Pope Innocent XIV/Infante Carlos de Bragança

The real Infante Carlos de Bragança died a few months before his fourteenth birthday. In the world of the Hidden Angels Series, Matthew West, by that time the Duke of Avalon, created a military university in the British North American Colony of South Carolina. Carlos’ elder brother José started attending this university, The Fortress, the first year that it opened due to the influence of Matthew West on King George II of Britain and the Grand Alliance between Britain and Portugal. Prince José was very successful from his first year, and he encouraged his brother to join him in the second year. Although Carlos was only thirteen, he went, and in Matthew West’s care, not only survived the year but thrived as his brother did at the Fortress.

It should be stated quickly that it was not unusual in the Eighteenth Century for the sons of wealthy and influential families to be tutored at home and then sent off to university at what we would consider a young age. So, one starting at fourteen was not too unusual. There were examples where some boys started at Oxford or Cambridge as young as twelve. That was definitely not the norm. The Fortress took students between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two, but exceptions would be considered, as was the case with Carlos.

It was not unusual in Roman Catholic countries for a non-inheriting son of a king to pursue either a religious or military career, or sometimes both. As Carlos was the second surviving son and there was a third brother, Pedro, João V encouraged Carlos to become a priest. It was also not unusual for a non-inheriting son of a king who became a priest to rapidly go up the ranks and become a cardinal at a relatively tender age. Thus, Carlos became Cardinal-Infante Carlos, serving the church and also serving his father as a field marshal after his training at the Fortress. After several years as a field marshal, he also occasionally taught at the Fortress.

In 1769, Pope Clement XIII died. Cardinal-Infante Carlos, having survived his youth, unlike in reality, was an available candidate for the Papacy. The situation in both real and fictional universes was tense for the Papacy, the Papal States, and the Roman Catholic Church in 1769. There was contention with the Bourbon monarchies, including France, Naples and Sicily, and Parma. Both Naples and Sicily and France had seized properties belonging to the Papal States. Parma had seized some monastery properties. The Bourbon were also trying to get the Society of Jesus disestablished. The College of Cardinals, perhaps with some indirect encouragement from the forces of the Military Order of Christ who were present in Rome during the conclave, chose Cardinal-Infante Carlos as the next Pope. Carlos chose the name Innocent to honor a recent Pope who had spent time in Portugal, thus fulfilling the Prophecy of the Popes as altered in one of the early chapters of the first volume in the series.

Shortly before this time, one of the Popes had made a rule to reform the system which had been badly abused by previous Popes. Each Pope would be allowed only one Cardinal-Nephew. Innocent XIV would eventually be served by his nephew, also Cardinal-Infante Carlos de Bragança (I3878), who would wind up as his primary field marshal for the Papal States. This nephew Carlos is mentioned in the second volume but shows up as an actual character in the third.

During Innocent XIV’s reign, he also made some reforms, which allowed more cardinals to be appointed. Since there was a growing Roman Catholic population in Portuguese territories in Africa and Brazil, many of Innocent’s appointees were from these Portuguese territories. This skewing of the College of Cardinals towards Portugal would have lasting effects on the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy.