Francesco Moncada de Luna, prince of Paternò (1510 –23 February 1566) was an Italian nobleman in Spanish-ruled

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. He was invested as the first prince of Paternò by King Phillip II of Spain.

Biography

He was born in

Caltanissetta Caltanissetta (; scn, Nissa or ) is a ''comune'' in the central interior of Sicily, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Caltanissetta. Its inhabitants are called ''Nisseni''. In 2017, the city had a population of 62,797. It is the 14th ...

, son of Antonio, count of Adernò and Caltanissetta. In 1532 he wed Caterina Pignatelli

Carafa Carafa is a surname held by: * Tony Carafa, Australian rules footballer * Members of the house of Carafa The House of Carafa or Caraffa is the name of an old and influential Neapolitan aristocratic family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of a ...

, granddaughter of the viceroy of Sicily. Francesco served various roles in Sicily: Captain in Arms of

Siracusa, Sicily Syracuse ( ; it, Siracusa ; scn, Sarausa ), ; grc-att, Συράκουσαι, Syrákousai, ; grc-dor, Συράκοσαι, Syrā́kosai, ; grc-x-medieval, Συρακοῦσαι, Syrakoûsai, ; el, label=Modern Greek, Συρακούσε� ...

, Catania, Augusta, Sicily, and the

Val di Noto Val di Noto (English: ''Province of Noto'') is a historical and geographical area encompassing the south-eastern third of Sicily; it is dominated by the limestone Hyblaean plateau. Historically, it was one of the three valli of Sicily. History ...

. He was named judge (

stratigoto A stratigotus was a judicial official in mediaeval southern Italy. The position is documented from Norman times until at least 1239, from only a small number of cities, including Amalfi, Messina, Naples, Salerno and Santa Caterina, Calabria. ...

) of Messina. In 1565, to reward the loyalty both Francesco and his father's family (Antonio had died in 1549), King Phillip II of Spain invested the count Francesco with the hereditary title of Prince of Paternò.lo principe di Paterno Don Giovanni Luigi Moncada
by Michelangelo Ciandiulli and Francesco Migliorini, page 27.

References

*Derived in part from Italian Wikipedia entry. {{DEFAULTSORT:Moncada Francesco 1510 deaths 1566 deaths 16th-century Italian nobility Sicilian noble families