Giovanni Battista Caprara Italian statesman and cardinal Date of Birth: 29.05.1733 Country: Italy

1. Early Life and Career
2. Cardinal and Papal Legate
3. Negotiations for the Concordat of 1801
4. Cardinal Archbishop of Milan
5. Death and Legacy

Early Life and Career

Giovanni Battista Caprara Montecuccoli was born in Bologna in 1733, the son of Count Francesco Raimondo Montecuccoli and Countess Maria Vittoria Caprara. He adopted his mother's surname and was appointed Vice-Legate of Ravenna in 1758. Over the next two decades, he held numerous diplomatic posts as Nuncio to Cologne (1767), Lucerne (1775), and Vienna (1785).

Cardinal and Papal Legate

In 1792, Caprara was elevated to Cardinal and served as Archbishop of Milan from 1802 onwards. His diplomatic skills were recognized by Pope Pius VII, who appointed him Papal Legate to France in 1801.

Negotiations for the Concordat of 1801

Caprara played a key role in the negotiations that led to the Concordat of 1801, a treaty between the Papacy and the French Republic. He exhibited a conciliatory spirit, defying instructions from Rome to confront ten constitutional bishops appointed to newly created dioceses.

Cardinal Archbishop of Milan

In May 1802, Caprara was appointed Archbishop of Milan. In this capacity, he crowned Napoleon as King of Italy in 1805. He remained Papal Legate to France until the imprisonment of Pope Pius VII in 1809.

Death and Legacy

Caprara died in Paris in 1810, aged 77. Ill health saved him from involvement in Napoleon's divorce and second marriage scandal. He bequeathed his fortune to a hospital in Milan and was buried in the Panthéon in Paris, with his heart interred in Milan Cathedral.