Vespasiano Colonna Vespasiano Colonna (c. 1485 – 13 March 1528) was an Italian nobleman and

condottiero ''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 Europe ...

, a member of the

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 ...

Biography

He was the son of

Prospero Colonna Prospero Colonna (1452–1523), sometimes referred to as Prosper Colonna, was an Italian condottiero in the service of the Papal States, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Kingdom of Spain during the Italian Wars. Biography A member of the ancient ...

, duke of Traetto (modern Minturno) and count of

Fondi Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady population ...

, and Covella di Sanseverino. He fought for the imperial side in the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars, also known as the Habsburg–Valois Wars, were a series of conflicts covering the period 1494 to 1559, fought mostly in the Italian peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean Sea. The pr ...

; in 1524, in reward, he obtained by Charles V the county of Belgioioso, confiscated from the Barbiano family. Sent to defend the Spanish-controlled

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, he however defected to the French in 1525, gaining Pope Clement V's enmity. After the Colonna had occupied

Anagni Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic center of the Latin Valley. Geography Overview Anagni still maintains the ...

, the Pope proposed to pardon him in exchange of stopping fighting against the papal lands: Colonna replied assaulting the papal palace in the

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

, forcing the pope to take shelter in

Castel Sant'Angelo The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo (; English: ''Castle of the Holy Angel''), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausol ...

. Vespasiano and all his parents were therefore

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

. In 1527 he was reconciled with the pope thanks to the intercession of imperial ministers. He died at

Paliano Paliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of central Italy. History Paliano was the seat of a branch of the powerful Colonna family whose head was Lord, then Duke, then Prince of Paliano. Their fortress ...

in 1528.

Family

Colonna first married Beatrice Appiani of

Piombino Piombino is an Italian town and ''comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma. Ove ...

, with whom he had a daughter,

Isabella Colonna Isabella Colonna (1513 – 1570) was an Italian noblewoman, a member of the Colonna family. Biography She was the only daughter of Vespasiano Colonna, duke of Traetto (modern Minturno) and count of Fondi, and Beatrice Appiani: However, she grew u ...

. In 1526 he remarried to

Giulia Gonzaga Giulia Gonzaga (1513 – 16 April 1566) was an Italian ruler and letter writer of the Renaissance. She was the countess regnant of Rodigo as the heir of her late spouse between 1528 and 1541. Biography Giulia was born in Gazzuolo (near Mantua) ...

, daughter of Ludovico Gonzaga duke of

Sabbioneta Sabbioneta ( egl, label= Casalasco-Viadanese, Subiunèda) is a town and in the province of Mantua, Lombardy region, Northern Italy. It is situated about north of Parma, not far from the northern bank of the Po River. It was inscribed in the World ...

Sources

* * Franca Petrucci
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
vol. XXVII (1982). * Società Genealogica Italiana

(2014). {{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Vespasiano 1480s births 1528 deaths

Vespasiano Vespasiano is a municipality in the Belo Horizonte metropolitan region in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, located north of Belo Horizonte. Vespasiano is home to Cidade do Galo, the training grounds of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A t ...

16th-century condottieri People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church People from the Province of Latina