Onorato Caetani, XIV Duke of Sermoneta and IV Prince of Teano (18 January 1842 – 2 September 1917) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

politician from the noble

Caetani The House of Caetani, or Gaetani, is the name of an Italian noble family, originally from the city of Gaeta, connected by some to the lineage of the lords of the Duchy of Gaeta, as well as to the patrician Gaetani of the Republic of Pisa. It play ...

family.(In Italian) He was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, which was then part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

, to Michelangelo and Calixta Caetani (''née'' Rzewuska). He graduated in law at the University of Rome in 1863 and lived for a long time in England.

Political career

A supporter of the Historical Right party, he took a moderate position which gained the respect of both Catholics and non-Catholics. He was elected for

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring comm ...

to the Chamber of Deputies in March 1872 and remained there uninterruptedly until 1911, when he was appointed to the Upper House as a Senator of the Kingdom of Italy. He also served as the 8th Mayor of Rome from December 1890 to November 1892, and from March to July 1896 as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

in the Government of Rudini II.

Italian Geographical Society

Caetani was elected president of the

Italian Geographical Society Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

in 1879 in succession to

Cesare Correnti Cesare Correnti (January 3, 1815 – October 4, 1888) was an Italian revolutionary and politician. Life He was born in Milan of a poor but noble family. While employed in the public debt administration, he flooded Lombardy with revolutionary pamph ...

, the society's founder, who had been forced to resign for pursuing political objectives. He held the office until 1887, restoring the society's scientific objectives, promoting the teaching of geography in schools and organising the 3rd International Congress of Geography in Vienna in 1881.

Honours and awards

* Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus * Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Private life

He died in Rome,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in 1917. In 1867, during his time in England, he had married Ada Constance Bootle-Wilbraham, daughter of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

the Hon ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Edward Bootle-Wilbraham (a son of

Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale Edward Bootle-Wilbraham, 1st Baron Skelmersdale (7 March 1771 – 3 April 1853), was a British landowner and politician. Life Bootle-Wilbraham was the son of Richard Wilbraham-Bootle and his wife Mary, daughter of Robert Bootle. He inherited Lat ...

). Their children included the Islamist

Leone Caetani Leone Caetani (September 12, 1869 – December 25, 1935), Duke of Sermoneta (also known as Prince Caetani), was an Italian scholar, politician, and historian of the Middle East. Caetani is considered a pioneer in the application of the historic ...

(1869-1935), the composer Roffredo Caetani (1871-1961) and the diplomat Gelasio Caetani (1877-1934).

References