Giacomo Cantelmo was born in
Naples on 13 June 1645, the son of Fabrizio Cantelmo, 5th Duke of
Popoli and prince of
Pettorano, and Beatrice Brancia, duchess of Padula. The family's surname is sometimes given as Cantelmo-Stuart because they claimed a relationship to
James II of England.
Restaino Cantelmo-Stuart was his younger brother. Prior to attending university, Cantelmo had mastered
Latin,
Greek, and
Hebrew. He was educated at the
Sapienza University of Rome and at the
University of Bologna.
Pope Innocent XI named him
abbot in commendam of San Antonio di Vienna in Naples. On 4 June 1678 he was named
inquisitor of
Malta. He served as
Referendary of the
Apostolic Signatura. On 27 September 1683 he was elected
Titular Archbishop of Caesarea. He was
consecrated as a
bishop by Cardinal
Carlo Pio di Savoia,
Titular Bishop of Sabina, on 3 October 1683. He became
nuncio to
Vienna in 1683. He then served as nuncio to
Switzerland from 18 April 1685 to 10 December 1687. On 23 October 1688 he was named nuncio extraordinary to
Poland. He became nuncio extraordinary to
Austria on 25 October 1689. He then returned to
Rome to become secretary of the
Sacred Congregation for Bishops and Regulars. On 23 February 1690 he was named extraordinary nuncio to
the imperial election held at
Augsburg and which elected
Joseph of Austria as
King of the Romans. In the
consistory held on 13 February 1690,
Pope Alexander VIII created him a
cardinal priest. On 10 April 1690 he attended Joseph's
coronation as King of the Romans; on the same day he received the
red hat, was awarded the
titular church of
Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano and named
papal legate to
Urbino. He was transferred to the
metropolitan see of Capua on 27 September 1690, receiving the
pallium on 11 December 1690. He participated in the
papal conclave of 1691, which elected
Pope Innocent XII. The new pope transferred him to the
metropolitan see of Naples, with Cantelmo receiving the pallium on 8 August 1691. There he held a diocesan
synod on
Pentecost 1694. He also convened a
provincial synod, attended by 13 bishops, and opened on 7 June 1699. He participated in the
papal conclave of 1700, which elected
Pope Clement XI. The new pope named him
Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, with Cantelmo serving from 3 February 1700 to 23 January 1702. He died in Naples on 11 December 1702. ==References==