ALBERONI, iirbti-ro'ne, CI—Irmo, CARDINAL (1664-1752). An Italian prelate. minister of Philip V. of Spain. He was the son of poor vine-dresser, and was born at Firenzuola, in Parma. From a chorister in a church at Piacen za, lie quickly rose, through his abilities, to the dignity of chaplain and favorite of Count Roncovieri, Bishop of San Donino. After some diplomatic fe•vice in Italy and a visit to Paris. lie was sent by the Duke of Parma as charge d'affaires to Madrid, where he speedily gained the favor of Philip V. He brought about the king's marriage to Elizabeth Farnese, over threw the powerful Countess Orsini. and rapidly became grandee. cardinal, and prime minister (1717). Into the languid body of moribund Spain lie infused new energy, invigorated her government, revived her commerce and her manu factures. reconstructed her army, rebuilt her fleet. But Alberoni was ambitious, and in order to gratify the covetous desires of Elizabeth Farnese, lie suddenly invaded Sardinia, in violation of the Peace of Utrecht, cherishing the hope of reitstab lishing the monarchy of Charles V. and Philip II., and startling Europe by his insolent audae ity. The regent of France broke off his alliance with Spain. and united himself with England and Austria. Alberoni was not dismayed. Even when the Spanish fleet in the Mediterra nean was destroyed by an English one, he con templated an extensive war by land, in which all the European powers were to have been en tangled. He patronized the Pretender, to annoy England. and the French Protestants, to annoy France. Ile to unite Peter the Great and Charles XII. with him. to plunge Austria into
a war with the Turks. and to stir imp an insurrec tion in Hungary; and. through his influence with one of the parties at the French court, lie actu ally accomplished the arrest of the regent himself (the Duke of Orleans). But so universal be came the complaints against Alberoni. that Philip lost courage, and made peace, agreeing to the dismissal of the Cardinal. In 1719 Alberoni received a command to quit Madrid within eight days and the kingdom within three weeks. Exposed to the vengeance of every power whose hatred he had drawn upon himself, he knew no land where he could remain. Not oven to Rome could he venture, for Clement XI. was more bit terly inimical to him than was any secular poten tate. 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 X111. in all the rights and dignities of a car dinal. In 1740 he retired to Piacenza, where he died twelve years after, at the age of eighty eight. He bequeathed his possessions in Lom bardy to Philip V., while his cousin and heir, Cesare Alberoni, became possessor of 1,000.000 (bleats. Consult: Roussel, If istoirc flu ('ordinal Alberoni (The Hague, 1719, English translation, London, 1719) ; Bersani, Sto•ia del eardinale Giulio Alberoni (Piacenza, 1862).