Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/309

 CONSALVI

263

CONSALVI

to restore better conditions in the Papal States. He abolished the custom of furnishing food to the people at low prices, introduced free trade, with- drew from circulation all depreciated money, and ad- mitted a large number of lajinen to Government offices. He did much to embellish Rome and to make it an art-centre by designing public promen- ades along the Tiber, restoring the ancient monu- ments, and filling the museums with statues un- earthed by excavations made under his direction. In his negotiations with the various courts or Govern- ments of Europe he was ever watchful in safeguard- ing the interests of the Holy See, both temporal and spiritual, the latter especially, in which the pope as the head of Christendom was primarily concerned. In this respect he rendered an incalculable service to religion in signing the French Concordat. The nego- tiations commenced for that purpose by Monsignor Spina, Archbishop of Corinth, and Father Caselli, former Superior General of the Servites, seemed to lag; in order not to interrupt them completely Con- Balvi was sent to Paris in June, 1801. Long and painful discussions followed with Napoleon Bona- parte, then First Consul of the French Republic, or his commissioners, until finally, on the loth of July, the Concordat was signed by the papal and the French commissioners, and afterwards ratified by the pope and the French Government. Consalvi left immediately for Rome, where he arrived on the 6th of August. With what are known as the "Or- ganic Articles", added by the French Government to the Concordat, Consalvi had nothing to do; on the contrarj' he condemned them unequivocally as de- structive of the Concordat, of which they pretended to be commentaries. He was also prominent in the negotiations that preceded the Italian Concordat, concluded with the Cisalpine Republic on the 16th of September, 180.3.

When Napoleon was proclaimed emperor in 1804, Consalvi urged Pius VII to accept Bonaparte's invi- tation to crown him as the new sovereign of France, and during the pope's absence (November, 1804, to May, 1805) Consalvi acted as his representative to the entire satisfaction of his master. When the discussions be- tween Napoleon and Pius VII commenced, Consalvi fltis blamed for the refusal of the pope to consider hjm.self a vassal of the French emperor. The sus- picions of Napoleon were confided to Cardinal Fesch, ttten French ambassador at Rome ; and the dismissal 01 Consalvi was insisted upon. Consalvi, hoping to sacure peace for his master, asked repeatedly to be raieved; but only after long hesitation did the pope cansent to the demand. Consalvi left the secre- tariate of state on 17 June, 1806, but was often con- silted privately on matters of importance. The im- perial persecution of the pope reached its clima.x with the annexation of the Papal States to the French Einpire (20 June, 1809), and the deportation of the pope to Savona during the night of 5-6 July. Cbnsalvi was forced to depart from Rome, 10 De- ceniber following; in company with Cardinal di Pietro he journeyed to Paris, where he arrived 20 February, 1810. There he lived in retirement as much as po.ssible, and refused a pension of 30,000 francs assigned to him by the French Government. On the occasion of Napoleon's marriage to the Arch- duchess Marie Louise of Au.stria. Consalvi with twelve other cardinals declined to assist at the civil and re- ligious ceremony, held 1-2 April, 1810, though he was present at the semi-solemn reception at Saint- Cloud. 31 March, and went also to the Tuileries in Paris for the great reception, on 3 April. He did not wish to appear as approving the second marriage of Napoleon, as long as the pope had not pronounced Ml the validity of the first. Napoleon was .so in- censed at his action, that he expelled liim with the sther cardinals of like sentiments from the Tuileries

on 3 April, and in the first moment of pa.ssion gave orders to have him shot. However, he modified his rash judgment and decreed that Consalvi and the twelve other cardinals should be deprived of their property and of their cardinalitial dignity. From that moment these princes of the Church were com- pelled to wear black garments, whence their name of "black cardinals", and on 11 June they were all banished to various cities of France. Consalvi was sent to Reims; it was there in his enforced retire- ment that he wrote his memoirs. Set free on 26 January, 1813, he hastened to Pius VII, then at Fontainebleau. At his suggestion the pope re- tracted (24 March) the concessions made to Napoleon in a Brief from Savona and in a new concordat agreed upon at Fontainebleau; as a consequence Consalvi was restricted in his free intercourse with the pope. When Pius VII left Fontainebleau for Italy (23 January, 1814) Consalvi followed a few days afterwards, at first under a military escort as far as Beziers. Having heard of Napoleon's abdica- tion in Fontainebleau (11 .'^pril, 1814) he asked for a passport and rejoined Pius VII in Italy. He was at once reappointed secretary of state by papal letter written from Foligno, 19 May, 1814.

Before taking office Consalvi went to Paris for the purpose of claiming from the allied Powers of Europe the restoration of the Papal States under the sovereign- ty of the pope. With the same object in view he went also to England, and assisted afterwards at the Con- gress of Vienna (September, 1814, to June, 1815). He was successful in his negotiations, and obtained the restitution of all papal territory such as it had been before the French Revolution, with the excep- tion of Avignon, Venaissin, and a small strip of land in the legation of Ferrara. After his return to Rome Consalvi continued to work for the welfare of the Papal States and of the Church. He abolished the ancient pri\-ileges of the nobility and of the papal cities, devised a new plan of administration for the papal territorj', readjusted the finances, prepared a new civil and criminal code of laws, reorganized the system of education, and proWded for public safety. He continued the elaboration of his plans for the embellishment of Rome and the improvement of the Campagna; he endeavoured, as already said, to make Rome a centre of art, and extended his protection to such famous artists as Canova and Thorwaldsen. At the same time he maintained with firmness the rights and sovereignty of the pope. W'hen in 1817 the Carbonari tried to bring about a rebellion, a few of their leaders were prosecuted, banished, or im- prisoned; and in 1821 a Bull was issued against these disturbers. During this period several con- cordats or similar agreements were concluded with foreign Powers: with Bavaria in 1817, with Prussia and the princes of the Upper Rhine in 1821, with Hanover in 1823, with Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia in 1817, with King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies in 1818. The new French Concordat concluded in 1817 with King Louis XVIII never received legal force in France; hence that of 1801 continued in ex- istence. The career of Consalvi came to an end with the death of Pius VII (20 August, 1823). After his retirement his thoughts were devoted to the erection of a monmnent at St. Peter's in honour of his former master: only a few months afterwards he was carried himself to his tomb in San Lorenzo, while his heart was taken to the Pantheon. Ap- propriate monuments were erected to his memory in both places.

Ercole Consalvi is to be regarded as one of the greatest statesmen who has ever served the papal court; his eminent qualities were at all times apparent during the great trials of the papacy. If not always successful in his enterprises, it was largely because of the scarcity of means at his disposal and the prejudice*