Captain General of The Church - List of Captains General

List of Captains General

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Captain General Portrait Appointing Pope Notes
Charlemagne* Leo III
(798-816)
"It is safest to conclude that the pope desired that the royal patrician should regard himself as captain-general of the church, and that he should in that capacity be entitled to the military services of its subjects, when called on by the church to interfere for the protection of her temporary rights."
Guillaume Durand Martin IV (1281-1285)
James II of Aragon Boniface VIII
(1294-1303)
Gonfalonier, Admiral, and Captain General of the Church; compelled to wage war against his own brother (c.f. Sicilian Vespers)
Philip VI of France Benedict XII (1334-1342) Circa August 1336
Juan Fernández de Heredia Innocent VI (1352-1362)
Daniele del Carretto Gregory XI (1370-1378)
Carlo I Malatesta Boniface IX
(1389-1404)
"temporary vicar and captain-general of the church"
Braccio da Montone Gregory XII (1406-1415) Appointed in 1414; "Used the army nominally belonging to the Pope to conquer Perugia for himself"
Ranuccio Farnese il Vecchio Eugene IV
(1431-1447)
Appointed 1435; grandfather of Pope Paul III
Niccolò Piccinino Appointed June 6, 1442; Condottiero; also the commander of the Duke of Milan's forces and thus "one of the first concrete indications" of the alliance between the pope and Milan
Jacques Cœur Nicholas V (1447-1455) Died as Captain General
Ludovico Trevisan Callixtus III (1455-1458) Trevisan played an important role in organizing the naval campaign against the Ottomans in December 1455, both responsible for the construction of the papal navy and appointed "apostolic legate, governor general, captain and general condottiere" in charge of it.
Giovanni I Ventimiglia, Marquess of Geraci (1445 and 1455)
Pedro Luis de Borja Also Prefect of Rome Not to be confused with Pedro Luis de Borja Lanzol de Romaní
Antonio Piccolomini Pius II
(1458-1464)
Son of the sister of Pius II; lay relative; salary of 2000 ducats a year and castellan of Castel Sant'Angelo; hereditary principate as Duke of Amalfi, conferred through King Ferrante, an office held by later papal relatives as well
Girolamo Riario Sixtus IV
(1471-1484)
Pazzi conspirator; brother of cardinal-nephew Pietro Riario; title later removed
Franceschetto Cybo Innocent VIII (1484-1492) Illegitimate son of Innocent VIII
Roberto Eustachio Former condottiero for Milan; led the campaign against Alfonso of Calabria; later returned to the service of the Republic of Venice
Niccolò di Pitigliano (Orsini) Appointed June 27, 1489, in the midst of a conflict with Ferrante
Giovanni Borgia Alexander VI
(1492-1503)
Son; also Duke of Gandia and Gonfalonier; assassinated, perhaps by his brother Cesare
Cesare Borgia Son; former cardinal-nephew, also Gonfalonier; often accused of Giovanni's assassination, either directly or indirectly. Julius II, the "Warrior Pope", refused to confirm Cesare upon his election.
Francesco Maria I della Rovere Julius II
(1503-1513)
Son of Julius II's brother, Giovanni, and the adopted heir of Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino; retained for one year after Julius II's death, paid 13,844 ducats plus a 30,000 ducat allowance for his company of 200 men-at-arms and 100 light cavalry
Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici Leo X
(1513-1521)
Giuliano's son Giulio (future Pope Clement VII) was papal legate to the army
Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino Appointed after the death of Giuliano in 1516; initially commanded the papal army in the War of Urbino (1517)
Bernardo Dovizi Appointed after the wounding of Lorenzo; commanded the papal army in the War of Urbino (1517)
Federico II, Duke of Mantua Son of Isabella d'Este; also Gonfalonier; did not intervene in the Sack of Rome (1527)
Adrian VI (1522-1523)
Francesco Maria I della Rovere Clement VII
(1523-1535)
Reappointed by Clement VII after his Dukedom had been stripped by Leo X and then reinstated by Adrian IV
Pier Luigi Farnese Paul III
(1534-1549)
Appinted February 2, 1537l; son of Paul III and former Gonfaloniere (appointed January 1535); held both titles simultaneously
Giambattista del Monte Julius III
(1550-1555)
Nephew of Julius III
Guidobaldo II della Rovere
Giovanni Carafa Paul IV (1555-1559) Appointed after the resignation of Guidobaldo; nephew of Paul IV; allegedly "affable and incompetent"
Marcantonio Colonna Gregory XIII (1572-1585) Led the papal fleet during the Battle of Lepanto (1571)
Taddeo Barberini Urban VIII
(1623-1644)
Brother of cardinal-nephew Antonio Barberini
Antonio Ottoboni Alexander VIII (1689-1691)

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