Born in
Florence, as a younger son into an influential
Italian noble family, he was destined for a career in
Church. Fulfilling his promise, he had a successful
ecclesiastical career, rising to become
Cardinal Bishop of Ostia and
Dean of the College of Cardinals. De' Medici was raised to the cardinalate by
Pope Paul V in the
consistory of 2 December 1615 and was made
Cardinal Deacon of
Santa Maria in Domnica. He was an elector at the
papal conclaves of
1621 and
1623 that elected
Pope Gregory XV and
Pope Urban VIII. He transferred deaconries to that of
San Nicola in Carcere in 1623, and was the
Cardinal protodeacon at the
conclave of 1644 that elected
Pope Innocent X. He was briefly Cardinal Deacon of ''
Sant'Eustachio, before being raised to the order of Cardinal Priests in December 1644, with the title of San Sisto''. The next year, de' Medici was raised to
Cardinal Bishop of Sabina, but opted for the suburbicarian
see of Frascati seven months later. On 29 April 1652 he was made
Cardinal Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina and Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals. On 23 September the same year he became
Dean of the College of Cardinals and
Cardinal Bishop of Ostia e Velletri. He presided over the
conclave of 1655 and announced the papal election of
Pope Alexander VII. == Death ==