(Maffeo Barberini; r. 1623-1644)
Born in Florence in 1568 to a well-to-do family of merchants, Maffeo Barberini received a Jesuit education, his ecclesiastic career promoted by his uncle, an apostolic protonotary. He graduated with a degree in law from the University of Pisa in 1589. Pope Paul V gave Maffeo the cardinalate in 1606 after serving as legate in France and, in 1623, he ascended the papal throne as Urban VIII. Among the most nepotistic of popes, he immediately granted favors to his family members. He elevated his brother Antonio and nephews Francesco and Antonio to the cardinalate, and his nephew Taddeo he appointed prefect of Rome and prince of Palestrina. Later, he also appointed Francesco vice-chancellor and the younger Antonio commander of the papal army. In 1626, Urban added the Duchy of Urbino to the Papal States by forcing the aging Duke Francesco Maria della Rovere to cede the territory to the papacy. In 1641, he seized the territory of Castro when Duke Odoardo Farnese defaulted on his interest payments. Castro was returned to the Farnese in 1644 after a peace agreement was reached between them and Urban. Urban did much to embellish the city of Rome. Already as cardinal he had patronized artists such as Pietro Bernini, Francesco Mochi, and Ludovico Carracci. As pope, he appointed Gian Lorenzo Bernini as his official artist and promoted the painters Nicolas Poussin, Pietro da Cortona, and Andrea Sacchi.
See also Barberini family.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.