Italian cardinal, Catholic archbishop, and military commander belonging to the Genoese Fregoso family, which produced numerous Doges for the Republic of Genoa.

LS - Letter Signed, one folded page, 22 June 1532, addressed to a nobleman. Concerns requests made of Fregoso for loans. Fregoso writes from Urbino to a correspondent addressed as Illustrissimo. He explains that he has arranged for his merchant friend Lachese to pay the recipient another 50 scudi, witha a further equal payment to follow in three or four months and another similar payment the following year. He expresses his willingness to continue to assist as long as his finances allow but advises the recipient to seek a more lasting solution rather than remain in continual hardship. He says that time passes and death approaches and that no one can safely rely on the promises of powerful men. He suggests that the recipient can take both Fregoso himself and his brother as examples. Finally, Fregoso adds that he could provide greater help were he not also obliged to support other relatives and servants. He thanks God for having enabled him to assist up to that point, although he fears that his resources may one day diminish, either partly or entirely. In the postscript, Fregoso states that the money will be paid through Marc'Antonio Riccio according to the usual arrangements, and that a letter acknowledging receipt should be sent so that he knows that the payment has actually been completed. Very good state of conservation. Sold primarily for the historic importance of Fregoso in the 16th century church and for being a distinguished military general.

Federigo Fregoso was the son of Agostino Fregoso and Gentile da Montefeltro—daughter of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino—while his brother Ottaviano served as Doge from 1513 to 1515 and subsequently as governor of Genoa on behalf of King Francis I of France until 1522.

Federigo Fregoso spent his youth in Urbino at the court of his maternal uncle, Guidobaldo da Montefeltro; there, he received a classical education and associated with humanists such as Pietro Bembo and Baldassarre Castiglione. After being ordained a priest, he embarked on an ecclesiastical career, and in 1507, Pope Julius II appointed him Bishop of Salerno (in Campania, then under Spanish rule). However, due to his pro-French sympathies, the King of Spain refused to recognize the appointment.

In 1510, clashes between rival factions in Genoa resulted in a victory for the Adorno family; like the rest of his family, Federigo was forced into exile and took refuge in Rome. Three years later, following the defeat of the Adornos, the Fregosos returned to Genoa, where Ottaviano became Doge. Federigo became his advisor and was placed in command of the army; in this capacity, he suppressed further uprisings by the Adorno faction.

In 1516, he led a joint French-Papal-Genoese naval expedition organized by Pope Leo X to combat Barbary corsairs. One of these, Curtogoli (the name by which the Turkish corsair Kurtoğlu Muslihiddin Reis was known in Europe), had repeatedly raided coastal towns in Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, and Puglia, seizing numerous ships, looting their cargoes, and either killing or enslaving their crews.

Commanding the allied fleet, Fregoso caught Curtogoli off guard along the coast of Tunisia; he landed on the island of Djerba, forced the port of Bizerte—a corsair stronghold—destroyed several ships, freed numerous Christian slaves, and forced Curtogoli to flee to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, the victory was only partial, as the Christian allies were forced to withdraw following an Ottoman counter-offensive. From 1515 onwards, Ottaviano Fregoso was compelled to acknowledge King Francis I of France as the sovereign of Genoa, though Ottaviano himself remained in office as governor.

In 1522, Emperor Charles V besieged the city. Federigo Fregoso, who was organizing the defense, was wounded in the fighting. When the Spanish occupied the city and imprisoned Ottaviano, Federigo was forced to flee aboard a French ship. Francis I granted him asylum at the Abbey of Saint-Bénigne in Dijon, but due to disagreements with the monks—who could not tolerate his severity—he returned to Italy in 1529. Having formally resigned from the office of Archbishop of Salerno, he was appointed Bishop of Gubbio. In 1539, Pope Paul III named him a cardinal. He died in Gubbio in 1541.