Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 prelate

Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...

 who rose to the highest ranks of the Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 during the first half of the 19th century.

Life and career

Born in Ceccano

Ceccano

Ceccano is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy.-History:The town had its origins as an ancient Volscian citadel that surrendered to the Romans in 424 BC...

, near Frosinone

Frosinone

Frosinone is a town and comune in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the Province of Frosinone. It is located about 75 km south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples Autostrada A1...

, at the time part of the Papal States

Papal States

The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

, he was educated at the seminary

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 of Ferentino, receiving the subdiaconate in 1808 and the diaconate in 1809. He was ordained to the priesthood on September 2, 1810. After his ordination he attended the Archgynasium of Rome where he obtained a doctorate in utroque iuris.
From 1819 he worked as a lawyer of the Roman Rota. From 1820 to 1836 he rose through the ranks of the diplomatic service of the Papal States and from 1837 to 1839 was apostolic delegate in Ancona

Ancona

Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....

. In 1839 he was named by Pope Gregory XVI

Pope Gregory XVI

Pope Gregory XVI , born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, named Mauro as a member of the religious order of the Camaldolese, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846...

 titular bishop

Titular see

A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....

 of Tebe and consecrated bishop on 21 April. From 1839 to 1844 he was Apostolic Nuncio in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and then in the Kingdom of Sardinia

Kingdom of Sardinia

The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...

.
During his time as apostolic nuncio he was named Cardinal in Pectore

In pectore

In pectore is a term used in the Catholic Church to refer to appointments to the College of Cardinals by the Pope when the name of the newly appointed cardinal is not publicly revealed...

. His cardinalate was published during the consistory of January 22, 1844.

In April 1844 he was Papal Legate

Papal legate

A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....

 to Forlì

Forlì

Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...

 and its province. A Papal Legate in the Papal States was the bishop of the diocese, but also the civil governor of the area of the diocese. During his tenure as Papal Legate he become the favorite of the liberal section of public opinion in the Italian peninsula because his views were more moderate than those of most other prelates in the 1840s.

At the death of Pope Gregory XVI he joined the other cardinals in the Quirinale Palace where the conclave was scheduled. Cardinal Gizzi was a papabile and was the champion of the progressive party of the church and public opinion. He is believed to have received some preferences during the first ballot, but Cardinal Mastai Ferretti was elected.
After his election Pius IX named Gizzi Cardinal Secretary of State

Cardinal Secretary of State

The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Holy See, usually known as the "Vatican", Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia...

, but he resigned from this post one year later.

He died on 3 June 1849.