The Chiaramonte are a noble family of Sicily. They became the most powerful and wealthy family in Sicily. In the 13th century the marriage of Manfredi Chiaramonte to Isabella Mosca, united the two Sicilian counties of Modica and Ragusa. Around 1307–1320, the couple built the family seat, the Palazzo Chiaramonte, in Palermo. The family's great power in Sicily lasted until 1392 with the

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

of Andrea Chiaramonte, 8th Count of Modica, last defender of Palermo for King Frederick IV of Sicily against the illegitimate pretender

Martin I of Aragon Martin the Humane (29 July 1356 – 31 May 1410), also called the Elder and the Ecclesiastic, was King of Aragon, Valencia, Sardinia and Corsica and Count of Barcelona from 1396 and King of Sicily from 1409 (as Martin II). He failed to secure the ...

. It was outside of the Palazzo Chiaramonte that Andrea Chiaramonte was executed on 1 June 1392 Following the fall of the House of Chiaramonte, their palace became known as the Palazzo Steri. The palazzi subsequently became the residence of Martin I of Aragon and of Blanche de Navarre, then the Spanish viceroys, and then a prison of the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

. Today, the palace's much copied and distinctive form of Norman Gothic architecture is known, in Sicily, as the Chiaramontan style. Traditionally, direct male descendants of Manfredi are called Pietro, Ugo or Flavio – Pietro the foundation stone, Ugo the king of Sicily and Flavio because of Sicily's bright yellow sun. At present, the family uses the Cardone surname. The name of the Chiaramonte can be found today in numerous Sicilian toponyms. The town of

Chiaramonte Gulfi Chiaramonte Gulfi (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Ciaramunti'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. Geography Chiaramonte Gulfi is located on a hill-top north of Ragusa, Italy, Ragusa at an altitude of ...

in (

province of Ragusa The Province of Ragusa ( it, Provincia di Ragusa; Sicilian: ''Pruvincia 'i Rausa'') was a province in the autonomous region of Sicily in southern Italy, located in the south-east of the island. Following the abolition of the Sicilian provinces, ...

) and

Palma di Montechiaro Palma di Montechiaro ( scn, Parma di Muntichiaru) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, southern Italy. Many Greek archaeological findings have been found near the town. Formerly known as Palma, in 1863, Montechiaro ...

(

province of Agrigento The Province of Agrigento ( it, Provincia di Agrigento; scn, Pruvincia di Girgenti; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Agrigento'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy, situated on its south-western coast. Follo ...

) are both named after the Chiaramonte family. Nearby the latter is a stronghold built in 1358 by Federico III Chiaramonte, Count of Modica.Palma di Montechiaro.
retrieved 18 August 2008.

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