'' D.'' Fabio Arrazola de Mondragone (

Aversa Aversa () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta in Campania, southern Italy, about 24 km north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the ''Agro Aversano'', producing wine and cheese (famous for the typical bu ...

, 1539 -

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, 1586), also known as The Marquess of Mondragone, was an Italian nobleman of Spanish descent who was an important figure in the court of

Francesco I de' Medici Francesco I (25 March 1541 – 19 October 1587) was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 until his death in 1587. He was a member of the House of Medici. Biography Born in Florence, Francesco was the son of Cosimo I de' Medic ...

until his exile in 1575. His

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

served as meeting place between the Grand Duke and

Bianca Cappello Bianca Cappello (154820 October 1587) was an Italian noblewoman who was the mistress, and afterward the second wife, of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Her husband officially made her his consort. Coincidentally, the creation of t ...

Biography

Fabio Arrazola was born in

as son of the Spanish Francisco Arrazola de Mondragone and his Italian wife Violante de Vento. His father was member of the Spanish

Arrazola family The surname Arrazola (''also written as: de Arrazola, Arraçola, Arazola, Arazzola, etc.'') traces back to the Gipuzkoa Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and stems from an historic family of Spanish nobility#Lower nobility, lower Spanish nobi ...

and came to Italy as a squire in the escort of

Eleanor of Toledo Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: ''Eleonora di Toledo'', 11 January 1522 – 17 December 1562), born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was a Spanish noblewoman and Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. A keen businessw ...

. At around 1539, an adolescent Fabio moved to Florence. In 1550 he married Doña Anna de Pontes, one of the Grand Duchess'

Ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

. Arrazola had at least two daughters and a son with her before 1564; , Maria and Pietro. Francesco de Medici authorised the gift of a dowry from his own monte di pietà account for the wedding of one of Fabio's daughters to Giovanni Ramirez di Montalvo. In the end, however, it was his son Pietro who married Anna Ramirez di Montalvo, who started calling herself Duchess of Mondragon.

Career

The Climb

Arrazola's whereabouts in Florence remain unclear until he enters the Grand Ducal household in 1543 as a

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young mal ...

. A year later, the Grand Duchess orders a special costume for Arrazola that must be different from a standard page's livery. Between 1547 and 1552 Arrazola is a

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a " ...

in the Grand Ducal household. In 1552, Fabio Arrazola is appointed personal tutor to the young Francesco de Medici. The assignment of educator and supervisor of the young prince is a sign of Arrazola's good reputation at Court, and of the great admiration and trust Eleonora and Cosimo have in him. This becomes even more evident in the two "Libri Maestri di Eleonora" from 1554–58 and 1558–60, listing the Duchess's most faithful delegates trusted with managing monetary gifts and donations. In 1559, Fabio Arrazola also appears for the first time on the list of ''Gentilhombre de la casa del príncipe''. His success with the Grand Ducal family didn't go unnoticed. Contemporary chroniclers noted Fabio's special talent for remaining in the best graces of the young prince; one recounted that the Spaniard received "''countless favors and gifts from him and his friends''". Most of these gifts were confiscated from nobles that had fallen in disgrace. As such, in 1559 Arrazola receives the belongings of Alessandro Riccardi, those of Antonio de Nobili and Niccolò Alemanni, as well as a salary of 25

scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin ''scu ...

per month. When Francesco was set to meet with

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 ...

in 1562, the Prince was adamant that Arrazola would accompany him. Arrazola will eventually stay at the Madrid Court for a full year. During the meeting on 15 September 1562 in

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (''Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of th ...

, the Spanish King agreed on admitting Arrazola to the

Order of Santiago The Order of Santiago (; es, Orden de Santiago ), is a religious and military order founded in the 12th century. It owes its name to the Patron Saint of Spain, "Santiago" ( St. James the Greater). Its initial objective was to protect the pilgr ...

, which eventually became official in 1564. In 1570, Arrazola buys a property in the Via dei Banchi from the Ricasoli family for the price of 350

. He subsequently hires

Bartolomeo Ammannati Bartolomeo Ammannati (18 June 151113 April 1592) was an Italian architect and sculptor, born at Settignano, near Florence. He studied under Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino (assisting on the design of the Library of St. Mark's, the ''Bibli ...

to redesign and rebuild it into a proper palazzo, Palazzo Mondragone. In this city palace Arrazola started housing his vast collection of Italian Renaissance art, as noted by

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

in his famous ''

Vite ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' ( it, Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architettori), often simply known as ''The Lives'' ( it, Le Vite), is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-ce ...

''.

The Fall

In 1575 Fabio Arrazola suddenly got stripped of all his titles and functions, and was expelled from Florence. This was the result of a failed bargain between Francesco and

, and Arrazola's interference therein. The King of Spain had written Francesco a letter asking to borrow 8,000

, for which the Grand Duke would get the rights to

Porto Ercole Porto Ercole () is an Italian town located in the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany. It is one of the two major towns that form the township, along with Porto Santo Stefano. Its name means "Port Hercules". Ge ...

in return. The Grand Duke is said to have discussed this with Arrazola, stating that if Florence would get hands on Porto Ercole, the whole of

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

would fall. Arrazola is then said to have written to King, warning him for this foolish trade. The Spanish King then called off the deal, quoting Arrazola's letter. It is hitherto unclear if, or why Arrazola made this move, as he had everything he wanted in Florence. Some say that this could have been a result of Fabio's increasingly pompous intrusion in the Grand Duke's private life. It is quite apparent that Arrazola tried to compete and rival with

and the figure of

Jacopo Salviati Jacopo Salviati (15 September 1461 – 6 September 1533) was a Florentine politician and son-in-law of Lorenzo de' Medici. On 10 September 1486 he married Lorenzo's daughter Lucrezia de' Medici, with whom he had ten children. The son of Giovan ...

. After the Pucci Conspiracy there might have been rightful doubts against a Spaniard coming so close to the Grand Duke.

Owner of Art

Fabio Arrazola can not be considered to have been a

patron of the arts Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

, yet he did own a considerable collection that he bought from the original commissioners or acquired through his patronage at the

Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The chu ...

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

visited Palazzo Mondragone for his ''

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrazola de Mondragone, Fabio

Fabio Fabio is a given name descended from Latin ''Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian. The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...

16th-century people of the Republic of Florence 16th-century Italian nobility 1539 births 1586 deaths