Giovanni Luigi Fieschi
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Luigi Fieschi (or Fiesco) (c. 1522 – 2 January 1547) was a Genoese
nobleman, count of Lavagna
. He is the subject of the play Fiesco
by Friedrich Schiller
.
, first mentioned in the 10th century. Among his kin were popes (Innocent IV and Adrian V), many cardinals, a king of Sicily
, three saints, and many generals and admirals of Genoa and other states.
Sinibaldo Fieschi, his father, had been a close friend of Andrea Doria
, and had rendered many service to the Genoese republic
. On his death in 1532, Giovanni found himself at the age of nine the head of the family and possessor of immense estates. He was described as handsome, intelligent, of attractive manners and very ambitious. He married Eleonora Cybò, marchioness of Massa
, in 1540, described as a woman of great beauty and influence.
and in Francis I of France
. In Genoa, co-conspirators were his brothers Girolamo and Ottobuono, Verrina and R. Sacco.
A number of armed men from the Fieschi fiefs had been secretly brought to Genoa, and they agreed that on 2 January 1547, during the interregnum before the election of the new doge, they should seize the galleys in the port and the city gates.
The first part of the plan was easily carried out, and Giannettino Doria, aroused by the tumult, was killed as he rushed to the port. Andrea Doria, however, fled from the city unharmed. The conspirators attempted to gain possession of the government, but Giovanni Luigi, while crossing a plank from the quay to one of the galleys, fell into the water and drowned. The news of his death spread consternation among the Fieschi faction, and Girolamo Fieschi found few adherents. They came to terms with the senate and were granted a general amnesty. However, when Doria returned to Genoa on 4 January, he ignored the amnesty, and confiscated the Fieschi estates. Girolamo, Verrina, Sacco and other conspirators had secluded themselves in his castle of Montoggio
, which the Genoese, at Doria's instigation, besieged and captured. Girolamo Fieschi and Verrina were tried, tortured and executed; all their estates were seized, including Torriglia
, which Doria obtained for himself. Ottobuono Fieschi, who escaped, was captured eight years later and put to death by Doria's orders. "There are many accounts of the conspiracy, of which perhaps the best is contained in E. Petit's André Doria (Paris, 1887), chs. xi. and xii., where all the chief authorities are quoted; see also Calligari, La Congiura del Fiesco (Venice, 1892), and Gavazzo, Nuovi documenti sulla congiura del conte Fiesco (Genoa, 1886); E. Bernabò-Brea, in his Sulla congiura di Giovanni Luigi Fieschi, publishes many important documents, while L. Capelloni's Congiura del Fiesco, edited by Olivieri, and A. Mascardi's Congiura del conte Giovanni Luigi de' Fieschi (Antwerp, 1629) may be commended among the earlier works." .
by Friedrich Schiller
..
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....
nobleman, count 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...
. He is the subject of the play Fiesco
Fiesco (play)
Fiesco is the second full length drama written by the German playwright Friedrich Schiller. It is a republican tragedy based on the historical conspiracy of Giovanni Luigi Fieschi against Andrea Doria in Genoa in 1547...
by Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
.
Biography
The Fieschi were one of the prominent families of LiguriaLiguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
, first mentioned in the 10th century. Among his kin were popes (Innocent IV and Adrian V), many cardinals, a king of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, three saints, and many generals and admirals of Genoa and other states.
Sinibaldo Fieschi, his father, had been a close friend of 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 had rendered many service to the Genoese republic
Republic of Genoa
The 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....
. On his death in 1532, Giovanni found himself at the age of nine the head of the family and possessor of immense estates. He was described as handsome, intelligent, of attractive manners and very ambitious. He married Eleonora Cybò, marchioness of Massa
Massa
Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....
, in 1540, described as a woman of great beauty and influence.
Doria family conspiracy
Giovanni Luigi Fieschi is best known for his part in a failed conspiracy against the Doria family. There were many reasons which inspired his hatred of the Doria family; the almost absolute power wielded by the aged admiral and the insolence of his nephew and heir Giannettino Doria, the commander of the galleys, were galling to him and many other Genoese. It is rumored that Giannettino had affairs with Fieschi's wife. Moreover, the Fieschi belonged to the French or popular party, while the Doria were aristocrats and Imperialists. Fieschi conspiracy against Doria found allies in Pope Paul III, in the Duke of Parma Pier Luigi FarnesePier Luigi Farnese, Duke of Parma
Pier Luigi Farnese was the first Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro, from 1545 to 1547.Born in Rome, Pier Luigi was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese...
and in Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
. In Genoa, co-conspirators were his brothers Girolamo and Ottobuono, Verrina and R. Sacco.
A number of armed men from the Fieschi fiefs had been secretly brought to Genoa, and they agreed that on 2 January 1547, during the interregnum before the election of the new doge, they should seize the galleys in the port and the city gates.
The first part of the plan was easily carried out, and Giannettino Doria, aroused by the tumult, was killed as he rushed to the port. Andrea Doria, however, fled from the city unharmed. The conspirators attempted to gain possession of the government, but Giovanni Luigi, while crossing a plank from the quay to one of the galleys, fell into the water and drowned. The news of his death spread consternation among the Fieschi faction, and Girolamo Fieschi found few adherents. They came to terms with the senate and were granted a general amnesty. However, when Doria returned to Genoa on 4 January, he ignored the amnesty, and confiscated the Fieschi estates. Girolamo, Verrina, Sacco and other conspirators had secluded themselves in his castle of Montoggio
Montoggio
Montoggio is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 14 km northeast of Genoa. As of October 2006, it had a population of 2,018 and an area of 46.4 km²....
, which the Genoese, at Doria's instigation, besieged and captured. Girolamo Fieschi and Verrina were tried, tortured and executed; all their estates were seized, including Torriglia
Torriglia
Torriglia is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located in the upper Trebbia valley, about 20 km northeast of Genoa.thumb|220px|left|Church of Sant'Onorato in Torriglia....
, which Doria obtained for himself. Ottobuono Fieschi, who escaped, was captured eight years later and put to death by Doria's orders. "There are many accounts of the conspiracy, of which perhaps the best is contained in E. Petit's André Doria (Paris, 1887), chs. xi. and xii., where all the chief authorities are quoted; see also Calligari, La Congiura del Fiesco (Venice, 1892), and Gavazzo, Nuovi documenti sulla congiura del conte Fiesco (Genoa, 1886); E. Bernabò-Brea, in his Sulla congiura di Giovanni Luigi Fieschi, publishes many important documents, while L. Capelloni's Congiura del Fiesco, edited by Olivieri, and A. Mascardi's Congiura del conte Giovanni Luigi de' Fieschi (Antwerp, 1629) may be commended among the earlier works." .
Culture
The Fiesco conspiracy has been the subject of many poems and dramas, of which the most famous FiescoFiesco (play)
Fiesco is the second full length drama written by the German playwright Friedrich Schiller. It is a republican tragedy based on the historical conspiracy of Giovanni Luigi Fieschi against Andrea Doria in Genoa in 1547...
by Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
..