Camillo Astalli

Camillo Astalli (21 October 1616 – 21 December 1663) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Cardinal-Nephew of Pope Innocent X who served as Cardinal Priest of San Pietro in Montorio (1653–1662), Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals (1661–1662), and Archbishop (personal title) of Catania (1661–1663).

Early life Camillo Astalli belonged to a noble but relatively poor family. He was born in Sambuci, at Tivoli, 21 October 1616 to Fulvio and Catherine Pinelli Astalli. He studied at the Roman College and in 1640 graduated from the Sapienza with a doctorate in civil and ecclesiastical law, commencing a career as a consistorial lawyer. Following his brother's marriage to Catherine Maidalchini Tiberius, the niece of Olimpia Maidalchini, sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X, he began his rise in the church hierarchy. (From this a number of records refer to Maidalchini as his cousin.)

He became the assistant to the Secretary of State, Cardinal Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli, who proposed him for the post of cardinal-nephew, which had been left vacant in 1647 by the resignation of the Cardinal Camillo Pamphilj.

Ecclesiastic career When first elected to the papal throne, Pope Innocent X had appointed his nephew, Camillo Pamphili as his Cardinal-Nephew. But Pamphili resigned his position to marry and was replaced by Francesco Maidalchini, nephew of Donna Olimpia Maidalchini. When Maidalchini proved to be a disgraceful failure, Innocent sought the advice of his Cardinal Secretary of State, Cardinal Panciroli who suggested Astalli. which elected Pope Alexander VII. He was later, rather ironically, appointed cardinal-protector of the Kingdom of Naples.

On 24 January 1661, the cardinals elected him to the post of Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals for the annual term (until 16 January 1662). On instructions of Philip IV, on 14 July 1661, he was elected during the papacy of Pope Alexander VII as Archbishop (personal title) of Catania. On 25 July 1661, he was consecrated bishop in the church of San Giacomo in Rome by Cardinal Federico Sforza, with Emilio Altieri, Bishop of Camerino, and by Alessandro Crescenzi, Bishop of Bitonto, serving as co-consecrators.

He died on 21 December 1663 in Catania and was buried in the metropolitan cathedral of Catania.