Italian cardinal; papal secretary of state under Leo XII.
 
LS - Letter Signed, one page with integral address panel. Directed to Tiburzio Cortese (1786-1823) Bishop of Reggio di Moderna. Written in a secretarial hand but signed by Cardinal Della Somaglia at the bottom in a fine, minute script. Brief letter about a couple, a death, and a difference of name. Inquires about the matter. Offered merely for the signature of Cardinal Somaglia.
 
In his years as a cardinal della Somaglia played an important role as a negotiator with the revolutionary regime in France. Although he undoubtedly agreed with Pius VI's 1791 condemnation of the French Revolution and was expelled from Rome when Napoleon's army invaded in 1808, he was charged with the examination of the concordat with France several years later. This role served to taint della Somaglia's reputation in the eyes of fellow zelanti cardinals. From 1814 he was Secretary of the Inquisition and Dean of the College of Cardinals in 1820.
 
In the 1823 conclave, della Somaglia was considered papabile. In 1826 he resigned the post of Secretary of State, but continued as Secretary of the Inquisition until his death in 1830. When he died, della Somaglia was the last cardinal still alive elevated by Pius VI.