Fieschi family
Encyclopedia
The Fieschi were a noble merchant family from Genoa
, Italy
, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte.
They held the fief of Lavagna
under the Holy Roman Emperor
s. As Counts of Lavagna the Fieschi represented the Emperor of the West in Liguria from the earliest years of the C11th. In 1010 the investiture of the Fieschi took place at Genoa
: the family were created Counts of Lavagna and Imperial Vicars General (ie Viceroys) of the whole of Tuscany
and of the coast of Genoa
. In the words of Henry the Holy
, King of Italy since 1004 and Holy Roman Emperor
from 1014 and the last of the Ottonian
dynasty, 'Ordiniamo il predominato Fieschi vicario generale di essa città con ampio potere.' ('We appoint the pre-eminent Fieschi to be Vicars General of this city-state with broad powers').
The Imperial Houses of Hohenstaufen
, Luxembourg
and later Habsburg
each in turn confirmed the Counts in the rank of Count Palatine
.
Males of the Fieschi— all of them styled Conte di Lavagna— played major roles as Guelph
partisans in the governance and military history of medieval Genoa
, ever in conflict with the Republic and always retaining their connection with their holdings here.
In 1138, in an agreement between the Fieschi and the commune of Genoa, the Fieschi agreed to spend part of the year in the city. They earned great riches from trading and financial activities, and later developed in numerous different branches. Apart from Liguria, they possessed fiefs in Piedmont
, Lombardy
, Umbria
and in the Kingdom of Naples
.
Sinibaldo de' Fieschi, Count of Lavagna, became pope as Innocent IV
in 1243, and his nephew Ottobuono was elected pope to succeed Adrian V
on July 12, 1276, but died at Viterbo on August 18.
In the Fieschi conspiracy of 1547, Giovanni Luigi Fieschi
and the nobles unsuccessfully attempted to recapture the dogate from Andrea Doria
, and the power of the Fieschi was broken.
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte.
They held the fief of Lavagna
Lavagna
Lavagna is a fishing port city of c. 13,000 inhabitants in the curving stretch of the Italian Riviera di Levante called the gulf of Tigullio, in the province of Genoa in Liguria. The borgo of Lavagna was an important Ligurian cultural center in the Middle Ages...
under the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
s. As Counts of Lavagna the Fieschi represented the Emperor of the West in Liguria from the earliest years of the C11th. In 1010 the investiture of the Fieschi took place at Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
: the family were created Counts of Lavagna and Imperial Vicars General (ie Viceroys) of the whole of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
and of the coast of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. In the words of Henry the Holy
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
, King of Italy since 1004 and Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
from 1014 and the last of the Ottonian
Ottonian
The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
dynasty, 'Ordiniamo il predominato Fieschi vicario generale di essa città con ampio potere.' ('We appoint the pre-eminent Fieschi to be Vicars General of this city-state with broad powers').
The Imperial Houses of Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and later Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
each in turn confirmed the Counts in the rank of Count Palatine
Count palatine
Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
.
Males of the Fieschi— all of them styled Conte di Lavagna— played major roles as Guelph
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
partisans in the governance and military history of medieval Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, ever in conflict with the Republic and always retaining their connection with their holdings here.
In 1138, in an agreement between the Fieschi and the commune of Genoa, the Fieschi agreed to spend part of the year in the city. They earned great riches from trading and financial activities, and later developed in numerous different branches. Apart from Liguria, they possessed fiefs in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
and in the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
.
Sinibaldo de' Fieschi, Count of Lavagna, became pope as Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...
in 1243, and his nephew Ottobuono was elected pope to succeed Adrian V
Pope Adrian V
Pope Adrian V , born Ottobuono de' Fieschi, was pope in 1276.-Biography:Ottobuono belonged to a feudal family of Liguria, the Fieschi, Counts of Lavagna....
on July 12, 1276, but died at Viterbo on August 18.
In the Fieschi conspiracy of 1547, Giovanni Luigi Fieschi
Giovanni Luigi Fieschi
Giovanni Luigi Fieschi was a Genoese nobleman, count of Lavagna. He is the subject of the play Fiesco by Friedrich Schiller.-Biography:...
and the nobles unsuccessfully attempted to recapture the dogate from Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria was an Italian condottiere and admiral from Genoa.-Early life:Doria was born at Oneglia from the ancient Genoese family, the Doria di Oneglia branch of the old Doria, de Oria or de Auria family. His parents were related: Ceva Doria, co-lord of Oneglia, and Caracosa Doria, of the...
, and the power of the Fieschi was broken.
Famous members
- Pope Innocent IVPope Innocent IVPope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...
- Pope Adrian VPope Adrian VPope Adrian V , born Ottobuono de' Fieschi, was pope in 1276.-Biography:Ottobuono belonged to a feudal family of Liguria, the Fieschi, Counts of Lavagna....
- Niccolò FieschiNiccolò FieschiNiccolò Fieschi was an Italian Cardinal, of a prominent family of Genoa which features in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra.He was bishop of Fréjus from 1485, and bishop of Agde from 1488...
- St Catherine (Fieschi) (1447-1510)
- Giovanni Luigi FieschiGiovanni Luigi FieschiGiovanni Luigi Fieschi was a Genoese nobleman, count of Lavagna. He is the subject of the play Fiesco by Friedrich Schiller.-Biography:...
(1522-1547) - Don Orazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi, 1st Prince of BelmonteDon Orazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi, 1st Prince of BelmonteOrazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi was a wealthy nobleman and patrician of Genoa descending from the Fieschi, Counts Palatine of Lavagna, in what is now Liguria...
(?-1645) - Giuseppe Fieschi (1790-1836)
See also
- Republic of GenoaRepublic of GenoaThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
- Guelphs and GhibellinesGuelphs and GhibellinesThe Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
- The Fieschi LetterFieschi LetterThe Fieschi Letter was written to Edward III in circa 1337 by a Genoese priest at Avignon, Manuele Fieschi . He was a papal notary and a member of the influential Fieschi family, who later became Bishop of Vercelli...
- the character Fiescho in Verdi's opera Simone BoccanegraSimone BoccanegraSimone Boccanegra was the first doge of Genoa. His story was popularized by Antonio García Gutiérrez's 1843 play Simón Bocanegra and Giuseppe Verdi's 1857 opera Simon Boccanegra. Note the spellings....