A Failed Politician, a Disputed Jesuit: Cardinal Johann Eberhard Nithard (1607–81)

Abstract

One of the most controversial Jesuit cardinals was Johann Eberhard Nithard, not only because of the intriguing circumstances of his promotion, but also because he was a favorite of Queen Mariana of Austria, regent of Spain and mother of King Charles ii. The aim of this essay is to examine a series of events in Nithard’s life, focusing in particular on the details surrounding his consecration as bishop and creation as cardinal. This task is performed through an analysis of various sources, many of which—including the Jesuit ones—have been responsible for forging Nithard’s black legend, which resulted in his eventual expulsion from Spain and in distorted narratives of historians of Nithard’s role in the church and state politics in the seventeenth century.