The origins of the family can be traced back to the Ruspoli of Florence in the 13th century, and more remotely from Marius Scotus in the 8th century and his descendants the Marescotti of
Bologna. In the 16th century, the Ruspoli family moved to Rome, where the last descendant, Vittoria Ruspoli, Marchioness of
Cerveteri, married Sforza Vicino Marescotti, Count of
Vignanello, a descendant of the
Farnese family on both his mother's and father's side. One of Vittoria's sons took the Ruspoli name and coat of arms to guarantee the continuity of the house. In 1708, Vittoria's grandson,
Francesco Marescotti Ruspoli, head of the
Ruspoli Regiment, fought to defend the
Papal States. In 1709, he forced the Austrians to retreat, and
Pope Clement XI named him the first Prince of Cerveteri. This title would then pass down to the first-born son of each generation. The papal title of Roman Prince was later conferred in 1721, and it is also held by the first-born son of each generation. Since 1808, the head of the family also served as
Grand Master of the Sacred Apostolic Hospice, which was an hereditary official of the
Pontifical Household. He was a Participating Privy Chamberlain and the sole lay member of the Noble Privy Antechamber, as well as a Participating Privy Chamberlain of the Sword and Cape (who were all laymen, traditionally holding hereditary posts). The post was removed in the reforms of the
Papal Curia after 1968, leaving just the honorific title.
The Ruspoli origins There are traces of members of the Ruspoli family from the 13th century on tombstones in the churches of
Ognisanti and of Santa Maria Novella in
Florence. Some of its members, in chronological order: • Lorenzo Ruspoli – Florentine noble — lived in the early 13th century. • Neri Ruspoli – chief
Ghibellin – in 1266 the
Guelphs burned down his house in Florence. • Ser Bonaccorso Ruspoli —
notary in Florence and Ghino Ruspoli — lived in 1304 • Roberto Ruspoli — lived mid-14th century • Giovanni Ruspoli – born in 1363 –
Gonfaloniere and
prior in 1391 — built the Gentilizia chapel in Ognissanti Church. • Roberto Ruspoli and Zanobi Ruspoli – lived in 1391 • Lorenzo Ruspoli – born in 1384 –
Praetor of
Begonia in 1432 —
Praetor of
Piccioli in 1460 –
Gonfaloniere of Florence • Giovanni Ruspoli – born on April 25, 1420 – Buried in Ognissanti — marries 1) Maddalena Buti 2) Bartolomea Paffi • Lorenzo Ruspoli – born in 1460 – took part in many the travels of
Amerigo Vespucci – marries Alessandra da Magguale It is Bartolomeo, son of the above-mentioned Lorenzo, that the family moved away from the imperial
Ghibellines and came closer to the Vatican State in Rome.
Bartolomeo Ruspoli was born in Florence in 1496. He formed a business partnerships with the
Altoviti family, who were influential wool traders and bankers. In 1529 Bartolomeo travelled to Rome where he married Maria Ardinghelli niece of Cardinal Niccolò
Ardinghelli, an influential member of the
Farnese fraction and an intimate associate of Alessandro Farnese, future
Pope Paul III. The Ruspoli were thus integrated into the
Roman Curia and the papal court, and Bartolomeo's children, both sons and daughters, were all married into families of the Roman nobility:
Muti,
Cavalieri and
Floridi. In 1531 Bartolomeo Ruspoli was named Petitioner of the apostolic letters by
Pope Clement VII. In 1535 he was made Prior of Florence. Gradually, and certainly by the 17th century, the Ruspoli had lost their identity as Florentine merchants and bankers, referring to themselves exclusively as Roman nobles. In the year 773 king
Charlemagne started a military campaign against the
Lombards in Italy, because they were not respecting an agreement made with
Pepin the Short to give part of their land to the state of the Church. He asked for help from king of
Dál Riata (Western Scotland) Eochaid IV. The latter asked his cousin Count William of
Douglas to recruit and bring to France a brigade of 4,000 men, which he did. But soon thereafter he had to return to Scotland to govern
the family clan, leaving his command to his younger brother Marius Douglas, who at the time was described as courageous, tall, strong and with a reddish beard. The army of the
Franks crossed the Alps and took base in the Benedictine
Abbey of Novalesa, in the high valley of
Dora Riparia. Mario Scoto, as he was known in Italy, discovered a small path through forests between the mountains which was absolutely unusable by the army, but perfect for the Scottish highlanders. After walking quietly for three days along the path, Mario Scoto and his men attacked the
Lombards by surprise from the back, while king
Charlemagne attacked with the cavalry from the front. It was a major victory for the Franks which marked the decline of the Lombards in Italy. In the spring of the following year,
Pope Adrian I and the king decided to meet. With a small escort, amongst whom Mario Scoto was present, Charlemagne travelled the ancient
via Cassia to
Saint Peter's Basilica where he was received and blessed by the pope. Mario Scoto was Catholic as were the majority of Scottsmen at the time and at the service of his king became himself a defender of the Faith. He became an appreciated military advisor and distinguished himself in the Spanish campaign and in the battle against the Saxons at the confluence of the Weser with the Aller in which of the 5,000 Saxons, only the 500 who chose to be baptised were spared their lives. Towards the end of the century Mario Scoto retired from the army, married an Italian noblewoman called Marozia and, for his devotion to the pope, settled in Rome where he was granted the honor to escort the pope. He was therefore present when in April 799
Pope Leo III was assaulted and kidnapped near the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina. Mario Scoto was able to find the pope in a monastery on the
Aventine Hill and rescued him and returned him to his throne at the Holy See. The scene was later painted in Bologna by
Giuseppe Antonio Caccioli. On Christmas Day 800 Mario Scoto was invested Count of Bagnacavallo in
Romagna and was granted the privilege to adorn his family crest, which already had the rampant leopard of Scotland, with the three
fleur-de-lis, characteristic symbol of the French kings. The family still conserves an old portrait of a soldier with the following encryption in Latin: "Marius de Calveis, Scotus, Carl Mag M Dux Familiam Marescotti Fundavit ANN D. DCCC" (Marius of Galloway, Scottish, military commander under Charlemagne, founder of the Marescotti family. AD 800) In the 9th century the Marescotti people (name derived from Mario Scoto) carried the title of counts of Bagnacavallo, a large fiefdom between the Lamone and Savio rivers. Charlemagne had received vast lands in the Bologna area and had later distributed them, as was the custom in those days, to the veterans of his army. Some members of the family in chronological order: Alberto il Malvicino de Calveiso de' Calvi Count of Bagnacavallo. Alberto Count of Bagnacavallo. Ermes, Massimiliano and Oddo Marescotti (Mariscotti) were
Consuls of Orvieto respectively in 1035, 1091 e 1099. Carbone - in 1120 build a tower in Bologna. Marescotto - Consul of Imola nel 1140 Raniero Marescotti - elected cardinal by
Pope Lucius II December 18, 1144. Marescotto - Consul of Bologna e Captain general of Bologna in the war against Imola in 1179. Pietro de' Calvi Marescotti -
Podestà of Faenza in 1185. Marescotto Consul of Bologna 1227 Guglielmo - Podestà di Siena nel 1232, his son Corrado was
Chancellor of Emperor
Frederick II in 1249. Alberto Marescotti son of Ugolino was Consul of Bologna, Captain general of the infantry of Bologna, then took Faenza in 1281 and regained Imola in 1290.
From Renaissance to Enlightment The navy commander Fabrizio Ruspoli son of Bartolomeo Ruspoli and Maria Ardinghelli distinguished himself in the
Battle of Lepanto. The Ottomans lost all but 30 of its ships and as many as 30,000 men, a decisive victory for Christianity and a strategic military one, that marked the start of the decline of the Ottoman's power in the Mediterranean. The Christians attributed the victory to the protection of the Virgin Mary, whom they had invoked by reciting the Rosary, and
Pope Pius V instituted a feast in its honor as
Our Lady of Victory. Orazio Ruspoli, brother of Fabrizio, became a successful banker and was then named magistrate of the colleges in 1557. Together with his third brother Alessandro he started the
Banco Ruspoli in
Siena and the family became very wealthy. Orazio married Felice Cavalieri and had two children. Lorenzo Ruspoli, their cousin, was in the wool trade and also became a successful banker in
Florence and then Consul. he then married lady Maria di Bernardo Franceschi and had two children; Antonio and Francesco (born August 20, 1579). The latter became a published satirical poet. Vittoria Ruspoli, daughter of Orazio and Felice Cavalieri, married in 1617 Sforza Vicino Marescotti, Count of Vignanello, Lord of Parrano, Roman noble and Patrizio of Bologna, Magistrate of Conservatori of Bologna in 1632 and Conservatore di Roma in 1654. Vittoria's brother, Bartolomeo Ruspoli after acquiring the fiefdom of the Marquis of Cerveteri and in Rome the Palace on the Ara Coeli, having no children of his own donated everything to the heirs of her sister. Vittoria's husband, Sforza Vicino, descended from the Farnese family from both his mother's and his father's side (see the image on the right). From his father's side he inherited the fiefdom of Vignanello (from the wedding between Sfortia Marescotti and Ortesia Farnese Countess of Vignanello). His grandmother was Giulia Farnese. The entire branch of the Farnese (Dukes of Latera) became extinct and the descendants of the Marescottis (later called Ruspolis by will of Vittoria Ruspoli) kept the fiefdom and the
Castello Ruspoli in
Vignanello up to our days.{{cite web Meanwhile, Clarice born March 6, 1585, sister of Sforza Vicino Marescotti, became a nun in the convent of San Bernardino in
Viterbo with the name of
Sister Giacinta. She was canonized Saint by
Pope Pius VII in 1807. Her feast is celebrated on January 30.
Galeazzo Marescotti, son of Sforza Vicino and Vittoria was elected cardinal by
Pope Clement X. == The Marescotti-Ruspoli ==