Prince of Belmonte ( it, Principe di Belmonte; es, Príncipe de Belmonte) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in
Calabria
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, historically important for the defence of the Italian coast from
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
invasion. Belmonte has been known since the ''
Risorgimento
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...
'' as
Belmonte Calabro
Belmonte Calabro, known simply as Belmonte ( Calabrian: ) prior to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria (Southern Italy). The town is perched on a hilltop on the coast of the ...
.
In addition to the princely title, the princes were made
Grandees of Spain
Grandees of Spain ( es, Grandes de España) are the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility. They comprise nobles who hold the most important historical landed titles in Spain or its former colonies. Many such hereditary titles are held ...
(First Class) in 1712, and in 1726 were granted the rank of
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor.
Definition
Originally, possessors o ...
(german: Reichsfürst) with the style of
Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...
(german: Durchlaucht). The princes hold a number of
subsidiary title
A subsidiary title is a title of authority or title of honour that is held by a royal or noble person but which is not regularly used to identify that person, due to the concurrent holding of a greater title.
United Kingdom
An example in the Unit ...
s, including
Duke of Acerenza
Prince of Belmonte ( it, Principe di Belmonte; es, Príncipe de Belmonte) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in Calabria ...
(1593),
Marquess of Galatone
Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone (Marchese o Marchesa di Galatone) was a noble title created by the Kings of Spain for Stefano Squarciafico, Patrician of Genoa, on 29 June 1562, and inherited according to Spanish nobiliary law. The title i ...
(1562) and
Count of Copertino
Copertino (; historical en, Cupertino, italic=yes; scn, label=Salentino, Cupirtinu ), also known in English as Cupertino, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
History
Following Charles of ...
(1562).
The seat of the princes is Palazzo Belmonte, on the Bay of Salerno and south of
Amalfi
Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...
. The princes are descendants of the
Fieschi
The Fieschi were a noble merchant family from Genoa, Italy, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte. Of ancient origin, they took their name from the progenitor ''Ugo Fliscus'', descendants of the counts of Lavagna.
The fami ...
family of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
,
who were ennobled as
Counts Palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
in the year 1010 by
Henry the Holy
Henry II (german: Heinrich II; it, Enrico II; 6 May 973 – 13 July 1024), also known as Saint Henry the Exuberant, Obl. S. B., was Holy Roman Emperor ("Romanorum Imperator") from 1014. He died without an heir in 1024, and was the last ruler ...
,
King of Italy
King of Italy ( it, links=no, Re d'Italia; la, links=no, Rex Italiae) was the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The first to take the title was Odoacer, a barbarian military leader, ...
and later
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
. The Emperor created the title of Count of Lavagna and appointed the Fieschi as Imperial Vice-Regents of all
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
and of the coast of Genoa.
Ancestry
The Princes of Belmonte descended from the
Fieschi
The Fieschi were a noble merchant family from Genoa, Italy, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte. Of ancient origin, they took their name from the progenitor ''Ugo Fliscus'', descendants of the counts of Lavagna.
The fami ...
,
Counts Palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
of
Lavagna
Lavagna is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy.
History and Culture
The village, unlike nearby Chiavari which has pre-Roman evidence, seems to have developed in Roman times with the Latin name of ''Lavania''. The ...
. The Fieschi were one of the main families of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, along with the
Grimaldi,
Spinola Spinola is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Agostino Spinola (d. 1537), Italian cardinal
* Alberto Spinola (born 1943), Italian water polo player
* Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquis of the Balbases (1569–1630), Genoese banker an ...
and
Doria
Doria or Dória may refer to:
People Surname
* Doria (family), a prominent Genoese family
** Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese admiral
** Ansaldo Doria, 12th century Genoese statesman and commander
** Brancaleone Doria (died c. 1409?), husband ...
families. In the 13th century, the Fieschi were allied to the
House of Grimaldi
The House of Grimaldi ( , also , , ) is the current reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297 ...
, modern day Princes of
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, in the struggle between 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 ...
. The current prince is 35th in line from Frisco, 1st Count of Lavagna.
The ancestors of the Princes of Belmonte include Sinibaldo,
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.
Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...
, and Ottobuono,
Pope Adrian V
Pope Adrian V (Latin: ''Adrianus V''; c. 1210/1220 – 18 August 1276), born Ottobuono de' Fieschi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 July 1276 to his death on 18 August 1276. He was an envoy of Pope Cle ...
, as well as several cardinals, a King of Sicily, the Viceroy of Naples under
René I of Naples (Jacopo Fieschi), three saints including
Saint Catherine of Genoa (1447–1510), and both generals and admirals of Genoa and other states. Through their later marriage to a line of the Pignatelli, the Princes of Belmonte share blood with a third pope,
Pope Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII ( la, Innocentius XII; it, Innocenzo XII; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700.
He ...
, and the Jesuit
Saint Joseph Pignatelli.
Ugone of Lavagna was alleged to have been the first to bear the name "Fiesco" or Fieschi, attributed to his control of the fiscal affairs of the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
. His descendant, Rubaldo Fieschi, was confirmed as Count of
Lavagna
Lavagna is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Italy.
History and Culture
The village, unlike nearby Chiavari which has pre-Roman evidence, seems to have developed in Roman times with the Latin name of ''Lavania''. The ...
in the 11th Century. Around 1156,
Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
confirmed feudal rights in Lavagna to the Fieschi: the beneficiaries included Rubaldo and his nephews Gulielmo, Tebaldo, Enrico, Ruffino, Aldedado, Gherardo; Ottone and his brother Ugone; and Alberto and his brother Beltramino. The rank of
Count Palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
was confirmed once again at
Lucca
Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.
Lucca is known as one o ...
on 27 May 1369 by
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...
of the
House of Luxembourg
The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as king ...
. Later confirmations of the Fieschi status as direct
vassals
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
to the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
were given by the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
in 1521, 1529, 1568, and 1620.
Beltramino Fieschi, 7th Count of Lavagna, was succeeded by his son Gerardo Fieschi, 8th Count, who was known as 'Gerardo Ravascherius'. Taking the name Ravaschieri Fieschi, this branch rose to greater prominence as royal bankers in the Kingdom of Naples: Giovanni Battista was appointed Master of the Mint of Naples and Aquila (Maestro di Zecca di Napoli e L'Aquila) in 1552 under His Imperial Majesty
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
(1516–1554), and his seal of 'IBR' frequently appears on the coinage of that time. Giovanni Battista was one of 7 children, of whom the eldest brother Giovan Francesco, was Prior of Bari of the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
(died 1555). Germano followed his father as 'Maestro di Zecca', under King
Philip II of Spain
Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, and was the father of Giovan Battista, 1st Baron of Badolato, and therefore grandfather of Orazio, the first Prince of Belmonte.
The princely title of Belmonte has descended to its present holder through the following houses: Ravaschieri Fieschi, Squarciafico Pinelli, and
Pignatelli y Aymerich. The heiress of the last of these married the Marquess of
Castellabate
Castellabate ( Cilentan: ''Castiellabbate'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
History
The area was inhabited since Upper Palaeolithic times. In early medieval times, the current ...
, uniting her lands and titles with those of the Granito family, patricians of
Salerno
Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
(Seggio di Campo) since 1380.
Residences
*
Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre or Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi-del Giudice is a 16th-century noble palace in the historical center of Belmonte Calabro in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy.
Constructed between 1639 and 1640 ...
*
Palazzo Rivellino
*
Acerenza
Acerenza ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.
History
With its strategic position above sea-level, Acerenza has been sacked by a series of invaders.
The town, then kno ...
*Castle of
Galatone
Galatone (Griko: translit. ) is a town and ''comune'' located in Salento, in the province of Lecce (Apulia, southern Italy), the former seat of the Marquess of Galatone. It is one of the most populous towns of the province where the Greek dialec ...
*
Copertino Castle
250px, View of the bastions.
The Copertino Castle ( it, Castello di Copertino) is a castle in Apulia, southern Italy. It is located in the eponymous city of Copertino, north of Gallipoli on the heel of Apulia, between Manduria and Galatina.
Ove ...
*Palace of
Muro Leccese
Muro Leccese is a town and ''comune'' of 4948 inhabitants (2016), in the province of Lecce, in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
History
Main sights
*Messapi
The Messapians ( grc, Μεσσάπιοι, Messápioi; la, Messapii) were a Ia ...
*Palazzo Belmonte at
Santa Maria di Castellabate
Santa Maria di Castellabate ( Cilentan: ''A Marina'') is a southern Italian town and hamlet (''frazione'') of Castellabate, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. It is the most populated ''frazione'' of its ''comune'' and the seat o ...
See also
*
Belmonte Calabro
Belmonte Calabro, known simply as Belmonte ( Calabrian: ) prior to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria (Southern Italy). The town is perched on a hilltop on the coast of the ...
*
Castellabate
Castellabate ( Cilentan: ''Castiellabbate'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
History
The area was inhabited since Upper Palaeolithic times. In early medieval times, the current ...
*
Muro Leccese
Muro Leccese is a town and ''comune'' of 4948 inhabitants (2016), in the province of Lecce, in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
History
Main sights
*Messapi
The Messapians ( grc, Μεσσάπιοι, Messápioi; la, Messapii) were a Ia ...
*
Acerenza
Acerenza ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.
History
With its strategic position above sea-level, Acerenza has been sacked by a series of invaders.
The town, then kno ...
*
Corigliano d'Otranto
*
Galatone
Galatone (Griko: translit. ) is a town and ''comune'' located in Salento, in the province of Lecce (Apulia, southern Italy), the former seat of the Marquess of Galatone. It is one of the most populous towns of the province where the Greek dialec ...
*
Argençola
Argençola () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Anoia in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the east of the ''comarca'', bordering the Segarra and the Conca de Barberà. The Anoia river has its source on the territory of the municipal ...
*
Castellabate
Castellabate ( Cilentan: ''Castiellabbate'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy.
History
The area was inhabited since Upper Palaeolithic times. In early medieval times, the current ...
*
Copertino
Copertino (; historical en, Cupertino, italic=yes; scn, label=Salentino, Cupirtinu ), also known in English as Cupertino, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy.
History
Following Charles of ...
*
Badolato
Badolato is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy. As of 2013 Badolato had an estimated population of 3,152.
Territory
The village of Badolato is from Catanzaro on Calabria's Ionian coast. Situat ...
*
Veglie
Veglie ( Salentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy. Veglie is west of Lecce and east of the sea, the Gulf of Taranto. It is bounded by the ''comuni'' of Campi Salentina, Ca ...
*
Leverano
* Rocca
Cilento
Cilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important Tourism, tourist area of southern Italy.
Cilento is known as one of the centers of Mediterranean diet.
Geograph ...
*
Santa Maria di Castellabate
Santa Maria di Castellabate ( Cilentan: ''A Marina'') is a southern Italian town and hamlet (''frazione'') of Castellabate, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. It is the most populated ''frazione'' of its ''comune'' and the seat o ...
Notes
Further reading
*Adels, Genealogisches Handbuch des, Fürstliche Häuser
*Ammirato, Scipione (1580, 1651), Delle famiglie nobili Napoletane, Firenze (2 volumes)
*Bernabo, B. (1994/1998), I Conti di Lavagna e l’alta Val di Vara, in Atti del Convegno I Fieschi tra Papato e Impero, ed. Calcagno, D., Lavagna and Chiavari Casa Ravaschiera
*Firpo, M. (1994/1998), La ricchezza e il potere: le origini patrimoniali dell’ascesa della famiglia Fieschi nella Liguria Orientale tra XII e XIII secolo, in Atti del Convegno I Fieschi tra Papato e Impero, ed. Calcagno, D., Lavagna and Chiavari
*Frank, Karl Friedrich von (1967–1975), Standeserhöhungen und Gnadenakte für das Reich und die österreichischen Erblande bis 1823, volumes I-V, Senfteneg
*Frank, Karl Friedrich von (1928), Alt-Österreichisches Adels-Lexikon, Vienna
*Ganducci, O. Famiglie nobili di Genova, secolo XVIII, ms. 94. Santa Margherita Ligure, Biblioteca Comunale
*Granito, Giacchino (1912), Memorie, notizie e docc. della Gente Granita, Napoli
*Ilari, Annibale (2001- Tipografica L. Palazzotti), I Gran Priori di Roma del Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta
*Magri, Andrea (1640), Memorie della Nobilissima Famiglia Ravaschiera, Discendente da Gli'Antichissimi Conti di Lavagna
*Mediolani (1611), Antiquae Familie Scortiae, et Aliarum Comitum Lavaniae Antiquissima Monumenta
*Montefusco, Luigiantonio, Nobilta nel Salento Vol. III, Istituto Araldico Salentino, Lecce
*Musso, G.A. Stemmario p. 95
*Rietstap (1887), Armorial Général, 2eme Edition
*Rolland, V. H. (1926), Supplément à Rietstap
*Ruvigny, Marquis de (1914), The Titled Nobility of Europe
*Turchi, Gabriele (2004), Storia di Belmonte (Dalle origini alla fine del secolo XIX)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belmonte, Prince Or Princess
Spanish princes
Lists of Spanish nobility
Princes of Belmonte
Families of Genoa
Papal families
Counts of the Holy Roman Empire
Knights of the Golden Fleece
Noble titles created in 1619