Monaldeschi
Encyclopedia
The Monaldeschi were one of the powerful noble families of Orvieto
, central Italy
, members of the Guelph
party who contested with murders and violence the Ghibelline Filippeschi for control of the commune
of Orvieto and the castelli of Umbria
.
One branch especially, the Monaldeschi della Cervara, dominated the life and politics of Orvieto, resisting Papal power from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century
The central stronghold in the network of castelli that the Monaldeschi controlled was Torre Alfina, where tradition connected the central tower with Desiderius
, the last king of the Lombards
. Aside from a brief period 1314-16 when the Filippeschi seized it, Torre Alfina was the symbolic center of Montaldeschi power.
According to the family's history, the Monaldeschi had descended from Monaldo, a ninth-century Lombard
feudatory of Charlemagne
, whose three brothers were the progenitors of Florentine and Sienese nobles, the Cavalcanti
, the Calvi
and the Malevolti. The Monaldeschi appear in Orvieto documents from 1157. Their conflict with the Filippeschi surfaced in 1212. At Castiglione
the fortress of the Monaldeschi was built in the fourteenth century with the rubble of the Castle of Paterno destroyed by Gerardo di Corrado Monaldeschi. The Monaldeschi towerhouse that rises above the rooftops of Civitella d'Agliano, overtopping the campanile
of the church, still evokes the feudal power of the Monaldeschi at the limits of Umbria
, on the banks of the Tiber
; they were dislodged from Agliano by the Papacy in 1415, following the distracting Western Schism
that had served to protract the Monaldeschi's medieval power.
The most famous of the family was Ermanno di Corrado of the Cervara branch, who between 1334 and his death in 1337 was the absolute Signore
of Orvieto, where he suppressed civic liberties but demonstrated diplomatic and organizational finesse. At his death, however, the family's internecine quarrels broke the civic peace; the Monaldeschi ruptured along four lines each identified by their stemma or heraldic charge
, the Monaldeschi della Cervara, Monaldeschi del Cane, Monaldeschi della Vipera and the Monaldeschi dell’Aquila. Angelo Monaldeschi della Vipera built the Castello della Sala on a rocky promontory about 18km from Orvieto, not far from the border with Tuscany. His grandson, Gentile Monaldeschi della Sala, of the party of Francesco Sforza, made himself the Signor of Orvieto in 1437, in agreement with Pietro Ramponi, Ugolino da Montemarte, Ranuccio da Castel di Piero as well as others of the group called the Mercorini, who slaughtered the members of the opposing faction, the Muffati, who represented Papal power in Orvieto. More than sixty were killed and numerous houses were burnt. Gentile retained power for a decade, against the della Cervara branch. Later he fought the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo, who was to become Pope Paul II
; in honourable defeat he was sent to Romania to lead the Pope's troops. Family contentions were calmed by the marriage in 1480 of Gentile's son, Pietro Antonio Monaldeschi della Vipera della Sala withhis cousin Giovanna Monaldeschi della Cervara.
The Monaldeschi della Cervara had invested themselves with Bolsena
, where they built the fortifications that are still a prominent feature.Temporary victories of one group over another resulted in the demolition of houses, towers, palazzi, to the detriment of city life. A communal decree of 24 September 1347, in an attempt to put an end to such destruction, granted to the Monaldeschi the territory of Orvieto as far as Montalto di Castro
, Orbetello
, and the Isola del Giglio, but strife continued. In June 1351 the Monaldeschi della Cervara captured an unfortunate follower of the della Vipera and killed him so brutally in the cellars of the castello of Torre Alfina that the morsels of his body were fed to falcons. Reciprocal violence continued through the century. In 1406 the acquesiani took Monte Rufeno and San Pietro Aquaeortus, burned Marzapalo and damaged Trevinano. In 1442 Alvisi Monaldeschi della Cervara, in order to regain his Torre Alfina from the condottiere Ciarpellone, under the direction of Francesco Sforza was forced to pay a thousand gold ducat
s. In 1527, at the time of the Sack of Rome
, Camillo Monaldeschi joined the army of Charles V
and participated in the pillaging of Proceno, San Lorenzo and Grotte di Castro. Acquapendente was successfully defended but local animosities fueled destruction in the region of Orvieto. Camillo Monaldeschi brought a well-armed band from Trevinano to defend Torre Alfina.
In 1592 Gianfrancesco Monaldeschi was found guilty of harbouring brigands and rebels against Papal power, and Pope Clement VIII
confiscated in favour of the Apostolic Camera
, half of the Monaldeschi holdings in Trevinano, selling three-quarters of the remainder to Giacomo Cardinal Simoncelli, bishop of Orvieto, 26 June 1598. With the cession to the Papal States of Torre Alfina in 1664, the Monaldeschi ceased to play a part in the politics of Central Italy, though the marchese Gian Rinaldo Monaldeschi was reputed to be the lover of Christina of Sweden
in her Roman retirement. When she discovered that Monaldeschi had betrayed her plans to take the Kingdom of Naples to the Pope, she had him assassinated 10 November 1657, in her presence at Fontainebleau
, where the queen was staying in her passage through France.
Orvieto
Orvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...
, central 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...
, members of the Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
party who contested with murders and violence the Ghibelline Filippeschi for control of the commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
of Orvieto and the castelli of 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...
.
One branch especially, the Monaldeschi della Cervara, dominated the life and politics of Orvieto, resisting Papal power from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century
The central stronghold in the network of castelli that the Monaldeschi controlled was Torre Alfina, where tradition connected the central tower with Desiderius
Desiderius
Desiderius was the last king of the Lombard Kingdom of northern Italy...
, the last king of the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
. Aside from a brief period 1314-16 when the Filippeschi seized it, Torre Alfina was the symbolic center of Montaldeschi power.
According to the family's history, the Monaldeschi had descended from Monaldo, a ninth-century Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
feudatory of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, whose three brothers were the progenitors of Florentine and Sienese nobles, the Cavalcanti
Cavalcanti
Cavalcanti is an Italian surname, also common in Brazil where it is used by people of ancient Italian origin. In Italy and Brazil the variant Cavalcante is also used. The family came to Brazil in 1560...
, the Calvi
Calvi
Calvi is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio...
and the Malevolti. The Monaldeschi appear in Orvieto documents from 1157. Their conflict with the Filippeschi surfaced in 1212. At Castiglione
Castiglione
-Places:Towns in Italy, many of which were simply called Castiglione prior to the unification of Italy in the 19th century:* Castiglion Fibocchi, in the province of Arezzo* Castiglion Fiorentino, in the province of Arezzo...
the fortress of the Monaldeschi was built in the fourteenth century with the rubble of the Castle of Paterno destroyed by Gerardo di Corrado Monaldeschi. The Monaldeschi towerhouse that rises above the rooftops of Civitella d'Agliano, overtopping the campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
of the church, still evokes the feudal power of the Monaldeschi at the limits of 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...
, on the banks of the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
; they were dislodged from Agliano by the Papacy in 1415, following the distracting Western Schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
that had served to protract the Monaldeschi's medieval power.
The most famous of the family was Ermanno di Corrado of the Cervara branch, who between 1334 and his death in 1337 was the absolute Signore
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
of Orvieto, where he suppressed civic liberties but demonstrated diplomatic and organizational finesse. At his death, however, the family's internecine quarrels broke the civic peace; the Monaldeschi ruptured along four lines each identified by their stemma or heraldic charge
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...
, the Monaldeschi della Cervara, Monaldeschi del Cane, Monaldeschi della Vipera and the Monaldeschi dell’Aquila. Angelo Monaldeschi della Vipera built the Castello della Sala on a rocky promontory about 18km from Orvieto, not far from the border with Tuscany. His grandson, Gentile Monaldeschi della Sala, of the party of Francesco Sforza, made himself the Signor of Orvieto in 1437, in agreement with Pietro Ramponi, Ugolino da Montemarte, Ranuccio da Castel di Piero as well as others of the group called the Mercorini, who slaughtered the members of the opposing faction, the Muffati, who represented Papal power in Orvieto. More than sixty were killed and numerous houses were burnt. Gentile retained power for a decade, against the della Cervara branch. Later he fought the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo, who was to become Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II , born Pietro Barbo, was pope from 1464 until his death in 1471.- Early life :He was born in Venice, and was a nephew of Pope Eugene IV , through his mother. His adoption of the spiritual career, after having been trained as a merchant, was prompted by his uncle's election as pope...
; in honourable defeat he was sent to Romania to lead the Pope's troops. Family contentions were calmed by the marriage in 1480 of Gentile's son, Pietro Antonio Monaldeschi della Vipera della Sala withhis cousin Giovanna Monaldeschi della Cervara.
The Monaldeschi della Cervara had invested themselves with Bolsena
Bolsena
Bolsena is a town and comune of Italy, in the province of Viterbo in northern Lazio on the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena. It is 10 km north-north west of Montefiascone and 36 km north-west of Viterbo...
, where they built the fortifications that are still a prominent feature.Temporary victories of one group over another resulted in the demolition of houses, towers, palazzi, to the detriment of city life. A communal decree of 24 September 1347, in an attempt to put an end to such destruction, granted to the Monaldeschi the territory of Orvieto as far as Montalto di Castro
Montalto di Castro
Montalto di Castro is a comune in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio, located about 90 km northwest of Rome and about 40 km west of Viterbo.It is home to a large power plant managed by ENEL.-External links:*...
, Orbetello
Orbetello
Orbetello is a town and comune in the province of Grosseto , Italy. It is located c. 35 km south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve.-History:...
, and the Isola del Giglio, but strife continued. In June 1351 the Monaldeschi della Cervara captured an unfortunate follower of the della Vipera and killed him so brutally in the cellars of the castello of Torre Alfina that the morsels of his body were fed to falcons. Reciprocal violence continued through the century. In 1406 the acquesiani took Monte Rufeno and San Pietro Aquaeortus, burned Marzapalo and damaged Trevinano. In 1442 Alvisi Monaldeschi della Cervara, in order to regain his Torre Alfina from the condottiere Ciarpellone, under the direction of Francesco Sforza was forced to pay a thousand gold ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s. In 1527, at the time of the Sack of Rome
Sack of Rome (1527)
The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in Rome, then part of the Papal States...
, Camillo Monaldeschi joined the army of Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
and participated in the pillaging of Proceno, San Lorenzo and Grotte di Castro. Acquapendente was successfully defended but local animosities fueled destruction in the region of Orvieto. Camillo Monaldeschi brought a well-armed band from Trevinano to defend Torre Alfina.
In 1592 Gianfrancesco Monaldeschi was found guilty of harbouring brigands and rebels against Papal power, and Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII
Pope Clement VIII , born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was Pope from 30 January 1592 to 3 March 1605.-Cardinal:...
confiscated in favour of the Apostolic Camera
Apostolic Camera
The Apostolic Camera, or in Latin Camera Apostolica or Apostolica Camera, is the central board of finance in the Papal administrative system, which at one time was of great importance in the government of the States of the Church, and in the administration of justice, led by the Camerlengo of the...
, half of the Monaldeschi holdings in Trevinano, selling three-quarters of the remainder to Giacomo Cardinal Simoncelli, bishop of Orvieto, 26 June 1598. With the cession to the Papal States of Torre Alfina in 1664, the Monaldeschi ceased to play a part in the politics of Central Italy, though the marchese Gian Rinaldo Monaldeschi was reputed to be the lover of Christina of Sweden
Christina of Sweden
Christina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
in her Roman retirement. When she discovered that Monaldeschi had betrayed her plans to take the Kingdom of Naples to the Pope, she had him assassinated 10 November 1657, in her presence at Fontainebleau
Château de Fontainebleau
The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards...
, where the queen was staying in her passage through France.