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 Confederate Ireland during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... Events February 2 - New Amsterdam (later renamed New York City) is incorporated. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... A Papal Nuncio (also known as an Apostolic Nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic representative (head of mission) of the Holy See to a state, having ambassadorial rank. ... Confederate Ireland refers to a brief period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. ... The Wars of the Three Kingdoms include an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, Ireland, and England between 1639 and 1651 which included the Bishops Wars of 1639 and 1640, the Scottish Civil War of 1644-5; the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Confederate Ireland, 1642-9 and...

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 - 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. Diego Velazquez portrait, which Innocent X found too truthful Innocent X, né Giovanni Battista Pamphili (May 6, 1574 - January 5, 1655), Pope from 1644 to 1655, was born in Rome in 1574, attained the dignity of cardinal in 1629. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The name Charles I is used to refer to numerous persons in history: Kings: Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland Charles I of France (also known as Charles the Bald) Charles I of Spain (also known as Charles V of the German Empire) Charles I of Romania Charles I... The noun or adjective, Royalist, can have several shades of meaning. ... The English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, specifically to the first (1642–1645) and second (1648–1649) civil wars between the supporters of King Charles I and the supporters of... The Battle of Benburb took place in 1646 in the Irish Confederate Wars, the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. ...

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 (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. For the language Old English, see Old English language. ... A sugarcane plantation at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 2005 A plantation is a large tract of monoculture, as a tree plantation, a cotton plantation, a tea plantation or a tobacco plantation. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Eoghan Rua Ó Néill, anglicised as Owen Roe ONeill (c. ... Events Ongoing events English Civil War (1642-1649) Births April 15 - King Christian V of Denmark (d. ... James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde (October 19, 1610 - 1688) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ...

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 and all Catholic clergy who were captured executed. A parliamentarian is a specialist in parliamentary procedure. ... The Battle of Dungans Hill took place in Meath, in eastern Ireland in August 1647. ... The Battle of Knocknanauss was fought in 1647, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, between Confederate Ireland’s Munster army and an English Parliamentarian army under Inchiquinn. ... Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... The noun or adjective, Royalist, can have several shades of meaning. ... Eoghan Rua Ó Néill, anglicised as Owen Roe ONeill (c. ... Events January 30 - King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. ... Unfinished portrait miniature of Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper, 1657. ... Oliver Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of the English Parliament in 1649. ...

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

See also

• Roman Catholicism

• Confederate Ireland

• Wars of the Three Kingdoms

• History of Ireland

Sources The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Confederate Ireland refers to a brief period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. ... The Wars of the Three Kingdoms include an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, Ireland, and England between 1639 and 1651 which included the Bishops Wars of 1639 and 1640, the Scottish Civil War of 1644-5; the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Confederate Ireland, 1642-9 and... Ireland is an island in north-western Europe. ...

• Padraig Lenihan, Confederate Catholics at War, Cork 2001.
• Micheal O Siochru, Confederate Ireland 1642-49, Dublin 1999
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer (eds.), The Civil Wars, Oxford 1998
• Tadhg Ó hAnnracháin, Reformation and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in Ireland: The Mission of Rinuccini, 1645-49, Oxford, 2001