Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere

Fra' Ludovico Chigi della Rovere-Albani (10 July 1866 – 14 November 1951) was Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 1931 to 1951.

Servant of God Fra' Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere
Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta
Ludovico Chigi Albani della Rovere
Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Reign	30 May 1931 – 14 November 1951
Predecessor	Fra' Galeas von Thun und Hohenstein, 75th Prince and Grand Master
Successor	Fra' Angelo de Mojana, 77th Prince and Grand Master
Prince Chigi della Rovere-Albani
Reign	4 November 1914 – 10 June 1929
Predecessor	Mario, 7th Prince Chigi della Rovere-Albani
Successor	Sigismondo, 9th Prince Chigi della Rovere-Albani
Born	10 July 1866 (1866-07-10) Ariccia, Italy
Died	14 November 1951(1951-11-14) (aged 85) Rome, Lazio, Italy
Spouse	Donna Anna Aldobrandini ​ ​ (m. 1893; died 1898)​
Issue	Sigismondo, 9th Prince Chigi della Rovere-Albani Princess Laura Maria Caterina Chigi della Rovere
Full name Ludovico Chigi della Rovere-Albani
House	House of Chigi della Rovere-Albani Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (SMOM)
Father	Prince Mario Chigi della Rovere-Albani
Mother	Princess Antoinette zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn

Chigi was born in Ariccia, the son of Imperial Prince Mario Chigi della Rovere Albani (1832-1914) and his wife, Princess Antoinette zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn (1839-1918).[1] His father's family, the Chigi, was among the most prominent noble families of Rome, to which had belonged Pope Alexander VII (1599-1667), who conferred upon his nephew Agostino Chigi (1634-1705) the hereditary princedoms of Farnese (1658) and Campagnano (1661), as well as the dukedoms of Arricia and Formello (1662), also procuring for all descendants of the Chigi male line the title of Imperial prince and princess from the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I in 1659.[1] In 1509 Pope Julius II had authorised the Chigi family to augment their name and arms with his own, della Rovere, and would become Ludovico's ancestor (in the 13th degree) through six lines of descent from that pope's illegitimate daughter, Felice della Rovere (ca. 1483-1536).[1]

On 5 June 1893, in Rome, Chigi married Donna Anna Aldobrandini, daughter of Pietro, Prince Aldobrandini, Prince di Sarsina, and of his wife, Françoise de La Rochefoucauld.[1] They had two children:

• Prince Sigismondo, 9th Prince Chigi della Rovere-Albani, (12 December 1894 - 24 December 1982), to whom his father ceded the princedom of Campagnano by an Italian writ of acceleration issued 10 June 1929.[1] Married Marian Berry (9 September 1901), daughter of Jakob Berry and Aileen Freeman on 16 July 1926. They had two children:
  • Prince Agostino, 10th Prince Chigi della Rovere-Albani (27 September 1929 - 14 July 2002)
  • Princess Francesca Chigi della Rovere (6 November 1933)
• Princess Laura Maria Caterina Chigi della Rovere (30 April 1898 - 4 November 1984) married Denis, Count Grisi della Piè. They have children.

Chigi's wife died 17 September 1898.

On 4 November 1914 Chigi's father died and he succeeded as 8th Prince di Farnese and di Campagnano, 4th Prince di Soriano, 8th Duke di Ariccia and di Formello, Marchese di Magliano Pecorareccio, Hereditary Marshall of the Holy Roman Church and Guardian of the Conclave.[1] Chigi was responsible for three papal conclaves.[2] He was an honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.[2]

On 30 May 1931, Chigi was elected Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta,[3] having been a widower for 31 years.[1] Under his leadership the order engaged in large-scale hospitaller and charitable activities during World War II. In 1947 he was appointed president of an international committee to oversee the rebuilding of the Abbey of Monte Cassino.[4]

Chigi died in Rome of a heart attack at the age of 85.[2]