />

her in <strong>the</strong> family archives is dated 1629. But in <strong>the</strong>ir Viterban convent,<br />

Olimpia’s sisters would live to old age in excellent health. From Naples,<br />

Olimpia <strong>of</strong>ten sent her sisters little comforts—macaroni, sweets, and linen<br />

undergarments. She frequently mentioned Ortensia and Vittoria in her<br />

letters to her mo<strong>the</strong>r, and probably wrote <strong>the</strong>m letters that are now lost.<br />

Pope Gregory XV was never entirely healthy during his pontificate and<br />

let his nephew, whom he promoted to cardinal, rule for him. “Just give<br />

me something to eat and you can take care <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rest,” <strong>the</strong> pope said. 6<br />

On July 8, 1623, Gregory died. “After <strong>the</strong> death <strong>of</strong> Gregory <strong>the</strong> treasury<br />

was empty and aggravated by huge debts, without anyone knowing<br />

how this occurred,” <strong>the</strong> Roman diarist Giacinto Gigli wrote. The pope<br />

had given everything to his relatives, “who in twenty-nine months accumulated<br />

<strong>the</strong> greatest riches.” 7<br />

The city <strong>of</strong> Rome tumbled into anarchy, which was usual when <strong>the</strong><br />

q<br />

[ 72 ]

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