The Alidosi or Alodosi are a family of

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to t ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, who held the ''

signoria A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from ''signore'' , or "lord"; an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government; governing authority; ...

'' of the city of

Imola Imola (; rgn, Jômla or ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical re ...

during the Late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. They were originary of the

Santerno The Santerno is a river in Romagna in northern Italy. It is a major tributary of the river Reno. In Roman times, it was known as the ''Vatrenus'' (small ''Renus''), although, in the Tabula Peutingeriana, it was already identified as the ''Santernus ...

valley.

History

During the 13th century, the Alidosi supported the Guelph cause during the

Guelphs and Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, ri ...

conflicts. The Alidosis ruled Imola beginning with 1341, when Pope

Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful p ...

turned the city and its territory over to

Lippo II Alidosi Lippo II Alidosi (also called Litto; died 1350) was a ruler of Imola, a member of the Alidosi family. He was elected "Captain of the People" of Imola in 1334, the same year in which he was ''podestà'' of Bologna. Two years later Benedict XII ...

with the title of pontifical vicar. The family would rule the city until 1424, when it would be stripped from them by

Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447)

, forcing them to retreat to the countryside seigniory of

Castel del Rio Castel del Rio ( rgn, Castel d'e' Rì) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna. Historically, the town's countryside is a large producer of chestn ...

, in the Romagna

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

. Several member of the Alidosi family were employed by the

Grand Duke of Tuscany The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region. Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface :These were origin ...

which put them at odds with the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

and the

Roman Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, respons ...

. In 1608, Rodrigo, the then head of the family, was accused of various offences, chief among them protecting Germans. This resulted in a lengthy trial which saw the Grand Duke clash with the prosecuting efforts of the Inquisition. The were ultimately ousted from the Castel del Rio in 1638 by

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII ( la, Urbanus VIII; it, Urbano VIII; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death in July 1644. As po ...

Notable members

Another notable member was Cardinal

Francesco Alidosi Francesco Alidosi (145524 May 1511) was an Italian cardinal and condottiero. He accompanied Giuliano della Rovere to France in 1494, and continued in favor when Della Rovere was elected pope, becoming Pope Julius II. Alidosi was elected as bisho ...

(1455–1511), who was a friend of

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

. He is mentioned by several sources as having been appointed

Cardinal protector of England The Cardinal protector of England was an appointed crown-cardinal of England from 1492 until 1539. A cardinal protector is the representative of a Roman Catholic nation or organisation within the College of Cardinals, appointed by the pope. T ...

in 1509, but this appointment "cannot be exactly established" as his only surviving letters to England do not mention the protectorate. He was murdered in 1511 by members of the

Duke of Urbino The Duchy of Urbino was an independent duchy in early modern central Italy, corresponding to the northern half of the modern region of Marche. It was directly annexed by the Papal States in 1625. It was bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the eas ...

's entourage, after being accused of treason.

Alidosi rulers of Imola

Roberto Alidosi Roberto Alidosi (died 29 November 1362) was a lord of Imola in the 14th century. He was appointed as Papal vicar in the city in December 1350, and in 1356 he was captain of the Papal army. Roberto Alidosi married Michelina Malatesta, daughter of M ...

(986-1001) * Ugolino Alidosi (1029–1032) * Riccardo Alidosi (1032–1046) * Ranieri Alidosi (1046–1054) *

Lippo I Alidosi Lippo I Alidosi was the ''de facto'' lord of Imola, northern Italy, in 1278–1288, as captain of the people Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the M ...

(''de facto'', 1278–1288) *

Alidosio Alidosi The Alidosi or Alodosi are a family of Romagna, Italy, who held the ''signoria'' of the city of Imola during the Late Middle Ages. They were originary of the Santerno valley. History During the 13th century, the Alidosi supported the Guelph cau ...

(1290–1293 and 1302–1311) *

(1334–1350) *

(1350–1362) *

Azzo Alidosi Azzo Alidosi (died 1372) was an Italian condottiero and a lord of Imola. The son of Roberto Alidosi, he was governor of Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Ferm ...

(1362–1363 and 1365–1372) *

Bertrando Alidosi Bertrando Alidosi (died 12 November 1391) was an Italian condottiero and the lord of Imola (as Papal vicar) from 1372 until 1391. He was the son of Roberto Alidosi, and succeeded in his signoria to Azzo Alidosi, to whom he had been associated by wi ...

(1372–1391) *

Luigi Alidosi Luigi Alidosi (also Ludovico, died 1430) was the lord of Imola (as Papal vicar) from 1391 until 1424, the last ruler of the city from his family. He was the son of Bertrando Alidosi. During the Wars in Lombardy, his city was attacked by Filippo ...

(1391–1424) *Lippo Alidosi (associated 1391-1396)

References

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