Francesco Alidosi (1455-24 May 1511) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church and a condottiero during the Italian Wars, fighting as a general of the Papal States. Alidosi was well-known for his cruelty in battle, his patronage of the arts, and his status as a lover of Pope Julius II, both before and during his papacy.
Biography[]
Alidosi in 1498
Francesco Alidosi was born in Castel del Rio, Italy in 1455, and he became the secretary to the future Pope Julius II when he embarked on a journey to France in 1494. Alidosi became lovers with the future Pope, with Cardinal Ascanio Sforza astutely noting that he always chose the "prettiest" secretaries. In 1504, he became bishop of Mileto, and in 1505 he was sent to the See of Pavia. That same year, he became a cardinal, and he served as an intermediary between the artist Michelangelo and the Pope, as he was a patron of the arts.
Alidosi was known for his cruelty, and on 27 June 1508 he executed several Bolognese leaders for allegedly conspiring with Venice against the Papal States during the Italian Wars, and Cardinal Pietro Bembo claimed that there was nothing holy in Alidosi. On 29 May 1509, Alidosi led the capture of Ravenna, and in 1510 he was recalled to Rome to deliver the complaints of the Bolognese. On 24 February 1510, Alidosi negotiated a peace treaty with the Republic of Venice, and the Bolognese accused him of siding with France while the Papal States were fighting against Venice. Francesco Maria I della Rovere had him handcuffed and imprisoned for treason, but he would later be released; Alidosi spent time in prison many times for alleged treason. On 24 May 1511, he was stabbed in the side while riding a mule, with the Pope signalling the assassins with a salute to Alidosi. His cheek and ear were cut with a pike, and another guard proceeded to deal him the mortal blow.