Marcantonio I Colonna
Encyclopedia
Marcantonio I Colonna was an Italian condottiero from the Colonna family
Colonna family
The Colonna family is an Italian noble family; it was powerful in medieval and Renaissance Rome, supplying one Pope and many other Church and political leaders...

.

He was the son of Pietro Antonio, prince of Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....

, and started his military career at the age of 24. He became a renowned condottiero, since 1502 in the service of Republic of Florence
Republic of Florence
The Republic of Florence , or the Florentine Republic, was a city-state that was centered on the city of Florence, located in modern Tuscany, Italy. The republic was founded in 1115, when the Florentine people rebelled against the Margraviate of Tuscany upon Margravine Matilda's death. The...

, and later of Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...

.

He married Lucrezia della Rovere (1485–1552), the Pope's niece, receiving as dowry the castle of Frascati
Frascati
Frascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...

, where Colonna gave Frascati in 1515 its first statute, Statuti e Capituli del Castello di Frascati. The previous year he had also given to Nemi
Nemi
Nemi is a town and comune in the province of Rome , in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake. It is 6 km NW of Velletri and about 30 km southeast of Rome....

 the "Statuti e Capituli del Castello di Nemi", the first city statute with rules and regulations to observe.

Later he distinguished himself fighting for Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...

and then served the King of France, fighting his former employer, the Pope.

In 1522 he organized the defense of Milan against the Spanish, but while inspecting the front lines along with Camillo Trivulzio, was hit by a cannon shot and fell mortally wounded.

There are few depictions of Marcantonio Colonna in historical sources, but a picture of him can be found in a book of Philadelphus Mugnos.
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