Giovanni Battista Rinuccini

Giovanni Battista Rinuccini (1592-1653) was a Roman Catholic Archbishop in the mid seventeenth century. He was a noted scholar and rose through the ranks of priesthood to become the Archbishop of Fermo in Italy. He is best known for his time as Papal Nuncio to Ireland during the time of conflict known as the Irish Confederate Wars during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Related Topics:
1592 - 1653 - Roman Catholic - Fermo - Italy - Papal Nuncio - Ireland - Irish Confederate Wars - Wars of the Three Kingdoms

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He was sent to Ireland in 1645 by Pope Innocent X to help the Irish Confederate Catholics in their war against British Protestant rule, succeeding the Papal envoy there - Piero Francesco Scarampi. Rinuccini brought with him arms, ammunition and around £20,000 sterling to finance the Irish Catholic war effort. These supplies gave him a huge input into the Confederate's internal politics because the Nuncio doled out the money and arms for specific military projects, rather than handing it over to the Confederate government, or Supreme Council. Rinuccini hoped that by doing this he could influence the Confederate's strategic policy away from doing a deal with Charles I and the Royalists in the English Civil War and towards the foundation of an independent Catholic ruled Ireland. The Nuncio also had unrealistic hopes of using Ireland as a base to re-establish Catholicism in England. However, apart from some military successes such as the battle of Benburb the main result of Rinuccini's efforts was to aggravate the infighting between diffent factions within the Irish Confederates.

Related Topics:
Pope Innocent X - Irish '''Confederate Catholics''' - Protestant - Papal envoy - Piero Francesco Scarampi - Charles I - Royalists - English Civil War - Battle of Benburb

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The Confederate's Supreme Council was dominated by wealthy landed magnates, predominantly of Old English origin, who were anxious to come to a deal with the Stuart monarchy which would guarentee their land ownershp, full civil rights for Catholics, toleration of the Catholic religion. However, they were opposed by many within the Confederation, who wanted better terms, including the self-government for Ireland, a reversal of the Plantations of Ireland (land confiscations) and establishment of Catholicism as the state religion, including the re-possession of Protestant churches. Rinuccini backed the latter faction, which included most of the Catholic clergy and Irish military commanders such as Owen Roe O'Neill. In 1646, when the Supreme Council concluded a deal with James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, Charles I's representative in Ireland, that fell short of the militant's demands, Rinuccini excommunicated them and helped to get the Treaty voted down in the Confederate General Assembly. The Assembly had the members of the Supreme Council arrested for treason and elected a new Supreme Council.

Related Topics:
Old English - Plantations of Ireland - Protestant - Owen Roe O'Neill - 1646 - James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde - Excommunicated

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However, the following year, the Confederate's attempts to drive the remaining English (mainly Parliamentarian) armies from Ireland met with disaster at the battles of Dungans Hill and Knocknanauss. As a result, the chastened Confederates hastily concluded a new deal the English Royalists, to try to prevent a Parliamentarian conquest of Ireland in 1648. Although the terms of this second deal were better than the first one, Rinuccini again tried to overturn the treaty. However, on this occasion, the Catholic clergy were split on whether to accept the deal, as were the Confederate military commanders and the General Assembly. Ultimately, the treaty was accepted by the Confederation, which then dissolved itself and joined a Royalist coalition. Rinuccini backed Owen Roe O'Neill, who used his Ulster army to fight against his former comrades who had accepted the deal. However, O'Neill was unable to reverse the political balance and, despairing of the Catholic cause in Ireland, Rinnuccini left the country in 1649. In the same year, Oliver Cromwell led an English Paliamentarian re-conquest of the country, after which Catholicism was thoroughly repressed. The practice of Roman Catholicism was banned, Irish Catholic owned land was confiscated en masse and all Catholic clergy who were captured were executed.

Related Topics:
Parliamentarian - Dungans Hill - Knocknanauss - 1648 - Royalist - Owen Roe O'Neill - 1649 - Oliver Cromwell - Re-conquest

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Rinuccini returned to Rome, where he wrote an extensive account of his time in Ireland. He died in 1653.

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