Right Before Pope Innocent X Fell Ill In 1654, She Convinced Him To Move All Of The Gold From The Vatican’s Reserve Into His Bedroom And Stole It All
We’re shocked to not only learn about the story of this fascinating woman in history but also at the fact that a juicy Netflix series about her life hasn’t been made yet.
People are beginning to learn about the Italian woman Olimpia Maidalchini after her portrait went up for auction in London in 2019.
Olimpia was born to a tax collector. In 1608, when she was only a teenager, her father threatened to throw her into a convent.
So instead, she got married to one of the richest men in town. However, he passed away not long after, and she found herself both a widow and heiress to a massive fortune at the age of 21.
Soon after, she married Pamphilio Pamphilj, the descendent of a noble family, making her Lady Olimpia.
Through her new husband, she met her brother-in-law, a cardinal who wanted to succeed named Monsignor Giovanni Battista Pamphilj. Hungry for power herself, Lady Olimpia became Giovanni’s advisor and used her connections and wealth to advance his career through the Vatican.
In 1644, Olimpia bribed one of the most influential cardinals, and Giovanni was named Pope Innocent X.
Her control and influence over her brother-in-law did not stop there. Once Giovanni officially held the highest position in the Vatican, she used his power to her own advantage.
She infuriated other members of the Vatican when she set up her own office in the Papal palace and became incredibly involved in the Vatican’s affairs.
Mapics – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
She would work with the Pope from the wee hours of the morning until midnight almost every night. Many church men and cardinals were furious with her for taking so much power into her own hands, but many women saw her as a sort of rockstar.
Anyone who wanted the Pope’s approval would have to bribe Olimpia first, typically with gold and jewelry.
Any royals or dignitaries that visited the Vatican would have to attend her weekly card parties, where they always let her win in order to get on her good side. Olimpia often sponsored artists, musicians, and playwrights despite many cardinals’ disapproval.
One of her final sneaky moves to gain more power and fortune occurred when Pope Innocent X fell ill in 1654. Right before he died, she convinced him to move all of the gold from the Vatican’s gold reserve into his bedroom.
Trunks of gold were stacked under his bed. Over the course of a few weeks, she stole it all. Isn’t that crazy?
It was a custom then that when the Pope died, the closest family member would have to pay for his funeral. But despite secretly emptying out the entire gold reserve, Olimpia refused to pay, stating that she was “only a poor widow.” Pope Innocent X would go on to be buried in an unmarked grave.
The new Pope, Alexander VII, was so disgusted with Olimpia’s actions that he was prepared to have her exiled from Rome.
But, then, the bubonic plague broke out right around that time, so Olimpia simply retired to her country palace in Viterbo, where she died alone in 1657.
Talk about a story! Have you ever heard of Olimpia before?
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