Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora

Guido Ascanio Sforza di Santa Fiora (26 November 1518 – 6 October 1564) was an Italian cardinal, known also as The cardinal of Santa Fiora. Life Born in Rome, he was the eldest son of Costanza Farnese and therefore grandson of Pope Paul III. His father was Bosio II, Count of Santa Fiora, His younger brother was Cardinal Alessandro Sforza (1565). He was the uncle of Cardinal Francesco Sforza and great-uncle of Cardinal Federico Sforza (1645). During his time as a cardinal he served as legate as well as administrator of different towns and episcopal sees. His ecclesiastical career started very early with his selection as Bishop of Montefiascone e Corneto, nowadays Diocese of Viterbo, Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Montefiascone, Tuscania e San Martino al Monte Cimino on 12 November 1528 when he was not quite ten years of age. Cardinal His maternal grandfather, Alessandro Farnese, was elected Pope on 13 October 1534. (Costanza Farnese had been born to Alessandro's mistress before he became a priest.) While still a student at the Collegio degli Ancarani, Sforza was created a cardinal deacon in the consistory of 18 December 1534 by Pope Paul III with the Deaconry of Santi Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia. The elevation to the cardinalate of his grandsons, Alessandro Farnese, aged fourteen, and Sforza, aged sixteen, displeased the reform party and drew a protest from the emperor, but this was forgiven when, shortly after, he introduced into the Sacred College Reginald Pole, Gasparo Contarini, Jacopo Sadoleto, and Giovanni Pietro Caraffa.