Nepotism

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Nepotism

Nepotism is the act of showing favoritism to one's family or friends, usually by granting them jobs, offices, or titles. Although the term nepotism emerged only in the later years of the Renaissance, the practice goes back to the ancient world. Ancient Romans believed that individuals could rely only on their relatives to protect their interests. They considered nepotism an act of pietas, the duty a child owed to its parents or the living owed to deceased relatives.

Nepotism was widespread in the Renaissance, and society tended to look down on powerful people who did not assist their own family members. Rulers and political leaders provided relatives with offices and riches. They believed that the relatives they favored would be more likely to support them. Besides, money and titles given to relatives remained in the family. Business owners also preferred to hire relatives.

High church officials used nepotism as well, both to secure power and to gain support. Popes often appointed nephews (nipote, the Italian word from which nepotism comes) as bishops and cardinals. One popular strategy was for a pope to grant titles and land in the Papal States* to relatives. This policy not only helped enrich the family, it put papal* relatives in a position to offer material, political, and military aid to the pope against his rivals. Most people expected the pope to support and promote his relatives.

Pope Sixtus IV (1471–1484) used nepotism extensively. Six of the 34 new cardinals he appointed were relatives. While many of these cardinals were notable for their immoral behavior, they helped support and maintain the papacy. However, Pope Julius II (1503–1513), a nephew of Sixtus IV, used nepotism solely to support his family.

Various church councils attempted to reform the system. For example, the Council of Trent tried to prohibit the use of nepotism by bishops and cardinals. However, a crisis in papal finances in the early 1600s spurred the first real reforms. Proposals at this time called for reducing the number of cardinals and fixing their salaries. The pope would control only a small amount of money, the rest being in the hands of the College of Cardinals. As a result, papal nepotism gradually died out by 1700.

(See alsoCouncils; Popes and Papacy. )