The Scotti is an aristocratic family centered around Piacenza in

Northern Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

. The family is also known as also known as ''Douglas Scotti'' for claiming descendancy from the Scottish

Clan Douglas Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. The f ...

History

Legne holds that a knight from the Douglas Clan came from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

to fight the under

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

and against the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

. After his service, he putatively settled in Piacenza. However little documentation affirms this legend. The first documentation of a Scotti is of Rainaldo in 1184 serving as a consul of the collegio dei mercanti (guild of merchants). The

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

-leaning Scotti family was often in conflict or competition with the

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...

Piacentine family of the Anguissola. The Scotti were successful and had affiliations with merchants and bankers throughout Europe from Portugal to Flanders. Among the most prominent members of the family, Alberto Scotti became signore (Lord) of Piacenza roughly during 1280–1290. In 1302, he was one of the leaders of an alliance that exiled the

Visconti Family Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

from Milan, but continued conflicts led to his exile from Piacenza in 1304. Although the shifting fortunes had him return to control of Piacenza for periods during the following two decades, in 1317 he was captured and died in Crema in 1318. Alberto's son Francesco was able to regain Piacenza in 1335, but for less than a year, when he was expelled by the

Visconti family Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

. In 1414, the heirs of Giacomo Scotti were granted the title to the counties of

Castell'Arquato Castell'Arquato (; Piacentino: or ) is an Italian town located on the first hills of Val D’Arda in the province of Piacenza, in Emilia-Romagna, approximately from Piacenza and from Parma. Places nearby include Bacedasco, Vigolo Marchese, ...

Fiorenzuola Fiorenzuola d'Arda (; egl, label= Piacentino, Fiurinsöla, or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy in the province of Piacenza, part of the Emilia-Romagna region. Its name derives from ''Florentia'' ("prosperous" in Latin). The "d'Arda" portion r ...

, and Vigoleno by the

Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia (''jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1 ...

, who also allowed them to name themselves the name of ''Scotti Douglas''. In the church of

San Giovanni in Canale, Piacenza San Giovanni in Canale is a Gothic-style Roman Catholic church in central Piacenza, formerly associated with a Dominican monastery. History The Dominican order arrived in Piacenza in 1220 and donations from those living next to the Rio Beverora ( ...

, is a burial monument of Scotti used since the 14th century. In 1475, Giovanni Maria Scotti, Count of Vigoleno, married Aloisia Gonzaga, daughter of Francesco I Gonzaga-Novellara. Other prominent members of the family include: *Brantino Scotti (14th century), jurist *Antonio Scotti (14th century) treasurer of

Estorre Visconti Estorre Visconti, or Astorre according to other sources (13467 January 1413), was one of the many illegitimate sons of the famous Bernabò Visconti, Lord of Milan and already deposed by his nephew Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1385. Biography Born i ...

, Lord of

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

; *Francesco Scotti (14th century), podestà of Bologna; *Alberto II Scotti (15th century), Lord of

; *Caterina Scotti (?-1468) of Agazzano, Spouse of Rolando Pallavicino called "il Magnifico" *Pier Maria Scotti (1481–1521) Called "conte Buso", condottieri; *

Gianbernardino Scotti Gianbernardino Scotti (died 1568) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Gianbernardino Scotti was born in Magliano Sabina ca. 1478, the son of a noble family that had lived there for 400 years. He was an expert in Greek ...

(1478–1568), cardinal; *

Ranuccio Scotti Douglas Ranuccio Scotti Douglas or Ranuzio Scotti Douglas (19 July 1597 – 10 May 1659) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Borgo San Donnino (1627–1650), ''(in Latin)'' Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland (1630-1639), and Apostolic Nunci ...

(1597–1659), Bishop of Fidenza *Domenico Maria Scotti Douglas, Count of

Sarmato Sarmato ( Piacentino: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northwest of Bologna and about west of Piacenza. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,714 and an a ...

(1751–1854); Commissioned the palazzo Scotti in via San Siro a Piacenza *Luigi Scotti Douglas (1796–1880), general of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies *Paolo Scotti Douglas della Scala, Count of San Giorgio, Governor of Piacenza in 1854

Note

Bibliography

* * * * * *{{cite book, last=Zanardi Landi , first=Carlo Pietro , title=Sarmato, storia e leggenda, location=Piacenza, publisher=TEP edizioni d'arte, date=2000, id=Zanardi

Sources

* Guccio Nauesi: ''Istoria genealogica delle famiglie nobili toscane, et umbre'', Firenze 1671 * Touring Club of Italy: ''Toscana, Umbria, Marche'', Milano 2002 * Antonio Musarra: ''1284 La battaglia della Meloria'', Roma 2018 *Mainly extracted from Italian Wikipedia with sources. Italian noble families Piacenza