In 1630, Pope Urban VIII decreed their title to be Eminence (previously, it had been "illustrissimo" and "reverendissimo")  and decreed that their secular rank would equate to Prince, making them secondary only to the Pope and crowned monarchs.
Is there an answer to this question (If it cannot be answered, say "unanswerable"): Who held more power then the cardinal?
the Pope and crowned monarchs