The House of Caracciolo () ( Italian: ''Casa Caracciolo'') (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Domus Caracciolo'') is a prominent

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

noble family that originated in the city of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

. The Caracciolos are considered one of the most important families in the history of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially 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 established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, and also held relevant posts in the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, and the

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History

The house boasted a mythical

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

origin, however, the first documented mention of the family date back to the 10th century with the progenitor Teodoro Caracciolo, who was reported in ancient documents as Theodorus Caracziolus, of which only archival information is available; he was buried together with his wife Urania in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in

. He is reported to have died on 20 March 976, the date of a document in which it is learned that in this period his daughter Theodonanda made a donation to the Monastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Naples. At the time of the

Duchy of Naples The Duchy of Naples (, ) began as a Byzantine province that was constituted in the seventh century, in the lands roughly corresponding to the current province of Naples that the Lombards had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in the si ...

, the family enjoyed nobility during the reign of the Sergian dynasty, benefiting from special privileges granted by Sergius VII of Naples. The family then divided into numerous lines, including the ancient lines of the likes of Caracciolo Canella, Caracciolo Ugot, Caracciolo Viola, and Caracciolo Ciccola, then into the lines of the likes of the del Sole, Bianchi, Rossi, and Pisquizi. Specifically, Riccardo Caracciolo, son of Landolfo, who lived in the early 12th century, was the progenitor of the Caracciolo Rossi. Caracciolo Pisquizi Filippo, also son of Landolfo, was the progenitor of the branch of the Caracciolo del Sole and that of the Caracciolo di Pisciotta. In 1869, the family was enrolled in the ''

Libro d'Oro The ''Libro d'Oro'' (''The Golden Book''), originally published between 1315 and 1797, is the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice (including the Ionian Islands). It has been resurrected as the ''Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà It ...

'', the Golden Book of the

Italian nobility The Italian nobility ( Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the k ...

. Thanks to the great importance of the Caracciolo family, most of the most important events of the Kingdom of Naples had various members of the family as protagonists, sometimes even on opposing fronts. The family has played a pivotal role in the development of the

, with family members holding positions as

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and cardinals. One notable member of the family who was involved with the church was Saint Francis Caracciolo.

Notable members

* Francesco Caracciolo (died 1316), chancellor of the University of Paris * Landolfo Caracciolo (died 1351), Franciscan theologian and archbishop of Amalfi * Riccardo Caracciolo (–1395), one of two rival Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller * Giovanni Caracciolo (–1432), minister of the

and favourite of Queen Joanna II who was often called Sergianni * Marino Caracciolo (1468–1538), cardinal and diplomat * Tommaso Caracciolo (1478–1546), Archbishop of Capua (1536–1546), Bishop of Trivento (1502–1540), and Bishop of Capaccio (1523–1531) * Francis Caracciolo (1563-1608), Catholic priest and saint, cofounder of Clerics Regular Minor * Pasquale Caracciolo (1566–1608), writer and horsemanship expert * Tommaso Caracciolo, Count of Roccarainola (1572–1631), Spanish field marshal * Carlo Andrea Caracciolo (1584–1646), 2nd Marquis of Torrecuso, Spanish military commander during the Thirty Years' War * Girolamo Maria Caracciolo (1617–1682), Marqués de Torrecuso, Governor of Navarre, and soldier from a branch in Spain since the 16th century * Tommaso Caracciolo (1636–1637), Archbishop of Taranto * Carmine Nicolao Caracciolo (1671–1726), Viceroy of the Spanish Kingdom of Peru from a branch in Spain since the 16th century * Tommaso Caracciolo (1687–1689), Bishop of Gerace * Francesco Caracciolo (1752–1799), admiral and revolutionary. * Filippo Giudice Caracciolo (1785–1844), Archbishop of Naples (1833–1844) * Mario Caracciolo di Melito (1883–1958), Italian cavalry officer and American actor known as Mario Carillo * Miriam Caracciolo di Melito (1888–1966), American socialite and wife of Mario Caracciolo di Melito * Giuseppe Caracciolo (1892–1975), cinematographer *

Rudolf Caracciola Otto Wilhelm Rudolf Caracciola (30 January 1901 – 28 September 1959) was a German racing driver.Bolsinger and Becker (2002), p. 63 He won the European Championship (auto racing), European Drivers' Championship, the pre-1950 equivalent of the m ...

(1901–1959), racing driver from a branch in Germany since the 17th century * Filippo Caracciolo (1903–1965), 8th Prince of Castagneto, 3rd Duke di Melito * Franco Caracciolo (1920–1999), actor and conductor * Carlo Caracciolo (1925–2008), 9th Prince of Castagneto, 4th Duke of Melito, newspaper publisher, and founder of Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso * Marella Caracciolo (1927–2019), Princess of Castagneto, art collector, designer, and widow of Gianni Agnelli * Nicola Caracciolo (1931–2020), 10th Prince of Castagneto, 5th Duke di Melito, journalist, and historian * Niccolo d'Ardia Caracciolo (1941–1989), painter from a branch in Ireland since the 20th century

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book, last=Cancelliere, first=Maria Pina, date=2012, title=Lo Stato feudale dei Caracciolo di Torella: poteri, istituzioni e rapporti economico-sociali nel Mezzogiorno moderno, location=Avellino, publisher=Terebinto Editore, isbn=978-88-97-48907-8

External links

Nobili napoletani
(in Italian) Italian noble families Neapolitan nobility