The House of Caracciolo () is a prominent
aristocratic
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At the time of the word' ...
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
from the city of
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 ...
. The Caracciolo are considered one of the most important families in the history of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
, holding relevant posts in the
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
as well.
History
According to a tradition based on the writings of
Agatharchides of Cnidos and
Sergius the Confessor, the family is of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
descent, originating from
Byzantine nobility.
The first documented mention of the family date back to the 10th century with the progenitor Teodoro Caracciolo (reported in ancient documents as Theodorus Caracziolus), of which we have only archival information: he was buried together with his wife Urania in the
Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, 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 ...
. He is reported to have died on March 20, 976, the date of a document in which it is learned that in this period his daughter Theodonanda made a donation to the Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
At the time of the
Duchy of Naples the family enjoyed nobility during the reign of the Sergian dynasty, benefiting from special privileges granted by
Duke Sergius VII. The family then divided into numerous lines, including the so-called ancient lines (Caracciolo Canella, Caracciolo Ugot, Caracciolo Viola and Caracciolo Ciccola), then into the lines of the del Sole, Bianchi, Rossi and Pisquizi. Specifically, the line of the Caracciolo Rossi had as its progenitor
Riccardo Riccardo is a male given name, Italian version of Ricardo or Richard. It also may be a surname. It means "Powerful Leader".
It may refer to:
People A–L
*Riccardo Antoniazzi (1853–1912), Italian violin maker
*Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985 ...
, son of Landolfo, who lived in the early twelfth century, while that of the Caracciolo Pisquizi Filippo, also son of Landolfo. From the latter the branch of the Caracciolo del Sole and that of the Caracciolo di Pisciotta were born.
Thanks to the great importance of the Caracciolo family, most of the most important events of the Kingdom of Naples had various members of the family as protagonists, sometimes even on opposing fronts.
In 1869 the family was enrolled in the
Golden Book of the Italian nobility.
Notable members
*
Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto
Marella Agnelli (; born Donna Marella Caracciolo dei Principi di Castagneto ; 4 May 1927 – 23 February 2019)''Almanach de Gotha''. Gotha: Justus Perthes. 1942. pp. 398–399. was an Italian noblewoman, art collector, socialite, style icon and ...
(1927–2019), Art collector and designer, widow of
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
*
Mario Caracciolo di Melito (1883-1958), Italian cavalry officer and American actor known as "Mario Carillo"
*
Miriam Caracciolo di Melito (1888-1966), American socialite and wife of Mario Caracciolo di Melito
*
Carlo Caracciolo ''Don'' Carlo Caracciolo, 9th Prince of Castagneto, 4th Duke of Melito (Florence, 23 October 1925 – Rome, 15 December 2018) was an Italian publisher. He created Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, one of Italy's leading publishing groups. He was known a ...
(1925–2008), 9th Prince of Castagneto, 4th Duke of Melito Newspaper publisher; founder of
Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso
*
Niccolo d'Ardia Caracciolo (1941–1989), Painter (from a branch in Ireland since the 20th century)
*
Rudolf Caracciola
Otto Wilhelm Rudolf CaracciolaBolsinger and Becker (2002), p. 63 (30 January 1901 – 28 September 1959) was a racing driver from Remagen, Germany. He won the European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 equivalent of the modern Formula One Wo ...
(1901–1959), Racing-driver (from a branch in Germany since the 17th century)
*
Giuseppe Caracciolo (1892–1975), Cinematographer
*
Filippo Giudice Caracciolo
Filippo Giudice Caracciolo was an Italian prelate who was archbishop of Naples from 1833 to 1844.
Life
Born into a noble family in Naples on 27 March 1785, he entered the Oratorian order in the late years of the 18th century. He was ordained ...
(1785–1844), Archbishop of Naples (1833-1844)
*
Franco Caracciolo
Franco Caracciolo (29 March 1920 – 28 September 1999) was an Italian conductor.
Life
He was born in Bari in 1920. He studied piano and composing at the Conservatoire of S. Pietro a Majella in Naples, and conducting at the Accademia di San ...
(1920–1999), Actor and conductor
*
Tommaso Caracciolo (bishop of Gerace) (1687–1689),
Bishop of Gerace
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Locri-Gerace ( la, Dioecesis Locrensis-Hieracensis ) is in Calabria. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova.
Historically it was the Diocese of Gerace, becoming in 1954 the Diocese of Gerace ...
*
Carmine Nicolao Caracciolo (1671–1726), Viceroy of the Spanish Colony of Peru (from a branch in Spain since the 16th century)
*
Tommaso Caracciolo (archbishop) (1636–1637),
Archbishop of Taranto
The Archdiocese of Taranto ( la, Archidioecesis Tarentina) is a metropolitan Roman Catholic diocese in southern Italy, on a bay in the Gulf of Taranto.
*
Gerolamo Caracciolo (1617–1682), Marqués de Torrecuso, Governor of Navarre and soldier (from a branch in Spain since the 16th century)
*
Tommaso Caracciolo, Count of Roccarainola (1572–1631), Spanish Field Marshal
*
Pasquale Caracciolo (1566–1608), writer and horsemanship expert
*
Tommaso Caracciolo (archbishop of Capua)
Tommaso Caracciolo (1478–1546) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as
Archbishop of Capua (1536–1546), ''(in Latin)''
Bishop of Trivento (1502–1540), ''(in Latin)'' ''(in Latin)''
Apostolic Nuncio to Naples (1534–1535), and
Bishop ...
(1478-1546),
Archbishop of Capua
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capua ( la, Archidioecesis Capuana) is an archdiocese (originally a suffragan bishopric) of the Roman Catholic Church in Capua, in Campania, Italy, but its archbishop no longer holds metropolitan rank and has no e ...
(1536–1546),
Bishop of Trivento (1502–1540), and
Bishop of Capaccio
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Vallo della Lucania ( la, Dioecesis Vallensis in Lucania), in Campania, has existed under this name since 1945. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Salerno-Campagna-Acerno. (1523–1531)
*
Marino Caracciolo (1468–1538), cardinal and diplomat
*
Giovanni Caracciolo
Giovanni Caracciolo, often called Sergianni (c. 1372 – 19 August 1432), was an Italian nobleman of the Kingdom of Naples, prime minister and favorite of queen Joan II of Naples.
Due to his relationship with queen Joan (starting around 1416), ...
(c. 1372–1432), often called Sergianni, Minister of the
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
and favourite of Queen
Joan II
*
Riccardo Caracciolo Riccardo Caracciolo (died 18 May 1395) was an Italian nobleman from the Kingdom of Naples, who was a rival Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller.
Biography
Caracciolo was born most likely in Naples, in the first half of the 14th century. He wa ...
(c. 1320–1395), one of two rival
Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller
Bibliography
Maria Pina Cancelliere, ''Lo Stato feudale dei Caracciolo di Torella: poteri, istituzioni e rapporti economico-sociali nel Mezzogiorno moderno'', Terebinto Editore,
Avellino, 2012, .
References
{{Reflist
Italian noble families
Neapolitan nobility