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Nobility of Italy

April 24, 2023

The nobility of Italy (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 kings of Italy after the unification of the region into a single state, the Kingdom of Italy.

Coat of arms of King Umberto I of Italy

Nobles had a specific legal status and held most of the wealth and various privileges denied to other classes, mainly politicians. In most of the former Italian pre-Unification states it was the only class that had access to high-level government positions. They also practically monopolized the most distinguished positions in the city-states and in the Catholic Church for a long time. There were several different systems of nobility over time and in different regions.[1]

From the Middle Ages until March 1861, "Italy" was not a single country but was a number of separate kingdoms and other states, with many reigning dynasties. These were often related by marriage to each other and to other European royal families. The Italian nobility was expanded into Africa with the creation of the Italian Empire in conquered Eritrea and East Africa.[citation needed]

Recognition of Italian nobility ceased with the creation of the Italian Republic in 1946. Although many titles still exist, they are used as a matter of social courtesy and are not recognised under the law, except for a limited number of noble titles granted by the pope which are still formally acknowledged according to Article 42 of the Lateran Treaty.

History

Pre-unification

Before Italian Unification there was a relatively large number of members of the nobility in Italy.

In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Italy (after the Renaissance) was home to a myriad of noble families that had risen to prominence via judicial appointment, election to the various regional senates or appointment to Catholic Church office.[2]

There were also families which had been part of Italian nobility for many decades or even centuries. Writing in the 19th century, Leopold von Ranke recorded:

In the middle of the seventeenth century there were computed to be fifty noble families in Rome of three hundred years' standing, thirty-five of two hundred, and sixteen of one hundred years. None were permitted to claim a more ancient descent, or were generally traced to an obscure, or even a low origin.

Sicilian nobility

Main article: Sicilian nobility
This section is an excerpt from Sicilian nobility.[edit]
The Sicilian nobility was a privileged hereditary class in the Kingdom of Sicily, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Kingdom of Italy, whose origins may be traced to the 11th century AD.

Neapolitan nobility

Main category: Neapolitan nobility

Papal nobility

Main article: Papal nobility

During this period, throughout Italy various influential families came to positions of power through the election of a family member as Pope or were elevated into the ranks of nobility through ecclesiastical promotion. These families freely intermarried with aristocratic nobility. Like other noble families, those with both papal power and money were able to purchase comunes or other tracts of land and elevate family patriarchs and other relatives to noble titles. Hereditary patriarchs were appointed Duke, Marquis and even Prince of various 16th and 17th century principalities. According to Ranke:

Under Innocent X there existed, for a considerable time, two great factions, or associations of families. The Orsini, Cesarini, Borghese, Aldobrandini, Ludovisi, and Giustiniani were with the Pamphili; while opposed to them, was the house of Colonna and the Barberini.

— Leopold von Ranke, The History of the Popes

Popes commonly elevated members of prominent families to the position of Cardinal; especially second and third sons who would not otherwise inherit hereditary titles. Popes also elevated their own family members – especially nephews – to the special position of Cardinal-Nephew. Prominent families could purchase curial offices for their sons and regularly did, hoping that the son would rise through Church ranks to become a Bishop or a Cardinal, from which position they could dispense further titles and positions of authority to other family members.[2]

The period was famous for papal nepotism and many families, such as the Barberini and Pamphili, benefited greatly from having a papal relative. Families that had previously been limited to agricultural or mercantile ventures found themselves, sometimes within only one or two generations, elevated to the Roman nobility when a relative was elected to the papal throne.[2] Modern Italy is dotted with the fruits of their success – various family palazzi stand today as a testament to their sometimes meteoric rise to power.

Genoese nobility

In the case of the Republic of Genoa, through the Constitutional Reform and the laws of 1528, 1548 and 1575, an aristocratic republic was inaugurated, which would last until 1797. With the constitutional reform of 1528, belonging to a albergo became from optional to compulsory, effectively transforming the alberghi into lists of registration to the city nobility recognized by the government. The reform required that the wealthiest citizens who owned six or more houses should originate a distinct albergo. On that occasion, it was decided to establish a single Order of noble citizens, otherwise known as Old Nobles, divided into twenty-three old and already existing alberghi and five new ones were created for the occasion. These associations were to prevent the resurgence of ancient hostilities and protect the wealth and power of the wealthiest families.[3][4]

Florentine nobility

The Florentine, and later Tuscan nobility distinguished itself in the two classes of Patricians, recognized as noble since before 1532, belonging to the Order of Saint Stephen, and residing only in the ancient noble homelands: Florence, Siena, Pisa, Pistoia, Arezzo, Volterra, Montepulciano and Cortona. And of the nobles, simple nobility, civic nobility, senators and commanders, with residence of the "new" noble homelands: Sansepolcro, San Miniato, Livorno, Pescia and Prato. Overall, the Florentine nobility was divided into feudal, senatorial and priority.[5][6]

Milanese nobility

In Milan, the first officially drawn up list of nobility was the "Matricula nobilium familiarum Mediolani" by Ottone Visconti, dated 20 April 1377, in which, however, only the noble Milanese families who helped the Visconti family in their seizure of power over the municipality of Milan were listed, therefore considered the most faithful and ancient nobility in the future lifetime of the city. From 5 September 1395 the Dukes of Milan officially obtained the right to grant nobility to as many nobles as there were, consistent with the recognition of the Duchy of Milan. During the whole ducal period, first of the Visconti and then of the Sforza, the nobility residing in the city was increasingly predisposed to become court nobility, in the direct service of the duke, especially in the field of arms and alliances for war purposes. These families, during this period, played a fundamental role in the politics of the territory, without ever completely outclassing the figure of the duke. Most of the Milanese patriciate is linked to this period, which in the following centuries will constitute a sign of distinction between the nobility granted "to the Milanese by their duke" and that granted by "foreigners".[7]

Venetian nobility

 
Portrait of the Loredan family, by Giovanni Bellini, 1507, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. Leonardo Loredan, 75th Doge of Venice, ruled from 1501 until his death in 1521 and was a member of the Loredan family, one of the Republic's most prominent noble houses.[8] His four sons are depicted wearing the typical regalia of Venetian noblemen.

The Venetian Patriciate was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the Republic of Venice was divided, together with citizens and foreigners. Patrizio was the noble title of the members of the aristocracy ruling the city of Venice and the Republic. The title was abbreviated, in front of the name, by the initials N.H. (Nobil Homo), together with the feminine variant N.D. (Nobildonna). Holding the title of a Venetian patrician was a great honour and many European kings and princes, as well as foreign noble families, are known to have asked for and obtained the prestigious title.

The noble houses were primarily divided into Old (Case vecchie) and New houses (Case nuove), with the former being noted for traditionally electing the first Doge in 697 AD. The New houses were no less significant, as many became very prominent and important in influencing the history of the Republic of Venice. The families were furthermore divided into several other "categories", including Ducal houses (which gave Doges), Newest houses (Case nuovissime), Non-Venetian patricians, and "Houses made for money" (usually very wealthy landowning or bourgeoise families enriched through trade).

Although there were numerous noble houses across Venice's home and overseas land possessions, the Republic was in fact ruled as an oligarchy by about 20 to 30 families of Venice's urban nobility, who elected the Doge, held political and military offices and directly participated in the daily governing of the state. They were predominantly merchants, with their main source of income being trade with the East and other entrepreneurial activities, on which they became incredibly wealthy. Some of the most important families, who dominated the politics and the history of the state, include those such as the Contarini, Cornaro, Dandolo, Giustiniani, Loredan, Mocenigo, Morosini and the Venier families.

Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

In the years preceding the political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single state, the Kingdom of Italy, the existence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (before 1816: the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily), the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Parma, the Duchy of Modena, the Duchy of Savoy, the Papal States and the Austrian Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia led to parallel nobilities with different traditions and rules.

Unification

 
Caserta Palace, the largest palace erected in Europe during the 18th century.[9]

Modern Italy became a nation-state during the Risorgimento on 17 March 1861, when most of the states of the peninsula and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies were united under King Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty, hitherto monarch of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which included Piedmont. The architect of Italian unification was Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, the Chief Minister of Victor Emmanuel. Rome itself remained for a further decade under the Papacy, and became part of the Kingdom of Italy only in 1870. In September of that year, invading Italian troops entered the Papal state, and the ensuing occupation forced Pope Pius IX to his palace where he declared himself a prisoner in the Vatican, as did his successors, until the Lateran Pacts of 1929.

Nobility in the Kingdom

Under the united Kingdom of Italy a new national nobility, an attempt (not wholly successful) to impose a uniform nobiliary law, was created, including male succession (although it was possible for ancient titles to be transferred to an heir in the female line by royal authority), and some acknowledgement was made by the King of Italy of titles conferred by Francis II of the Two Sicilies in exile by making new grants in the same name. Those nobles who maintained allegiance to the pope became known as the Black Nobility.[10]

After the unification of Italy, its kings continued to create titles of nobility for eminent Italians, this time valid for all Italian territory. For example, General Enrico Cialdini was created Duca di Gaeta for his role during unification. The practice continued until the 20th century, when nominations would be made by the Prime Minister of Italy and approved by the Crown. In the aftermath of the First World War, most Italians who were ennobled received their titles through the patronage of the Mussolini government. Examples include General Armando Diaz (Duca della Vittoria), Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel (Duca del Mare), Commodore Luigi Rizzo (Conte di Grado e di Premuda), Costanzo Ciano (Conte di Cortellazzo i Buccari), Dino Grandi (Conte di Mordano) and Cesare Maria de Vecchi (Conte di Val Cismon). Many of these were victory titles for services rendered to the nation in the Great War. The writer and aviator Gabriele d'Annunzio was created Principe di Montenevoso in 1924, and the physicist, inventor, and Nobel laureate Guglielmo Marconi was also ennobled in 1924 as Marchese Marconi. In 1937, Ettore Tolomei was ennobled as Conte della Vetta. When Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli became Pope in 1939, Mussolini had the title of Principe posthumously bestowed on the new Pontiff's brother Francesco Pacelli, who had already been made a Marchese by the Holy See during his lifetime.

In 1929, the Lateran Treaty acknowledged all Papal titles created before that date and undertook to give unquestioned recognition to titles conferred by the Holy See on Italian citizens in the future.[10]

After the successful Italian invasion of Abyssinia, the Mussolini government recommended some Italians to the king of Italy for titles of nobility. For example, Marshal Pietro Badoglio was created Marchese del Sabotino and later Duke of Addis Abeba, while General Rodolfo Graziani became Marchese di Neghelli.

Italian Republic

In 1946, the Kingdom of Italy was replaced by a republic. Under the Italian Constitution adopted in 1948, titles of nobility, although still used as a courtesy, are not legally recognised.[11]

Certain predicati (territorial designations) recognised before 1922 may continue to be attached to surnames and used in legal documents. Often these were historic feudal territories of noble families. Although a high court ruling in 1967 definitively established that the heraldic-nobiliary legislation of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) is not current law, the title of the head of the noble family is still accorded to all descendants as courtesy titles.[12]

Titles of nobility

The southern kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, and Sardinia, as well as the Papal states, granted titles as in monarchies such as Spain, France, or England: duke, marquis, count, baron. The title of viscount was not, however, as frequent in Italy as elsewhere. Joseph Bonaparte conferred the title "prince" to be hereditary on his children and grandchildren.[citation needed]

In Northern Italy and Tuscany the situation was complicated by the many kinds of authorities granting titles.[citation needed]

Often, Italian comunes (also in the Kingdom of Naples) and republics granted or recognised the title of patrician, which was only regarded as a rank of nobility in Italy. The patriciate was an urban aristocracy, as opposed to a feudal one.[citation needed]

The Republic of Venice also granted feudal titles.

In the Middle Ages:

"The majority of feudatories were simply signori (from the French seigneur, a title introduced into Italy by the eleventh century Normans), vassalli (vassals) or cavalieri (knights). Eventually, this class came to be known collectively as the baroni (barons); in Italy barone was not always a title descriptive of a particular feudal rank. During the fourteenth century, most minor feudal lands became baronies, their holders barons. It must be observed that the use of these titles usually required some form of sovereign award or feudal tenure."[13]

During the Renaissance, noble families conquered most of the Italian city-states except the republics of Venice, Genoa, Lucca, San Marino and Ragusa.

Until 1806, parts of the present-day Italy, formed the Kingdom of Italy, belonging to the Holy Roman Empire. The emperor retained for himself the right of creating dukes and princes. The Northern Italian monarchs had received from the emperor the right of granting the lesser feudal titles (from marquess downwards), since these monarchs often were princes and dukes themselves.[citation needed]

When in 1861 the king of Sardinia annexed the other Italian states, the Consulta Araldica (the Italian college of arms) integrated these different and varied systems into the hierarchy described below. In practice, this took decades.[citation needed]

Ranks

The official ranks under the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) were:

Italian Translation
Masculine Feminine Masculine Feminine
Re d'Italia Regina d'Italia King of Italy Queen of Italy
Principe Principessa Prince Princess
Duca Duchessa Duke Duchess
Marchese Marchesa Marquis Marchioness
Conte Contessa Count (Earl) Countess
Visconte Viscontessa Viscount Viscountess
Barone Baronessa Baron Baroness
Nobile, or Nobiluomo Nobile, or Nobildonna Nobleman Noblewoman
Cavaliere ereditario Dama Baronet (hereditary knight) Dame
Patrizio of certain cities Patrizia of certain cities Patrician

This hierarchy resulted from the overlapping of titles granted by the pre-unification states, though these were different from each other. As a consequence, titles were not evenly distributed throughout the country and in each region some titles may have been completely absent.[citation needed]

Post-World War II

By 1946, with abolition of the monarchy, a number of titles borne by families in the pre-unification states (Two Sicilies, Papal State, etc.) still had not been matriculated by the Consulta Araldica. This explains the use of certain titles by families (and "claimants") whose position was not regularised between 1861 and 1946.[citation needed]

Palaces and noble houses

Palaces of rulers

Sovereign houses

April 24, 2023
nobility, italy, nobility, italy, italian, nobiltà, italiana, comprised, individuals, their, families, italian, peninsula, islands, linked, with, recognized, sovereigns, italian, city, states, since, middle, ages, kings, italy, after, unification, region, into. The nobility of Italy Italian Nobilta 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 kings of Italy after the unification of the region into a single state the Kingdom of Italy Coat of arms of King Umberto I of Italy Nobles had a specific legal status and held most of the wealth and various privileges denied to other classes mainly politicians In most of the former Italian pre Unification states it was the only class that had access to high level government positions They also practically monopolized the most distinguished positions in the city states and in the Catholic Church for a long time There were several different systems of nobility over time and in different regions 1 From the Middle Ages until March 1861 Italy was not a single country but was a number of separate kingdoms and other states with many reigning dynasties These were often related by marriage to each other and to other European royal families The Italian nobility was expanded into Africa with the creation of the Italian Empire in conquered Eritrea and East Africa citation needed Recognition of Italian nobility ceased with the creation of the Italian Republic in 1946 Although many titles still exist they are used as a matter of social courtesy and are not recognised under the law except for a limited number of noble titles granted by the pope which are still formally acknowledged according to Article 42 of the Lateran Treaty Contents 1 History 1 1 Pre unification 1 1 1 Sicilian nobility 1 1 2 Neapolitan nobility 1 1 3 Papal nobility 1 1 4 Genoese nobility 1 1 5 Florentine nobility 1 1 6 Milanese nobility 1 1 7 Venetian nobility 1 2 Kingdom of Italy 1861 1946 1 2 1 Unification 1 2 2 Nobility in the Kingdom 1 3 Italian Republic 2 Titles of nobility 2 1 Ranks 2 2 Post World War II 3 Palaces and noble houses 3 1 Palaces of rulers 3 2 Sovereign houses 3 3 Papal Houses 3 4 Duke 3 5 Marquesses 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditPre unification Edit Before Italian Unification there was a relatively large number of members of the nobility in Italy In the 16th 17th and 18th centuries Italy after the Renaissance was home to a myriad of noble families that had risen to prominence via judicial appointment election to the various regional senates or appointment to Catholic Church office 2 There were also families which had been part of Italian nobility for many decades or even centuries Writing in the 19th century Leopold von Ranke recorded In the middle of the seventeenth century there were computed to be fifty noble families in Rome of three hundred years standing thirty five of two hundred and sixteen of one hundred years None were permitted to claim a more ancient descent or were generally traced to an obscure or even a low origin Sicilian nobility Edit Main article Sicilian nobility This section is an excerpt from Sicilian nobility edit The Sicilian nobility was a privileged hereditary class in the Kingdom of Sicily the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the Kingdom of Italy whose origins may be traced to the 11th century AD Neapolitan nobility Edit Main category Neapolitan nobility Papal nobility Edit Main article Papal nobility During this period throughout Italy various influential families came to positions of power through the election of a family member as Pope or were elevated into the ranks of nobility through ecclesiastical promotion These families freely intermarried with aristocratic nobility Like other noble families those with both papal power and money were able to purchase comunes or other tracts of land and elevate family patriarchs and other relatives to noble titles Hereditary patriarchs were appointed Duke Marquis and even Prince of various 16th and 17th century principalities According to Ranke Under Innocent X there existed for a considerable time two great factions or associations of families The Orsini Cesarini Borghese Aldobrandini Ludovisi and Giustiniani were with the Pamphili while opposed to them was the house of Colonna and the Barberini Leopold von Ranke The History of the Popes Popes commonly elevated members of prominent families to the position of Cardinal especially second and third sons who would not otherwise inherit hereditary titles Popes also elevated their own family members especially nephews to the special position of Cardinal Nephew Prominent families could purchase curial offices for their sons and regularly did hoping that the son would rise through Church ranks to become a Bishop or a Cardinal from which position they could dispense further titles and positions of authority to other family members 2 The period was famous for papal nepotism and many families such as the Barberini and Pamphili benefited greatly from having a papal relative Families that had previously been limited to agricultural or mercantile ventures found themselves sometimes within only one or two generations elevated to the Roman nobility when a relative was elected to the papal throne 2 Modern Italy is dotted with the fruits of their success various family palazzi stand today as a testament to their sometimes meteoric rise to power Genoese nobility Edit In the case of the Republic of Genoa through the Constitutional Reform and the laws of 1528 1548 and 1575 an aristocratic republic was inaugurated which would last until 1797 With the constitutional reform of 1528 belonging to a albergo became from optional to compulsory effectively transforming the alberghi into lists of registration to the city nobility recognized by the government The reform required that the wealthiest citizens who owned six or more houses should originate a distinct albergo On that occasion it was decided to establish a single Order of noble citizens otherwise known as Old Nobles divided into twenty three old and already existing alberghi and five new ones were created for the occasion These associations were to prevent the resurgence of ancient hostilities and protect the wealth and power of the wealthiest families 3 4 Florentine nobility Edit The Florentine and later Tuscan nobility distinguished itself in the two classes of Patricians recognized as noble since before 1532 belonging to the Order of Saint Stephen and residing only in the ancient noble homelands Florence Siena Pisa Pistoia Arezzo Volterra Montepulciano and Cortona And of the nobles simple nobility civic nobility senators and commanders with residence of the new noble homelands Sansepolcro San Miniato Livorno Pescia and Prato Overall the Florentine nobility was divided into feudal senatorial and priority 5 6 Milanese nobility Edit In Milan the first officially drawn up list of nobility was the Matricula nobilium familiarum Mediolani by Ottone Visconti dated 20 April 1377 in which however only the noble Milanese families who helped the Visconti family in their seizure of power over the municipality of Milan were listed therefore considered the most faithful and ancient nobility in the future lifetime of the city From 5 September 1395 the Dukes of Milan officially obtained the right to grant nobility to as many nobles as there were consistent with the recognition of the Duchy of Milan During the whole ducal period first of the Visconti and then of the Sforza the nobility residing in the city was increasingly predisposed to become court nobility in the direct service of the duke especially in the field of arms and alliances for war purposes These families during this period played a fundamental role in the politics of the territory without ever completely outclassing the figure of the duke Most of the Milanese patriciate is linked to this period which in the following centuries will constitute a sign of distinction between the nobility granted to the Milanese by their duke and that granted by foreigners 7 Venetian nobility Edit Portrait of the Loredan family by Giovanni Bellini 1507 Gemaldegalerie Berlin Leonardo Loredan 75th Doge of Venice ruled from 1501 until his death in 1521 and was a member of the Loredan family one of the Republic s most prominent noble houses 8 His four sons are depicted wearing the typical regalia of Venetian noblemen The Venetian Patriciate was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the Republic of Venice was divided together with citizens and foreigners Patrizio was the noble title of the members of the aristocracy ruling the city of Venice and the Republic The title was abbreviated in front of the name by the initials N H Nobil Homo together with the feminine variant N D Nobildonna Holding the title of a Venetian patrician was a great honour and many European kings and princes as well as foreign noble families are known to have asked for and obtained the prestigious title The noble houses were primarily divided into Old Case vecchie and New houses Case nuove with the former being noted for traditionally electing the first Doge in 697 AD The New houses were no less significant as many became very prominent and important in influencing the history of the Republic of Venice The families were furthermore divided into several other categories including Ducal houses which gave Doges Newest houses Case nuovissime Non Venetian patricians and Houses made for money usually very wealthy landowning or bourgeoise families enriched through trade Although there were numerous noble houses across Venice s home and overseas land possessions the Republic was in fact ruled as an oligarchy by about 20 to 30 families of Venice s urban nobility who elected the Doge held political and military offices and directly participated in the daily governing of the state They were predominantly merchants with their main source of income being trade with the East and other entrepreneurial activities on which they became incredibly wealthy Some of the most important families who dominated the politics and the history of the state include those such as the Contarini Cornaro Dandolo Giustiniani Loredan Mocenigo Morosini and the Venier families Kingdom of Italy 1861 1946 Edit In the years preceding the political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single state the Kingdom of Italy the existence of the Kingdom of Sardinia the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies before 1816 the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily the Grand Duchy of Tuscany the Duchy of Parma the Duchy of Modena the Duchy of Savoy the Papal States and the Austrian Kingdom of Lombardy Venetia led to parallel nobilities with different traditions and rules Unification Edit Caserta Palace the largest palace erected in Europe during the 18th century 9 Modern Italy became a nation state during the Risorgimento on 17 March 1861 when most of the states of the peninsula and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies were united under King Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty hitherto monarch of the Kingdom of Sardinia which included Piedmont The architect of Italian unification was Count Camillo Benso di Cavour the Chief Minister of Victor Emmanuel Rome itself remained for a further decade under the Papacy and became part of the Kingdom of Italy only in 1870 In September of that year invading Italian troops entered the Papal state and the ensuing occupation forced Pope Pius IX to his palace where he declared himself a prisoner in the Vatican as did his successors until the Lateran Pacts of 1929 Nobility in the Kingdom Edit Under the united Kingdom of Italy a new national nobility an attempt not wholly successful to impose a uniform nobiliary law was created including male succession although it was possible for ancient titles to be transferred to an heir in the female line by royal authority and some acknowledgement was made by the King of Italy of titles conferred by Francis II of the Two Sicilies in exile by making new grants in the same name Those nobles who maintained allegiance to the pope became known as the Black Nobility 10 After the unification of Italy its kings continued to create titles of nobility for eminent Italians this time valid for all Italian territory For example General Enrico Cialdini was created Duca di Gaeta for his role during unification The practice continued until the 20th century when nominations would be made by the Prime Minister of Italy and approved by the Crown In the aftermath of the First World War most Italians who were ennobled received their titles through the patronage of the Mussolini government Examples include General Armando Diaz Duca della Vittoria Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel Duca del Mare Commodore Luigi Rizzo Conte di Grado e di Premuda Costanzo Ciano Conte di Cortellazzo i Buccari Dino Grandi Conte di Mordano and Cesare Maria de Vecchi Conte di Val Cismon Many of these were victory titles for services rendered to the nation in the Great War The writer and aviator Gabriele d Annunzio was created Principe di Montenevoso in 1924 and the physicist inventor and Nobel laureate Guglielmo Marconi was also ennobled in 1924 as Marchese Marconi In 1937 Ettore Tolomei was ennobled as Conte della Vetta When Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli became Pope in 1939 Mussolini had the title of Principe posthumously bestowed on the new Pontiff s brother Francesco Pacelli who had already been made a Marchese by the Holy See during his lifetime In 1929 the Lateran Treaty acknowledged all Papal titles created before that date and undertook to give unquestioned recognition to titles conferred by the Holy See on Italian citizens in the future 10 After the successful Italian invasion of Abyssinia the Mussolini government recommended some Italians to the king of Italy for titles of nobility For example Marshal Pietro Badoglio was created Marchese del Sabotino and later Duke of Addis Abeba while General Rodolfo Graziani became Marchese di Neghelli Italian Republic Edit In 1946 the Kingdom of Italy was replaced by a republic Under the Italian Constitution adopted in 1948 titles of nobility although still used as a courtesy are not legally recognised 11 Certain predicati territorial designations recognised before 1922 may continue to be attached to surnames and used in legal documents Often these were historic feudal territories of noble families Although a high court ruling in 1967 definitively established that the heraldic nobiliary legislation of the Kingdom of Italy 1861 1946 is not current law the title of the head of the noble family is still accorded to all descendants as courtesy titles 12 Titles of nobility EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Leonardo Loredan Doge of Venice portrait by Giovanni Bellini 1501 National Gallery London The southern kingdoms of Naples Sicily and Sardinia as well as the Papal states granted titles as in monarchies such as Spain France or England duke marquis count baron The title of viscount was not however as frequent in Italy as elsewhere Joseph Bonaparte conferred the title prince to be hereditary on his children and grandchildren citation needed In Northern Italy and Tuscany the situation was complicated by the many kinds of authorities granting titles citation needed Often Italian comunes also in the Kingdom of Naples and republics granted or recognised the title of patrician which was only regarded as a rank of nobility in Italy The patriciate was an urban aristocracy as opposed to a feudal one citation needed The Republic of Venice also granted feudal titles In the Middle Ages The majority of feudatories were simply signori from the French seigneur a title introduced into Italy by the eleventh century Normans vassalli vassals or cavalieri knights Eventually this class came to be known collectively as the baroni barons in Italy barone was not always a title descriptive of a particular feudal rank During the fourteenth century most minor feudal lands became baronies their holders barons It must be observed that the use of these titles usually required some form of sovereign award or feudal tenure 13 During the Renaissance noble families conquered most of the Italian city states except the republics of Venice Genoa Lucca San Marino and Ragusa Until 1806 parts of the present day Italy formed the Kingdom of Italy belonging to the Holy Roman Empire The emperor retained for himself the right of creating dukes and princes The Northern Italian monarchs had received from the emperor the right of granting the lesser feudal titles from marquess downwards since these monarchs often were princes and dukes themselves citation needed When in 1861 the king of Sardinia annexed the other Italian states the Consulta Araldica the Italian college of arms integrated these different and varied systems into the hierarchy described below In practice this took decades citation needed Ranks Edit The official ranks under the Kingdom of Italy 1861 1946 were Italian TranslationMasculine Feminine Masculine FeminineRe d Italia Regina d Italia King of Italy Queen of ItalyPrincipe Principessa Prince PrincessDuca Duchessa Duke DuchessMarchese Marchesa Marquis MarchionessConte Contessa Count Earl CountessVisconte Viscontessa Viscount ViscountessBarone Baronessa Baron BaronessNobile or Nobiluomo Nobile or Nobildonna Nobleman NoblewomanCavaliere ereditario Dama Baronet hereditary knight DamePatrizio of certain cities Patrizia of certain cities PatricianThis hierarchy resulted from the overlapping of titles granted by the pre unification states though these were different from each other As a consequence titles were not evenly distributed throughout the country and in each region some titles may have been completely absent citation needed Post World War II Edit By 1946 with abolition of the monarchy a number of titles borne by families in the pre unification states Two Sicilies Papal State etc still had not been matriculated by the Consulta Araldica This explains the use of certain titles by families and claimants whose position was not regularised between 1861 and 1946 citation needed Palaces and noble houses EditPalaces of rulers Edit Castle of Valentino Palace of Caserta residence of the king of the Two Sicilies Royal Palace Naples residence of the king of the Two Sicilies Royal Palace of Milan residence of the duke of Milan Museo di Capodimonte residence of the king of the Two Sicilies Palazzo dei Normanni residence of the king of Sicily Residences of the Royal House of Savoy residences of the king of Italy Ducal Palace of Colorno residence of the duke of Parma and Piacenza Ducal Palace of Lucca residence of the duke of Lucca Ducal Palace of Modena residence of the duke of Modena and Reggio Ducal Palace of Massa it residence of the duke of Massa and Carrara Palazzo Ducale di Mantova residence of the duke of Mantua Palazzo Ducale di Urbino residence of the duke of Urbino Palazzo Pitti residence of the grand duke of Tuscany Castle of Racconigi residence of the Carignano line of the House of Savoy Royal Palace of Cagliari official seat of the king of Sardinia in his kingdom actually used as residence of the viceroy and some other administrative bodies Sovereign houses Edit Coat of Arms of the House of Savoy Coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Coat of arms of Austria Este House of Savoy Kings of Italy 1861 1946 Kings of Sicily 1713 1720 kings of Sardinia 1720 1861 dukes of Savoy 1416 1861 lords and princes of Piedmont 1233 1416 counts of Savoy 1032 1416 marquises of Turin 1057 1233 House of Ivrea Kings of Italy House of Habsburg and Habsburg Lorraine kings of Italy 1519 1802 kings of Sicily 1720 1734 kings of Sardinia 1708 1720 kings of Naples 1713 1734 kings of Lombardy Venetia 1815 1859 grand dukes of Tuscany 1737 1801 1815 1859 dukes of Milan 1535 1797 dukes of Parma and Piacenza dukes of Mantua 1708 1797 House of Hauteville kings of Sicily 1130 1198 dukes of Apulia 1059 1198 counts of Apulia 1042 1059 counts of Sicily 1071 1130 House of Hohenstaufen kings of Italy 1128 1135 1154 1197 1212 1250 kings of Sicily 1198 1266 House of Anjou Capetian kings of Sicily 1266 1282 kings of Naples 1282 1442 House of Barcelona kings of Sicily 1282 1516 kings of Sardinia 1324 1516 kings of Naples 1442 1516 House of Bourbon dynasty divided into House of Bourbon Parma dukes of Parma Piacenza and Guastalla 1748 1802 1847 1859 kings of Etruria 1801 1807 dukes of Lucca 1824 1847 House of Bourbon Two Sicilies kings of Naples 1735 1806 1815 1816 kings of Sicily 1735 1816 kings of the Two Sicilies 1816 1861 House of Bonaparte king of Italy 1805 1814 king of Rome king of Naples 1806 1815 House of Medici de facto lords of Florence and Tuscany 1434 1494 1512 1527 dukes of Florence 1531 1569 grand dukes of Tuscany 1569 1737 House of Este Margraves of Este 1171 lords and marquesses of Ferrara 1240 1471 dukes of Ferrara 1471 1597 dukes of Modena and Reggio 1452 1796 counts of Polesine and Garfagnana House of Austria Este dukes of Modena and Reggio 1814 1860 House of Farnese dukes of Parma and Piacenza 1545 1731 dukes of Castro House of Visconti lords of Milan and Lombardy 1277 1395 dukes of Milan 1395 1447 House of Sforza dukes of Milan 1450 1499 1512 1515 1521 1535 House of Gonzaga lords of Mantua 1328 1433 marquesses of Mantua 1433 1530 dukes of Mantua 1530 1708 marquesses of Montferrat 1536 1574 dukes of Montferrat 1574 1708 House of Paleologus marquesses of Montferrat 1306 1536 House of Aleramici marquesses of Saluzzo 1125 1548 marquesses of Montferrat before 933 1306 Papal Houses Edit Further information Houses of the papal nobility Duke Edit Further information List of dukes in the nobility of Italy Marquesses Edit Further information List of marquesses in Italy Gallery Edit Farinata degli Uberti 1212 1264 Matteo I Visconti Lord of Milan 1250 1322 Cangrande della Scala Lord of Verona 1291 1329 Angelo Tartaglia Lord of Lavello and Toscanella 1350 1421 Braccio da Montone Lord of Perugia 1368 1424 Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Lord of Rimini 1417 1468 Giovanni II Bentivoglio tyrant of Bologna 1440 1508 Ludovico Sforza Duke of Milan 1452 1508 Clarice Orsini 1450 1488 Vitellozzo Vitelli Lord of Citta di Castello 1458 1502 Count Giovanni Pico della Mirandola 1463 1494 Admiral Andrea Doria 1466 1560 Pietro Bembo 1470 1547 Guidobaldo da Montefeltro Duke of Urbino 1472 1508 Cesare Borgia Duke of Valentinois 1476 1507 Vittoria Colonna marchioness of Pescara 1490 1547 Sebastiano Venier Doge of Venice 1496 1578 Lorenzo Cybo Duke of Ferentillo 1500 1549 Admiral Agostino Barbarigo 1518 1571 Giovanni Luigi Fieschi Count of Lavagna 1522 1547 Morosina Morosini Dogaressa of Venice 1545 1614 Giacomo Boncompagni Duke of Sora 1548 1612 Asdrubale Mattei Duke of Giove 1556 1638 Vincenzo Gonzaga Duke of Mantua 1562 1612 Charles Emmanuel I Duke of Savoy 1562 1630 Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani 1564 1637 Ranuccio I Farnese Duke of Parma 1569 1622 Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini 1571 1621 Admiral Federico Spinola 1571 1603 Livia della Rovere Duchess of Urbino 1585 1641 Alessandro Spinola Doge of Genoa 1589 1665 Donna Olimpia Maidalchini 1591 1657 Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi 1595 1632 Honore Grimaldi Prince of Monaco 1597 1662 Ottavio Piccolomini Duke of Amalfi 1599 1656 Cardinal Francesco Sforza Pallavicino 1607 1667 Count Raimondo Montecuccoli 1609 1680 Count Carlo Rossetti Cardinal 1614 1681 Princess Anna Maria Mancini 1639 1715 Cosimo III de Medici Grand Duke of Tuscany 1642 1723 Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili 1653 1730 Urbano Barberini Prince of Palestrina 1664 1722 Cardinal Flavio Chigi Duke of Ariccia 1631 1693 Alvise Giovanni Mocenigo Doge of Venice 1701 1778 Count Giacomo Durazzo 1717 1794 Pope Pius VI Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi 1717 1799 Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Altieri 1724 1800 Maria Teresa Felicitas d Este 1726 1754 Cardinal Giuseppe Albani 1750 1834 Anna Pieri Brignole Sale 1765 1815 Pope Pius VIII Count Francesco Saverio Castiglioni 1761 1830 Camillo Borghese 6th Prince of Sulmona 1775 1832 Prince Aimone Duke of Aosta 1900 1948 Luchino Visconti di Modrone Count of Lonate Pozzolo 1906 1976 See also Edit Consulta araldica Corpo della Nobilta Italiana Libro d Oro Annuario della Nobilta ItalianaReferences Edit Visconti Alessandro 1958 L Italia nell epoca della Controriforma 1516 1713 in Italian Mondadori a b c History of the popes their church and state Volume III by Leopold von Ranke 2009 Wellesley College Library ALBERGO dei nobili in Enciclopedia Italiana www treccani it in Italian Retrieved 2020 09 30 albergo in Dizionario di Storia www treccani it in Italian Retrieved 2020 09 30 Famiglie fiorentine iscrite nei libri della nobilta www carnesecchi eu Retrieved 2020 09 30 Ammirato Scipione Delle Famiglie Nobili Fiorentine di Scipione Ammirato Vol 1 in Italian Forgotten Books Visconti Katia Il commercio dell onore Un indagine prosopografica della feudalita nel milanese di eta moderna in Italian CUEM AB Famiglia Loredano Conoscere Venezia in Italian Retrieved 2021 08 04 Il Palazzo Sito non ufficiale della Reggia di Caserta in Italian Retrieved 2021 08 04 a b Guy Stair Sainty Archived November 20 2010 at the Wayback Machine How Professional Genealogists Determine Ancestral Nobility in Italy Italiangenealogy com 24 October 2015 Retrieved 2016 08 11 Kretschmer A 4 October 2019 Princess Beatrice revelation Heartbreaking reason why Edo cannot take aristocratic title UK Daily Express Retrieved 15 October 2019 They Italian titles may still be used as a courtesy but have no legal standing in the UK Italian Titles of Nobility External links Edit Sicilian Nobility Listings Southern Italy Nobility Listings Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine Nobiliary and Aristocratic History European Royal Houses Castles in Italy the medieval life of noble families Clemente Manenti Il Corpo della Nobilta Italiana Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nobility of Italy amp oldid 1146062654, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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