Mettere fine al loro «Imperio Napolitano». L’ossessione di Paolo V per la rimozione di Francisco de Castro, ambasciatore spagnolo a Roma (1611-1616)

Abstract

The essay investigates the diplomatic relationships between the apostolic See and the Kingdoms of Spain, during the pontificate of Paul V Borghese, with a particular focus on the 1611-1617 period. In those years, the intolerance of the pope and the cardinal nephew, Scipione Borghese, towards Francisco de Castro, the Spanish ambassador in Rome, was growing firmly. The papal family was worried about the excessive closeness of the ambassador’s family (the Lemos) with the former cardinal nephew Pietro Aldobrandini, who was considered their enemy. The Borgheses also condemned the ambassador’s policy, who, in cooperation with his brother, Fernando de Lemos, viceroy of Naples, was believed to pursue his personal interests in order to strengthen their presence in Italy, also known as the Lemos’ own «Neapolitan Empire». This situation was the cause of the origin of a real obsession for the Borgheses, so that they requested the substitution of Castro with a more favorably disposed ambassador, in order to protect their political success. As a consequence, the request became a conditio sine qua non that strongly influenced other negotiations between the courts of Rome and Madrid.