Fabio Mignanelli

Fabio Mignanelli was born in Siena ca. 1486, the son of Pietro Paolo Mignanelli and Onorata Saraceni.[1] He attended the University of Siena, becoming a doctor of both laws.[1] He then became a professor of law at the University of Siena.[1]

In 1533, he moved to Rome, becoming a consistorial advocate.[1] He was married to Antonina Capodiferro, the sister of Cardinal Girolamo Recanati Capodiferro and had a son.[1] After Antonia died, Mignanelli entered the church.[1] In 1537, he was sent as ambassador to the Republic of Venice to encourage Venice to break its alliance with the Ottoman Empire and to go to war against the Ottomans.[1] In October 1537, Pope Paul III sent him as ambassador to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor to present him with the brief postponing the Council of Trent for a second time.[1] In spring 1538, he traveled to Nice with the pope to negotiate the end of the Italian War of 1536–1538; shortly thereafter, they traveled to Geneva to meet the emperor.[1] On September 3, 1538, he was appointed nuncio to Ferdinand, King of the Romans, holding this position until 1539.[1] In 1540, he became an auditor of the Roman Rota.[1] He was also a protonotary apostolic and the pope's domestic prelate.[1]

On November 15, 1540, he was elected Bishop of Lucera.[1] He was appointed governor and vice-legate in Bologna on April 14, 1541.[1] From July 22, 1543 to August 2, 1544, he was nuncio to the Republic of Venice.[1] He was present at the opening of the Council of Trent on December 13, 1545.[1] In 1546, he was vice-legate in Marche. On September 20, 1546, the pope sent him as nuncio to the emperor.[1] In 1548, he was vice-legate in Ascoli Piceno.[1] On June 10, 1551, he was appointed commissary of the Adriatic ports.[1]

Pope Julius III made him a cardinal priest in the consistory of November 20, 1551.[1] He received the red hat and the titular church of San Silvestro in Capite on December 4, 1551.[1] Shortly thereafter, he became Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura.[1] On August 13, 1552, the pope made him legate a latere to pacify Siena.[1] On May 17, 1553, he resigned the government of his diocese, becoming administrator of Grosseto; he resigned in favor of his nephew, Giacomo Mignanelli on October 2, 1553.[1] Pope Julius III then made him Prefect of the Papal States.[1]

He was a participant in both the papal conclave of April 1555 that elected Pope Marcellus II and the papal conclave of May 1555 that elected Pope Paul IV.[1]

He opted for the titular church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo on June 12, 1556.[1]

He died in Rome on August 10, 1557.[1] He was buried in Santa Maria della Pace.[1]