Francisco de Remolins was born in
Lleida in 1462. He studied
law at the
University of Lleida, and then at the
University of Pisa, from which he received a
doctorate of both laws. Remolins married as a young man, but his marriage was
annulled and the young woman entered a
convent. Remolins received the
tonsure and then became a secretary to
Ferdinand II of Aragon. The king later appointed him as his
ambassador to the
Holy See. He then became a
preceptor to
Cesare Borgia. Remolins became
cantor of the
cathedral chapter of
Mazzara. He then became a
protonotary apostolic. He was later an
auditor of the
Roman Rota and an auditor of the governor of
Rome. In 1496 Cardinal
Luis Julian de Milà,
Bishop of Lleida, named him
auxiliary bishop of
Lleida. He was
consecrated as a
bishop by Cardinal de Milà ca. 1496. In 1498 he was sent to
Florence along with
Gioacchino Torriani,
Master of the Order of Preachers, as
Commissary Apostolic to initiate process against
Girolamo Savonarola; Savonarola was sentenced to death on 18 May 1498. Because of his family's closeness to
Pope Alexander VI, he then resigned as auxiliary bishop of Lleida to join the
papal court. In February 1501, the pope appointed him governor of Rome; as governor, he carried on a bloody repression of the pope's enemies, the
Colonna family and the
Orsini family. He was named
Archbishop of Sorrento on 3 March 1501; he held this office until 23 January 1512. He was taken prisoner by the
Ottoman Empire and had to be ransomed by the church. Pope Alexander VI made him a
cardinal priest in the
consistory of 31 May 1503. He received the
titular church of
Santi Giovanni e Paolo on 12 June 1503. He served as
apostolic administrator of the
see of Perugia from 4 August 1503 until March 1506. He participated in both the
papal conclave of September 1503 that elected
Pope Pius III and the
papal conclave of October 1503 that elected
Pope Julius II. Following the election of Pope Julius II, Cardinal Remolins feared reprisals against the
House of Borgia and therefore escaped from Rome on 20 December 1503. The pope, however, wrote him a conciliatory letter and the cardinal returned to Rome and entered the pope's service. As a diplomat, he secured the devolution of the
Romagna from the
Republic of Venice. Also, in the course of the
Italian War of 1499–1504, he acted in the service of Ferdinand II of Aragon against
Louis XII of France. In 1504, he became
Bishop of Fermo, occupying this see until his death, though without ever visiting the diocese in person. In 1511, he replaced
Ramón de Cardona as
Viceroy of Naples, holding this office until 1513. He opted for the titular church of
San Marcello al Corso on 27 October 1511, though also retaining the
titulus of Santi Giovanni e Paolo
in commendam until 6 July 1517. At the end of 1511, he became
archpriest of the
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. He attended the
Fifth Council of the Lateran (1512–17). On 23 January 1512 he became the
apostolic administrator of the
see of Palermo; he held this post until his death. He played a part in establishing the
Roman Inquisition in Palermo; he was a great supporter of the Inquisition. He participated in the
papal conclave of 1513 that elected
Pope Leo X. He was administrator of the
see of Sarno from 22 June 1513 until 11 February 1517. In mid-1513, he was opposed to Pope Leo X giving clemency to Cardinals
Bernardino López de Carvajal and
Federico di Sanseverino. From 9 September 1513 until his death, he was administrator of the
see of Gallipoli. For the second half of 1515, he was also administrator of the
see of Lavello. He opted for the order of
cardinal bishops on 16 March 1517, taking the
Suburbicarian Diocese of Albano. In May 1517, he was one of three cardinals who managed the process of two cardinals,
Bandinello Sauli and
Alfonso Petrucci, accused of plotting against the pope. As president of this tribunal, he sentenced Cardinal Petrucci to death on 16 July 1517. On 4 November 1517 he was one of eight cardinals appointed to a commission to wage war against the
Ottoman Empire. He was the
cardinal protector of the
Servite Order. He died in Rome on 5 February 1518. He was buried in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - he was allegedly
buried alive because when his coffin was later opened, his arm was above his head. He was reburied in
Santa Maria sopra Minerva. ==References==