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The Marquessate of Groppoli, in Tuscany and Liguria, was ruled by the House of Brignole-Sale, an illustrious patrician family of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
who were its
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
s from 1592 to 1774.
It was originally an
imperial fief, part of the former lands of the
Malaspina di Mulazzo family, and later became a fief of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
.
The commune covered an area of 12 km². It was inhabited by 131 families and had a total population of 712 in 1833.
The Marquessate of Groppoli
Due to its strategic, military and commercial position, the Marquessate served as a hinge between Liguria, Lombardy and Tuscany. As such the Republic of Genoa and the Medici family competed to extend their dominance over the region.
In the medieval period Groppoli formed a part of the lands held by the Malaspina family. The
imperial fief of Groppoli was acquired by Count Landi of Piacenza, as the inheritance of his wife Briseide, daughter of Azzone Malaspina, and in 1549 Landi sold it to
Cosimo I de' Medici
Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death.
Life
Rise to power
Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...
. After a five-year dispute in the Imperial
Aulic Council
The Aulic Council ( la, Consilium Aulicum, german: Reichshofrat, literally meaning Court Council of the Empire) was one of the two supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire, the other being the Imperial Chamber Court. It had not only concurrent juri ...
it returned to the hands of Giovan Cristoforo Malaspina.
In 1576 it became autonomous again as a result of the division between the brothers Antonio Maria, Octavian, Giovanni Gaspar and Caesar, sons of Giovan Cristoforo Malaspina. But the fief did not remain in the hands of Antonio Maria for long and in March 1577 he sold it for 21,000 scudi to
Francesco I de' Medici
Francesco I (25 March 1541 – 19 October 1587) was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 until his death in 1587. He was a member of the House of Medici.
Biography
Born in Florence, Francesco was the son of Cosimo I de' Medic ...
, who received the imperial investiture the following year.
On 4 July 1592
Ferdinando I de' Medici
Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (30 July 1549 – 3 February 1609) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1587 to 1609, having succeeded his older brother Francesco I.
Early life
Ferdinando was the fifth son (the third surviving at t ...
granted the marquessate to Giulio Cibo Sale for 'the sincere devotion shown on several occasions to the Florentine court' and a payment of 30,000 scudi in gold.
Giulio was installed in the fief, which included the castle and the surrounding territory, which could be inherited by males and females, provided that the marquisate was kept undivided. The new feudal lord was granted the rights and privileges of hunting, fishing, gabelle, tolls, mills, etc., but was forbidden from granting pardons and making a military levy.
Giulio's only daughter and heiress Geronima married into the Brignole family and in 1607 the lands and title passed to her two-year-old son Anton Giulio, who took the name Brignole-Sale.
The Marquessate was governed at a distance and ruled by the functionaries of the Brignole-Sale family who sometimes abused their powers, especially in the early 18th century.
The Marquessate was in effect independent and entered into the orbit of the
Republic of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...
. It was occupied from 1746 to 1748 by the Austrians, while Gian Francesco II Brignole-Sale was
Doge of Genoa
The Doge of Genoa ( lij, Dûxe, ; la, Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People") was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the s ...
. In 1749, the Doge
Gian Francesco II Brignole Sale, breaking with the policy of his predecessors, decided to directly administer his lands and dispense justice himself in an attempt to detach the Marquessate by refusing to apply the laws of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. At his death in 1760, his brother
Rodolfo II Brignole-Sale inherited the Marquessate and from then on the Grand Duchy of Tuscany unceasingly attempted to recover Groppoli.
In 1773, the people of Groppoli, unhappy with the fiscal policies of the Brignole-Sale family, revolted and besieged the 15th century castle.
In 1774, when Rodolfo's son succeeded, he was dispossessed of his authority and power. Thereafter the Marquessate was directly administered by Tuscany.
Maria Brignole-Sale, Duchess of Galliera created a charity, Opera Pia Brignole Sale di Voltri, and endowed it with the estate in 1877.
However, following her death the charity put the estate up for auction for 201,000 lira in March 1890.
List of Marquesses of Groppoli
*
Giulio Sale, 1st Marquess of Groppoli (d. 1607), succeeded by his grandson,
Giulio had a daughter and heiress named Geronima who married her first cousin
Gio Francesco Brignole,
Doge of Genoa
The Doge of Genoa ( lij, Dûxe, ; la, Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People") was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the s ...
. Following Giulio Sale's death in 1607 the Grand Duke of Tuscany made a second investiture of the Marquessate on 27 June 1610. In accordance with the will of Giulio Sale the remainder was limited to the male line only:
*
Anton Giulio Brignole-Sale, 2nd Marquess of Groppoli (1605-1662), succeeded by his son,
*
Rodolfo I Brignole-Sale, 3rd Marquess of Groppoli (1631-1683), succeeded by his brother,
*
Gio Francesco I Brignole-Sale, 4th Marquess of Groppoli (1643-1694), succeeded by his son,
*
Anton Giulio II Brignole-Sale, 5th Marquess of Groppoli (1673-1710), succeeded by his son,
*
Gio Francesco II Brignole-Sale, 6th Marquess of Groppoli (1695-1760),
Doge of Genoa
The Doge of Genoa ( lij, Dûxe, ; la, Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People") was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the s ...
and 7th
King of Corsica, succeeded by his brother,
*
Giuseppe Brignole-Sale, 7th Marquess of Groppoli (1703-1769), succeeded by his brother,
His only surviving child was
Maria Caterina Brignole
Maria Caterina Brignole (or Marie-Christine de Brignole; 7 October 1737 – 18 March 1813) was Princess consort of Monaco by marriage to Honoré III, Prince of Monaco.
She separated from her husband in 1770: he died in 1795, and in 1798 sh ...
, who married
Honoré III, Prince of Monaco
Honoré III (Honoré Camille Léonor Grimaldi; 10 November 1720 – 21 March 1795) ruled as Prince of Monaco and was Duke of Valentinois from 1731 to 1793. Honoré was the son of Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco, and her husband, Prince J ...
and became ancestor of the
Princes of Monaco
The following is a list of rulers of Monaco. Most belong to the House of Grimaldi; exceptions, which consist primarily of the principality's administrators under periods of foreign occupation, are noted.
History
The House of Grimaldi, descend ...
. However she did not succeed to the Marquessate, which passed to her father Giuseppe's brother,
*
Rodolfo II Brignole-Sale, 8th Marquess of Groppoli (1708-1774),
Doge of Genoa
The Doge of Genoa ( lij, Dûxe, ; la, Januensium dux et populi defensor, "Commander of the Genoese and Defender of the People") was the ruler of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a maritime republic, from 1339 until the s ...
, succeeded by his son,
In
1774 the Marquessate was annexed to the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
and the heirs were left with the title only:
*
Anton Giulio III Brignole-Sale, 9th Marquess of Groppoli (1764-1802), succeeded by his son,
*
Rodolfo III Brignole-Sale, 10th Marquess of Groppoli (1784-1832), ordained in 1806 and renounced the title, succeeded by his brother,
*
Anton Giulio IV Brignole-Sale, 11th Marquess of Groppoli (1786-1863), succeeded by his daughter (became dormant)
Under the terms of the second investiture of 27 June 1610 (which limited the title to the male line) the Marquessate became extinct at his death. However, under the terms of the original investiture of 1592 the title was able to pass through the female line (the 2nd Marquess having succeeded in this way). When the 11th Marquess died in 1863, Italian law would have required that the succession to the title by his daughter Maria be confirmed by the new King of Italy. Since Maria made no such request, the title became dormant:
*
Maria Brignole-Sale, Duchess of Galliera, 12th Marchioness of Groppoli (1811-1888), never used the title
Maria married
Raffaele de Ferrari, Duke of Galliera. At her death her only surviving child, the well-known stamp collector
Philipp von Ferrary
Philip Ferrari de La Renotière (January 11, 1850 – May 20, 1917) was a noted French-born stamp collector, assembling probably the most complete worldwide collection that ever existed, or is likely to exist. Amongst his extremely rare stamps ...
, renounced his titles. The dormant title therefore passed to
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli, (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902), better known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is best remembered for the remark he wr ...
, the heir at line of the Brignole-Sale family (the only grandchild of Pellina Brignole-Sale, sister of the 11th Marquess and wife of
Emmeric, Duc de Dalberg):
*
John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli, (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902), better known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is best remembered for the remark he wr ...
, 13th Marquess of Groppoli (1834-1902), succeeded by his son,
*
Richard Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 2nd Baron Acton
Richard Maximilian Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 2nd Baron Acton, (7 August 1870 – 16 June 1924) was a British peer and diplomat, ultimately Britain's first Ambassador to Finland in 1919–20.
Early life
The scion of an ancient and distinguished Shrops ...
, 14th Marquess of Groppoli (1870-1924), succeeded by his son,
*
John Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 3rd Baron Acton
John Emerich Henry Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 3rd Baron Acton (born Dalberg-Acton; 15 December 1907 – 23 January 1989), was a British peer and soldier.
Early life and education
Acton was born in Bordighera, Liguria, Italy, the eldest son and thi ...
, 15th Marquess of Groppoli (1907-1989), succeeded by his son,
In 1946, the Kingdom of Italy was replaced by a republic. Under the Italian Constitution adopted in 1948, titles of nobility are not legally recognised.
*
Richard Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 4th Baron Acton
Richard Gerald Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 4th Baron Acton, Baron Acton of Bridgnorth (30 July 1941 – 10 October 2010) was a British Labour Party politician and peer.
Early life and education
The oldest son of John Lyon-Dalberg-Acton and Daphne ...
, 16th Marquess of Groppoli (1941-2010), succeeded by his son,
*
John Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 5th Baron Acton
John Charles Harold Ferdinand Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 5th Baron Acton (born 19 August 1966) is a British author and peer.
Early life and education
Born in Oxford, he was educated at Winchester College (1980–1983) and Balliol College, Oxford (1984â ...
, 17th Marquess of Groppoli (b. 1966)
See also
*
Gio Francesco Brignole
*
Anna Pieri Brignole Sale
*
Giacomo Luigi Brignole
Giacomo Luigi Brignole (8 May 1797 – 23 June 1853) was a Catholic Cardinal and Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals.
Early life
Brignole was born on 8 May 1797 in Genoa, then the capital of the Republic of Genoa.
He was educated ...
*
Giacomo Maria Brignole
Giacomo Maria Brignole Sale (1724 – 1801) was the 176th and 184th Doge of the Republic of Genoa, respectively from 1779 to 1781 and from 1795 to 1797. He was the last doge in the history of the Republic, and the only one elected twice, a uniq ...
*
Duke of Galliera
Duke of Galliera is an Italian noble title that has been created several times for members of different families. The name of the title refers to the ''comune'' of Galliera, which is located in the Province of Bologna in Emilia–Romagna.
Hist ...
*
Consulta araldica The ''Consulta Araldica'' ( en, College of Arms) was a college instituted by royal decree on 10 October 1869 to advise the Italian government on noble titles, coats of arms and related matters. It was a department of the Ministry of the Interior, co ...
*
Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana
*
List of marquesses in Italy
Italy, as a single nation state, began only in 1861, after the Piedmont-based Kingdom of Sardinia conquered most of present-day Italy. At that point, titles were recognized to all who held them according to the law of so-called '' pre-unitarian' ...
*
Libro d'Oro
The ''Libro d'Oro'' (English: ''The Golden Book''), originally published between 1315 and 1797, is the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice (including the Ionian Islands). It has been resurrected as the ''Libro d'Oro della Nobil ...
*
Annuario della Nobiltà Italiana
References
External links
Nobiliary and Aristocratic HistoryIl Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana
{{Nobility by nation
Italian nobility
The nobility of Italy (Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the k ...
Groppoli