The outgoing correspondence of Fra' Gregorio Carafa, Grand Master of the Order of St. John (1680 to 1690)

Abstract

The present dissertation is about the Neopolitan Grand Master Fra Gregorio Carafa’s outgoing correspondence. It focuses on Carafa’s ten-year magistracy and some of his outgoing correspondence. Main attention has been paid to his letters sent to the Pope, the Order’s Roman Ambassador and the Pope’s secretary. However, it hopes to provide a fairly clear background of Carafa’s life and how he managed to climb the hierarchy of the Order. It is the purpose here to try and provide an overview of aspects in Carafa’s magistracy as they emerge from his correspondence, taking in consideration the limited amount of literature written about him. Most of the information has been gathered from primary sources, the drafts of letters written by the Grand Master to certain personalities and statesman around Europe as already indicated. In this sense the dissertation, with all its shortcomings, hopes to cover hitherto unexplored territory.