Giovanni Aldobrandini

The resting place of Aldobrandini, the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome

A member of the Aldobrandini family, Giovanni Aldobrandini was born in Fano in 1525, the son of Salvestro Aldobrandini, governor of Fano, and Lisa Donati.[1] His younger brother, Ippolito Aldobrandini (1536–1605), became Pope Clement VIII in 1592.[1] He was the uncle of Cardinals Pietro Aldobrandini and Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini.[1]

He was educated at the University of Ferrara, becoming a doctor of both laws on February 9, 1545.[1]

From September 1551 until August 1552, he was governor of Rimini.[1] He was a consistorial lawyer from 1554 to 1556.[1] In 1556, he became an auditor of the Roman Rota.[1]

Ecclesiastically, he was a cleric of Florence and Chaplain of His Holiness.[1] On August 26, 1569, he was elected Bishop of Imola.[1] He was consecrated as a bishop in capella domus suæ solitæ habitationis by Scipione Rebiba, Archbishop of Pisa, on December 8, 1569[1] with Giulio Antonio Santorio, Archbishop of Santa Severina, and Felice Peretti Montalto, Bishop of Sant'Agata de' Goti, serving as co-consecrators.[2] He resigned the government of his see sometime before February 9, 1573.[1]

Pope Pius V made him a cardinal priest in the consistory of May 17, 1570.[1] He received the red hat and the titular church of Sant'Euphemia.[1] On November 20, 1570, he opted for the titular church of San Simeone Profeta.[1] The pope charged him with convincing Spain and the Republic of Venice to join a league against the Ottoman Empire or to contribute money to that cause.[1] He participated in the papal conclave of 1572 that elected Pope Gregory XIII.[1] He served as Grand Penitentiary from December 14, 1572 until his death.[1]

In 1573, he was Prefect of the Signature of Apostolic Briefs.[1] He died in Rome on September 7, 1573.[1] He was buried in the Aldobrandini Chapel of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.[1]