Girolamo I Angeli (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Hieronymus

Angelus The Angelus (; Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. As with many Catholic prayers, the name ''Angelus'' is derived from its incipit—the first few words of the text: ("The Angel of the Lord ...

''; 1505–1591) was a joint, or rival, Grand Master of the Constantinian Order of Saint George from 1570 to 1591, together with, or against, his brother

Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...

and then his nephew

Pietro Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death * Pietro II Can ...

. Girolamo's family, the

Angelo Flavio Comneno The Angelo Flavio Comneno or Angeli family were an Italian noble family of Albanian descent who claimed descent from the Angelos dynasty of the Byzantine Empire. In the 16th century, the family founded the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Sai ...

, claimed descent from the Angelos dynasty of Byzantine emperors, and Girolamo also claimed the title "Prince of

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...

Biography

Girolamo was born in 1505, as the son of the Albanian noble Pjetër Engjëlli. Giovanni Demetrio's family, the

, claimed descent from the Angelos dynasty of Byzantine emperors. In the mid-15th century, Girolamo's older brothers

and Paolo were officially acknowledged as descendants of the Angelos emperors by Pope

Paul III Pope Paul III ( la, Paulus III; it, Paolo III; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death in November 1549. He came to ...

(1534–1549) and founded the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, a

chivalric order An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concep ...

with invented Byzantine connections. Girolamo was a rival claimant to the position of Grand Master, challenging Andrea, and managed to at one point secure recognition of the papacy, given that at least one surviving papal document refers to Girolamo as the Grand Master. Though Girolamo eventually accepted the principle of primogeniture, accepting the accession of his nephew

Pietro Angeli Pietro Angelo Flavio (Latin: ''Petrus Angelus Flavius''; 1526–1592) was the Grand Master of the Constantinian Order of Saint George from 1580 to 1592. Pietro's family, the Angelo Flavio Comneno, claimed descent from the Angelos dynasty of Byzant ...

in 1580, Girolamo remains recognized as a Grand Master, concurrent with Andrea and Pietro, in modern records of the Constantinian Order. Upon Giovanni Andrea I's death in 1634, Girolamo's branch of the family inherited the position of Grand Master as Giovanni Andrea was childless. Girolamo had five children together with Ursula Bini: the sons Michele, Leone, Pietro and Andrea, and the daughter Ursula. Michele, the eldest son, was born on 22 February 1557. All of the children, except for Andrea, born on 29 June 1578, were technically illegitimate, given that they were born when Ursula was still married to her first husband, but Girolamo and Ursula did eventually marry, on 8 February 1575. Girolamo's at first adulterous relationship with Ursula Bini led to later issues concerning the Angeli succession, as the claims of Michele's children to the position of grand master would be challenged by Andrea.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Angeli, Girolamo I 1505 births 1591 deaths Byzantine pretenders after 1453

Biography

See also

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