Ranuccio I FarneseThe Farnese family was an influential family in Renaissance Italy. Its most important members included Pope Paul III and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and the titles of Duke of Parma and Piacenza and of Castro were held by various members of the family....
(March 28, 1569 – March 5, 1622) was the fourth Duke of
ParmaParma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
and
PiacenzaPiacenza is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
from 1592 until his death. He was the son of Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, and Maria of Portugal.
His great-uncle Henry I of Portugal's death triggered the
struggle for the throne of PortugalThe 1580 Portuguese succession crisis came about as a result of the 1578 death of young King Sebastian I of Portugal in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir...
when Ranuccio was 11 years old. As the son of the late elder daughter of
Edward, Duke of Guimaraes.The Infante Duarte, 4th Duke of Guimarães was a Portuguese infante ; the sixth son of King Manuel I of Portugal and his wife Maria of Aragon....
, the only son of
King Manuel IManuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatriz of Portugal.His mother was the granddaughter of King John I of...
whose legitimate descendants survived at that time, Ranuccio was according to the feudal custom the first heir to the throne of Portugal.
Ranuccio I FarneseThe Farnese family was an influential family in Renaissance Italy. Its most important members included Pope Paul III and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, and the titles of Duke of Parma and Piacenza and of Castro were held by various members of the family....
(March 28, 1569 – March 5, 1622) was the fourth Duke of
ParmaParma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
and
PiacenzaPiacenza is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
from 1592 until his death. He was the son of Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza, and Maria of Portugal.
His great-uncle Henry I of Portugal's death triggered the
struggle for the throne of PortugalThe 1580 Portuguese succession crisis came about as a result of the 1578 death of young King Sebastian I of Portugal in the Battle of Alcácer Quibir...
when Ranuccio was 11 years old. As the son of the late elder daughter of
Edward, Duke of Guimaraes.The Infante Duarte, 4th Duke of Guimarães was a Portuguese infante ; the sixth son of King Manuel I of Portugal and his wife Maria of Aragon....
, the only son of
King Manuel IManuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatriz of Portugal.His mother was the granddaughter of King John I of...
whose legitimate descendants survived at that time, Ranuccio was according to the feudal custom the first heir to the throne of Portugal. However his father was an ally and even a subject of the Spanish king, another contender, so Ranuccio's rights were not very forcibly claimed. Instead, Ranuccio's mother's younger sister
Catherine, Duchess of BraganzaInfanta Catarina of Guimarães, Duchess of Braganza by mariage , was a Portuguese infanta claimant to the throne following the death of King Henry I of Portugal in 1580....
, claimed the throne, very ambitiously, but failed.
Under Ranuccio I's rule, the dukedom
annexedAnnexation is the legal incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities...
the territories of
ColornoColorno is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km north of Parma...
,
Sala BaganzaSala Baganza is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 90 km northwest of Bologna and about 12 km southwest of Parma...
, and
MontechiarugoloMontechiarugolo is a comune in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 80 km northwest of Bologna and about 13 km southeast of Parma....
. He guided a cultural renewal in the city of Parma, supporting the arts and constructing the 4,500 seat
Farnese TheaterTeatro Farnese is a Baroque-style theatre in Parma, Italy. It was built in 1618 by Giovanni Battista Aleotti. The theatre was almost destroyed by an Allied air raid during World War II...
. Numerous improvements and monuments in Parma were constructed under Ranuccio I at his behest, including a revitalization of the
University of ParmaThe University of Parma is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 11th century. It is organised in twelve faculties. The University of Parma has currently about 30,000 students.-History:...
and the final expansion of the
city wallsA defensive wall is a fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
. Construction of the
Palazzo della PilottaThe Palazzo della Pilotta is a complex of edifices in the historical centre of Parma, northern Italy. Its name derives from the game of pelota....
, the court palace of the Farnese family, was completed in 1620.
Ranuccio I is also remembered for his cruelty, one infamous example being the public execution of over 100 Parma residents suspected of conspiring against him.
He was succeeded by his son
OdoardoOdoardo Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1622 to 1646.Odoardo was the sole legitimate son of Ranuccio I Farnese and Margherita Aldobrandini...
, initially under the regency of Ranuccio's brother,
Odoardo Cardinal FarneseOdoardo Farnese was the second son of Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Maria of Portugal and known for his patronage of the arts...
.
Ancestors
Ranuccio I Farnese's ancestors in three generations
| Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma |
Father:
Alexander Farnese, Duke of ParmaAlexander Farnese Alexander Farnese Alexander Farnese (Italian: Alessandro Farnese, Spanish: Alejandro Farnesio, (August 27 1545 – December 3 1592), was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592.-Biography:...
|
Paternal Grandfather:
Ottavio Farnese, Duke of Parmathumb|Ottavio Farnese.Ottavio Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1556 to 1586 and Duke of Castro in 1545-1547 and from 1547 until his death.-Biography:...
|
Paternal Great-grandfather:
Pier Luigi Farnese, Duke of ParmaPier 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...
|
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Girolama Orsini |
Paternal Grandmother:
Margaret of AustriaMargaret, Duchess of Parma governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V....
|
Paternal Great-grandfather:
Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556...
|
Paternal Great-grandmother:
Johanna Maria van der Gheynst |
Mother:
Infanta Maria of GuimarãesInfanta Maria of Guimarães was a Portuguese infanta daughter of Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães , and Isabel of Braganza. She married Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza on November 11, 1565.-Issue:...
|
Maternal Grandfather:
Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães.The Infante Duarte, 4th Duke of Guimarães was a Portuguese infante ; the sixth son of King Manuel I of Portugal and his wife Maria of Aragon....
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
Manuel I of PortugalManuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Fernando, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatriz of Portugal.His mother was the granddaughter of King John I of...
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Maria of AragonMaria of Aragon was a Spanish infanta, second wife of Portuguese King Manuel I and because of that queen consort of Portugal from her marriage on 30 October 1500 until her death.-Family:She was the third surviving daughter of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon...
|
Maternal Grandmother:
Isabel of BraganzaIsabel of Braganza was a daughter of Jaime, Duke of Braganza and Eleanor of Mendoza, she married her cousin Infante Duarte, Duke of Guimarães a son of Manuel I and Maria of Aragon in 1537, Isabella was dowried with the Dukedom of Guimarães in her own right...
|
Maternal Great-grandfather:
James, 4th Duke of BraganzaJames was the older son of Ferdinand II, 3rd Duke of Braganza and of his wife, Isabella of Viseu and he became the fourth Duke of Braganza following his father's death.His father and one of his uncles were both executed for...
|
Maternal Great-grandmother:
Eleonor of Mendoza |