Two women, members of 17th century papal court-society and actively involved in influencing life at the Papal Court, are the focus of the dissertation: Anna Colonna Barberini and Maria Veralli Spada.An examination of the day-to-day correspondence of the two nobelwomen allowed the author to illustrate and compare the family, societal, social and political networks of the two protagonists. The results differ for the two: On the one hand, we get to know Donna Anna, the proud Colonna daughter, who legitimizes power and status through her old aristocratic origins and considers herself superior to her husband, the Pope's nephew Taddeo Barberini.On the other side is the Marchesa Maria, the exemplary head of the Cardinal House of Spada and close confidant to the head of family, Cardinal Bernardino, who played a key role in promoting the societal emergence of Spada through her loyalty and tenacity.