Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535
– August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and
Duke and Prince of Paliano, was a Roman aristocrat who served as a
Viceroy of Sicily This is a list of viceroys of Sicily:
Aragonese direct rule 1409–1516
* John of Aragon, Duke of Peñafiel, later king John II of Aragon, 1458–1479, acted 1409–1416.
* Domingo Ram y Lanaja, Bishop of Lleida 1416–1419
* Antonio de Cardona ...
in the service of the
Spanish Crown
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
general, and
Captain General of the Church. He is best remembered for his part as the admiral of the Papal fleet in the
Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...
.
Biography
Marcantonio Colonna, born in 1535 at
Civita Lavinia, was a member of the noble
Colonna family
The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin ...
of the
Lazio
it, Laziale
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, then one of the most powerful feudal dynasties of the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
and the
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
, which was under Spanish rule. His parents were Ascanio Colonna,
Duke of Tagliacozzo, and
Giovanna d'Aragona.
Due to acts of rebellion, he was disinherited by his father; but in 1562 Colonna was able to regain the family fiefs for himself, largely thanks to the support of
Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV ( it, Pio IV; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered ...
. However, he had to forfeit several possessions, such as
Nemi
Nemi is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome (central Italy), in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake. It is northwest of Velletri and about southeast of Rome.
The town's name derives from the Lat ...
,
Ardea, and
Civita Lavinia, due his father, Ascanio, having left little money.
In 1553–1554, during the war against
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
, Colonna was made commander of the Spanish cavalry.
At the
Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states (comprising Spain and its Italian territories, several independent Italian states, and the Soverei ...
(7 October 1571), he commanded the papal ''Capitana'' (flagship) as part of the
Centre division, where he rescued the flagship of commander
Don John of Austria
John of Austria ( es, Juan, link=no, german: Johann; 24 February 1547 – 1 October 1578) was the natural son born to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V late in life when he was a widower. Charles V met his son only once, recognizing him in a secret ...
, the ''
Real
Real may refer to:
Currencies
* Brazilian real (R$)
* Central American Republic real
* Mexican real
* Portuguese real
* Spanish real
* Spanish colonial real
Music Albums
* ''Real'' (L'Arc-en-Ciel album) (2000)
* ''Real'' (Bright album) (2010) ...
''. When the ''Real'' was almost taken by the Ottoman janissaries, Colonna came alongside, with the bow of his galley and mounted a counter-attack. With the help of Colonna, the Turks were pushed off the ''Real'' and the Ottoman flagship of
Ali Pasha was boarded and swept. The entire crew of Ali Pasha's flagship was killed, including the commander himself. The banner of the Holy League was hoisted on the captured ship, breaking the morale of the Turkish galleys nearby.
[William Oliver Stevens and Allan F. Westcott, ''A History of Sea Power'', 1920, p. 105–106.]
On Colonna's return to Rome,
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...
confirmed him as
Captain General of the Church.
In 1577
King Philip II named Colonna as
Viceroy of Sicily This is a list of viceroys of Sicily:
Aragonese direct rule 1409–1516
* John of Aragon, Duke of Peñafiel, later king John II of Aragon, 1458–1479, acted 1409–1416.
* Domingo Ram y Lanaja, Bishop of Lleida 1416–1419
* Antonio de Cardona ...
. He was also Lord of
Marino, then a village a few miles south of Rome, where the inhabitants honoured him with a great annual feast which still takes place today, under the name of "Sagra dell'uva".
Colonna often stayed at
Avezzano
Avezzano ( or ; nap, Avezzàne, label=Neapolitan language, Marsicano ) is a city and ''comune'' with a population of 40,819 inhabitants, situated in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in th ...
, where he had a fountain built and added a new floor in the castle, as well as a creating a
loggia
In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...
by the
Fucine Lake
The Fucine Lake ( it, Lago Fucino or ) was a large endorheic lake in western Abruzzo, central Italy, stretching from Avezzano in the northwest to Ortucchio in the southeast, and touching Trasacco in the southwest. Once the third largest lake in I ...
. Later in his life he moved to
L'Aquila
L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...
, where he lived in the house now called the Palazzo Porcinari.
He had seven children, including cardinal
Ascanio Colonna, Fabrizio Colonna (the father of
Marcantonio III Colonna and
Filippo I Colonna
Filippo Colonna (1578 – 11 April 1639), Prince of Paliano, was an Italian nobleman, who was the head of the Colonna family of Rome and the hereditary Gran Connestabile at the court of Naples.
Biography
He was born in Rome. A nephew of Carlo ...
) and countess
Vittoria Colonna de Cabrera.
References
External links
Biography (italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Marcantonio
People from Lanuvio
Marcantonio II
1535 births
1584 deaths
16th-century Italian nobility
Viceroys of Sicily
16th-century condottieri
Spanish generals
Captains General of the Church
Military leaders of the Italian Wars
People of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars
Battle of Lepanto