The House of Giorgi, Zorzi or Đurđević was a

noble family 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 characteris ...

of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

and the

Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa ( dlm, Republica de Ragusa; la, Respublica Ragusina; it, Repubblica di Ragusa; hr, Dubrovačka Republika; vec, Repùblega de Raguxa) was an aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' ...

History

Tradition links the Zorzi to the origins of the city of

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. In 1817, Antonio Longo wrote that they came from

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

and

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...

; entered Italy in 411 AD and took up residence at

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

; and after the invasion of

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and E ...

in 453 AD were among the founders of Venice. The ''

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' (german: Gothaischer Hofkalender) is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First publish ...

'' enumerates it among the eleven oldest native families of the

, and members of the family were still living in the city in the 19th century. The first documented mention of the family dates from the tenth century: in 964 Gregorio di Andrea de Georgii was

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the island of San Pietro di Castello, formerly known as Olivolo, in the Venetian Lagoon. It has been suggested that the Giorgi came to Ragusa either from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Giorgio Gozzi, ''La libera e sovrana Repubblica di Ragusa 634-1814'', Volpe Editore, Roma 1981 or from

Kotor Kotor ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative ...

. The island of Curzola has been a fiefdom of the family since 1254.

The Ragusan branches

Over the centuries, the Giorgi were divided into several branches in Italy and abroad, merging with other noble families of Dubrovnik and

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. A branch of the family joined its name and arms to those of the

Bona family The House of Bona, or Bunić, is a noble family long established in the city of Dubrovnik. History The origins of the family remain largely unclear, but according to the two oldest traditions, it originated from Kotor in Venetian Albania, or el ...

, creating a new branch as Giorgi-Bona. The Giorgi were among the important families of the

, serving in the 14th and 15th centuries in 6.50% of all major public offices. Between 1440 and 1640 the Giorgi had 109 members of the Great Council, representing 4.95% of the total. In the two hundred years, they also count for 203 senators (6.21%), 163 rectors of the Republic (6.84%), 173 representatives in the minor council (6.33%) and 41 guardians of justice (4.99%).

People

Members of the family include: * Marino di Matteo Zorzi (1231–1312), governor of the Republic of Ragusa , later

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 ...

* Niccolò di Francesco Zorzi (15th century), Venetian ambassador to Pope

Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

* Marco di Bertucci Zorzi (mid-15th century), Venetian military commander and ambassador to France * Giorgio di Giovanni Zorzi, born 1582, Venetian ambassador to France and Poland * (1745–1803), 5th Archbishop of Udine, cardinal The Ragusan poet Ignjat Đurđević (Ignazio Giorgi) did not belong to this family, but to another ennobled a few years before his birth in 1675.

Gallery

File:Savino de Giorgi.jpg, Count Savino de Giorgi File:Maria Giorgi-Pozza tombs.jpg, Maria Giorgi-Pozza tomb, Dubrovnik File:Palazzo Giorgi - Ragusa.png, Palazzo Giorgi, Dubrovnik File:Marino Zorzi.jpg, Nineteenth-century copper engraving of Marino Zorzi

History

The Ragusan branches

People

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading