Francesco Alciati was born in
Milan on 2 February 1522. He was a relative of the renowned jurist
Andrea Alciato, and studied law under his direction. He soon became one of the most prominent legal scholars in
Milan and was nicknamed ''l'Alciatino'' to distinguish him from Andrea. In his last will, Andrea entitled him as heir, and entrusted him with the task of editing his unpublished works. After the death of Andrea, Francesco was appointed professor of civil law at the
university of Pavia. His best-known student was
Charles Borromeo. Alciati was a close friend of
Gerolamo Cardano and advocated his candidacy to the chair of the theory of medicine at Bologna in 1562. Cardano at once named AIciato as his personal representative in Bologna, with the power to arrange the details of salary. Alciati excelled in science and literature and was a model of erudition. Called to Rome by
Pius IV, he was appointed
apostolic referendary, and
nuncio to the king of Bohemia; he was then appointed
bishop,
datary,
pro-camerlengo,
Cardinal deacon of
Santa Maria in Campitelli and
Cardinal priest of
Santa Susanna. He became
Protector of the Order of the
Carthusians and Protector of the kingdoms of
Spain and
Ireland to the
Holy See. Under St
Pius V he became vice-penitentiary and later
grand penitentiary. He died in office and was buried in Rome in the Carthusian Church of
Santa Maria degli Angeli. Alciati published nothing of his own. A manuscript collection of his letters is preserved in the
Biblioteca Ambrosiana, while his juridical works, preserved in four manuscript volumes in the Biblioteca Trivulziana, were destroyed during the air-raids of August 1943. His scholarship was highly praised by
Piero Vettori and
Ludovico Antonio Muratori. ==References==