Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Baron of Sorrento, Count of Matera (born in 1451 as Giovanni Carlo Tramontano, Baron of Sorrento, died in 1514) was an Italian

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

who belonged to the ancient feudal

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

family of the

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

s of the House of Tramontano. The Baron of

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...

was often called "Giancarlo" or "Gian Carlo", short for Giovanni Carlo.

Count of Matera

The Baron Giovanni Carlo Tramontano of Sorrento was on October 1, 1497, given the city of

Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...

in the

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

as his county by the King in

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 ...

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

. Giancarlo Baron Tramontano was given the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

of Matera'' and built the famous ''Castello Tramontano'' ("

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Tramontano").

A visit in Naples

After 9 years as the ruler of Matera the Count almost lost his power in 1506. King Ferdinand II did announce on October 9, 1506, that he intended to remove counties and

baronies Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

from several counts and barons in the

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

because he wanted to give them to a group of Spanish noblemen. In hope of being able to keep his county Count Giovanni Carlo and his wife

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

Elisabetta Restigliano went to the

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

in Naples where the Countess gave the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

a gold necklace with 25 very valuable pearls worth 700 ducats. As a result, the King permitted Count Gian Carlo Tramontano of Matera to keep his county.

The people rebel

The

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

and the people of Matera considered the Count arrogant, a tyrant and a ruler without mercy—especially because he demanded a lot of

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

es from the people so that he could live in luxury. On December 28, 1514, the Count demanded that the aristocracy and the people pay him 24.000 ducates—so that the Count could pay his debts. The people wouldn't accept this. On December 29, 1514, Count Giancarlo and his wife Countess Elisabetta went to

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

. When the Count and the Countess came out of the church the Count was beaten to death by a group of rebellious men. The Countess was allowed to escape. After the murder the church bells rang constantly to mark the death of the Count. The people of Matera celebrated this event. The King in Naples considered the murder of Count Gian Carlo a

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

assassination and a way to hit the throne. Therefore, he sent a

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

to Matera to solve the crime. Four innocent men were hanged but the guilty criminals were never found.

In popular culture

Il Conte di Matera ''Il Conte di Matera'' ("The Count of Matera") is a 1958 Italian adventure film directed by Luigi Capuano and starring Virna Lisi and Otello Toso. Plot Rambaldo Tramontana, a count who went into battle backed by the French, returns to Mater ...

'' ("The Count of Matera"), a 1957 film directed by

Luigi Capuano Luigi Capuano (13 July 1904 – 20 October 1979) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Naples, he directed 43 films between 1947 and 1971. Selected filmography * ''Vertigine d'amore'' (1949) * ''Flying Squadron (film), Flyin ...

, starring

Virna Lisi Verna or Virna may refer to: People * Verna Aardema (1911–2000), American author of children's books * Verna Bloom (1939–2019), American actress * Virna De Angeli (born 1976), Italian former sprinter * Virna Dias (born 1971), Brazilian retired ...

and

Otello Toso Otello Toso (22 February 1914 – 15 March 1966) was an Italian film and stage actor. Born in Padua, Toso graduated from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in 1939 and immediately later he started his film career. He was particularly pro ...

External links

Information about Count Giovanni Carlo Tramontano of Matera
(Italian)

(Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tramontano, Giovanni Carlo, Count of Matera Counts of Italy People from Matera 1451 births 1514 deaths

Count of Matera

A visit in Naples

The people rebel

In popular culture

See also

External links