Giovanni Arcimboldi was born in
Parma in 1430. He was the son of Nicolò Arcimboldo, who was the
treasurer of the
Duchy of Milan, and his wife
Orsina Canossa (descendant of the family of
Empress Matilde di Canossa). He was educated at the
University of Pavia, receiving a
doctorate of both laws in 1458. He also studied
letters under
Italian Renaissance humanist Francesco Filelfo and later maintained a correspondence with Filelfo. Early in his life, he married Briseide
Pietrasanta, and had a daughter, Briseide Arcimboldi. He also later fathered nine
illegitimate children. In July 1458, through the influence of
Francesco I Sforza, he gained admission to Milan's prestigious
Collegio di Giureconsulti. He afterwards became a
Senator of the
Duchy of Milan.Francesco I Sforza sent Arcimboldi to
Rome as his
ambassador to the
Holy See. After the death of his wife, Arcimboldi entered the ecclesiastical state. He received the four
minor orders in September 1461. On September 20, 1466, he was
ordained as a
subdeacon by the
suffragan bishop of
Milan. In October 1466,
Pope Paul II made him a
protonotary apostolic. He also became a
canon of
Pavia Cathedral and
Piacenza Cathedral at this time. On 20 November 1468, he was elected
Bishop of Novara. He took possession of the see in May 1469, but stayed there only a few days before he was called away by
Galeazzo Maria Sforza to serve as his ambassador to
Pope Sixtus IV, a post he held from May 1472 until February 1473. In the
consistory of 7 May 1473, Pope Sixtus IV made Arcimboldi a
cardinal priest. He received the
titular church of
Santi Nereo e Achilleo on 17 May 1473. He entered Rome on 24 November 1473 and received the
red hat on 10 December 1473. The pope then named him
Prefect of the
Apostolic Signatura, an office he held until his death. On 31 May 1476, he was elected temporary
Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals in the absence of Cardinal
Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati. He opted for the titular church of
Santa Prassede on 30 December 1476. On 15 January 1477, Pope Sixtus IV named him
legate a latere to
Perugia. On 7 February 1477, his legation was extended to include the
Kingdom of Hungary, the
Holy Roman Empire, and the
Kingdom of Bohemia. During the outbreak of
bubonic plague, he again served as temporary Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals, from 19 May to 5 June 1482. He was then elected to a full term as Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals on 15 January 1483 and held this post until 19 January 1484. On 15 November 1483, Pope Sixtus IV named him legate to Perugia for a second time. Following the death of Sixtus IV, Cardinal Arcimboldi participated in the
papal conclave of 1484 that elected
Pope Innocent VIII. In the consistory of 23 September 1484, Innocent VIII confirmed Arcimboldi's appointment as legate to Perugia, and Arcimboldi left on his legation on 11 October 1484, returning to Rome on 15 January 1485. Meanwhile, on 25 October 1484, he had been transferred to the
metropolitan see of Milan. He received the
pallium on 12 November and took formal possession of the archdiocese via a
procurator, Antonio Griffi, on 1 January 1485. He died in Rome on 2 October 1488. He was buried in the
Basilica di Sant'Agostino. ==References==