The title of Prince of Melfi is an Italian noble title that was granted to

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; lij, Drîa Döia ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was a Genoese statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. As the ruler of Genoa, Doria reformed the Re ...

, a famous admiral, statesman and

condottiere ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...

from 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 La ...

, in 1531 along with the lands of the country of

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On ...

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

. The title was handed to his grandson Giovanni Andrea Doria upon Andrea's death. The title continued to be held by Andrea's descendants well through the 17th to 20th centuries. The title ceased to exist in 2000 when the last direct descent of the Doria-Pamphilii-Landi family died.

Notable holders of the title

was the first Prince of Melfi *

Giovanni Andrea Doria Giovanni Andrea Doria, also known as Gianandrea Doria, (1539–1606), was an Italian admiral from Genoa. Biography Doria was born to a noble family of the Republic of Genoa. He was the son of Giannettino Doria, of the Doria family, who died wh ...

was a Prince of Melfi through his adoption by Andrea Doria. * Princess Leopoldina of Savoy was Princess of Melfi through marriage to Giovanni Andrea VI Doria-Pamphilj-Landi.

References

Doria family Italian princes Nobility of Italian states Melfi {{italy-hist-stub