ALBERO'NI, GIULIO, CARDINAL, the son of a poor vine-dresser, was born on the 31st of May, 1664, at Firenzuola in Parma. From being Merely a chorister in a church at Piacenza, he quickly rose, through his abilities, to the dignity of chaplain and favorite of count Roncovieri, bishop of St. Donino. He was afterwards sent to Madrid as chargé d'affaires, by the duke of Parma, where he gained the favor of Philip V. of Spain, and had the honors successively conferred on him of grandee, cardinal, and prime minister. In this last capacity he was of singularly great service to Spain, overthrow ing the intriguing family of Ursini, bringing about the second marriage of Philip V. with Elizabeth Farnese, and stimulating the expiring energies of Spain. A new life dawned upon the nation, which learned to forget the hardships it had suffered in the Spanish wars of succession ; although, on the other hand, it must be admitted that it was principally through his instrumentality that the last liberties and rights of the people were sacrificed in favor of absolutism. He was ambitious, and ambition is always despotic and unscrupulous ; hence, to gratify the covetous desires of his new mistress, he suddenly invaded Sardinia, in violation of the peace of Utrecht, cherishing the hope of re-establishing the monarchy of Charles V. and Philip II., and startling Europe by his insolent audacity. The regent of France broke off his alliance with Spain, and united himself with England and the emperor; but A. was not dismayed. Even when the Spanish fleet in the Mediterranean was destroyed by an English one, he contemplated an extensive war by land, in which all the European powers would have been entangled.
He patronized the pretender, to annoy England, and the French Protestants, to annoy Louis. He sought to unite Peter of Russia and Charles XII. with him, to plunge Austria into a war with the Turks, to stir up an insurrection in Hungary, and, through his influence with one of the parties at the French court, he actually accomplished the arrest of the regent himself (the duke of Orleans). But so universal became the com plaints against A., that Philip lost courage, and concluded a treaty of peace, the chief condition of which was that the cardinal should be dismissed, which was effected through the influence of Elizabeth herself, now weary of the arrogance of her late favorite. On the 20th of Dec., 1720, A. received a command to quit Madrid within 24 hours, and the kingdom within 5 days. Exposed to the vengeance of every power whose hatred he had drawn upon himself, he knew no land where he could remain. Not even to Rome could he venture, for Clement was more bitterly inimical to him than any secular potentate. He wandered about in disguise, and under fictitious names. At length he was imprisoned in the Genoese territory, through the solicitation of the pope and the Spanish monarch ; but he speedily recovered his liberty, and two years after the death of Clement, was reinstated by Innocent XIII. in all the rights and dignities of a cardinal. In 1740 he retired to Piacenza, where he died twelve years after (June 26, 1752) at the age of 88. He bequeathed his possessions in Lombardy to Philip V., while his cousin and heir. Cmsar A., became possessor of 1,000,000 ducats.