Pre-unification Before the
Unification of Italy in 1861, the Italian peninsula was home to numerous noble families. Among the most prominent were the
Sforza of
Milan and the
Medici of
Florence, both of whom played a significant role in fostering the
Rinascimento (Italian Renaissance) in their respective regions. Perhaps the most politically consequential noble lineage was the
House of Savoy, whose leadership was instrumental in the establishment of the
Kingdom of Italy in the 19th century. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, the Italian peninsula was home to a wide array of noble families, many of whom rose to prominence through judicial appointments, election to regional
senates, or high-ranking positions within the
Roman Catholic Church. In addition to newly elevated nobility, many families had held noble status for generations, sometimes spanning centuries. Writing in the 19th century, the historian
Leopold von Ranke described the longstanding noble lineages in Rome:
Sicilian nobility The
Sicilian nobility was a privileged hereditary class in the
Kingdom of Sicily, the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the
Kingdom of Italy, whose origins may be traced to the 11th century AD. The
Romans,
Byzantines and
Saracens exported different elements of their
aristocratic structures to the island of
Sicily, however, it was not until the
Norman invasion of 1061, led by
Roger I de Hauteville, that the Sicilian aristocracy and feudal system took root. Over the centuries, established noble families were advanced through the aristocratic ranks. By the 18th century, the titles
principe,
duca and
marchese were held by many men whose ancestors, only several centuries earlier, had been barons and lords.
Conte,
signore and
cavaliere are titles that have been used by the Sicilian nobility. Over the centuries many families emerged as landed aristocracy or nobility similar to the English
gentry and
peerage.
Papal nobility During this period, throughout Italy various influential families came to positions of power through the
election of a family member as
Pope or were elevated into the ranks of nobility through
ecclesiastical promotion. These families freely intermarried with aristocratic nobility. Like other noble families, those with both papal power and money were able to purchase
comunes or other tracts of land and elevate family patriarchs and other relatives to noble titles. Hereditary patriarchs were appointed
Duke,
Marquis and even
Prince of various 16th and 17th century
principalities. According to Ranke:
Popes commonly elevated members of prominent families to the position of
Cardinal; especially second and third sons who would not otherwise inherit
hereditary titles. Popes also elevated their own family members – especially nephews – to the special position of
Cardinal-Nephew. Prominent families could purchase
curial offices for their sons and regularly did, hoping that the son would rise through Church ranks to become a
Bishop or a Cardinal, from which position they could dispense further titles and positions of authority to other family members.
Florentine nobility The
Florentine, and later
Tuscan nobility distinguished itself in the two classes of Patricians, recognized as noble since before 1532, belonging to the
Order of Saint Stephen, and residing only in the ancient noble homelands:
Florence,
Siena,
Pisa,
Pistoia,
Arezzo,
Volterra,
Montepulciano and
Cortona. And of the nobles, simple nobility, civic nobility, senators and commanders, with residence of the "new" noble homelands:
Sansepolcro,
San Miniato,
Livorno,
Pescia and
Prato. Overall, the Florentine nobility was divided into feudal, senatorial and priority.
Milanese nobility In
Milan, the first officially drawn up list of nobility was the "
Matricula nobilium familiarum Mediolani" by
Ottone Visconti, dated 20 April 1377, in which, however, only the noble Milanese families who helped the
Visconti family in their seizure of power over the municipality of Milan were listed, therefore considered the most faithful and ancient nobility in the future lifetime of the city. From 5 September 1395 the
Dukes of Milan officially obtained the right to grant nobility to as many nobles as there were, consistent with the recognition of the
Duchy of Milan. During the whole ducal period, first of the Visconti and then of the
Sforza, the nobility residing in the city was increasingly predisposed to become court nobility, in the direct service of the duke, especially in the field of arms and alliances for war purposes. These families, during this period, played a fundamental role in the politics of the territory, without ever completely outclassing the figure of the duke. Most of the Milanese patriciate is linked to this period, which in the following centuries will constitute a sign of distinction between the nobility granted "to the Milanese by their duke" and that granted by "foreigners".
Venetian nobility '', by
Giovanni Bellini, 1507,
Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
Leonardo Loredan, 75th
Doge of Venice, ruled from 1501 until his death in 1521 and was a member of the
Loredan family, one of the Republic's most prominent noble houses. His four sons are depicted wearing the typical
regalia of Venetian noblemen. The
Venetian Patriciate was one of the three social bodies into which the society of the
Republic of Venice was divided, together with citizens and foreigners.
Patrizio was the
noble title of the members of the
aristocracy ruling the city of
Venice and the Republic. The title was abbreviated, in front of the name, by the initials N.H. (
Nobil Homo), together with the feminine variant N.D. (
Nobildonna). Holding the title of a Venetian patrician was a great honour and many European kings and princes, as well as foreign noble families, are known to have asked for and obtained the prestigious title. The
noble houses were primarily divided into Old (
Case vecchie) and New houses (
Case nuove), with the former being noted for traditionally electing the
first Doge in 697 AD. The New houses were no less significant, as many became very prominent and important in influencing the
history of the Republic of Venice. The families were furthermore divided into several other "categories", including Ducal houses (which gave Doges), Newest houses (
Case nuovissime), Non-Venetian patricians, and "Houses made for money" (usually very wealthy landowning or
bourgeoise families enriched through trade). Although there were numerous noble houses across Venice's
home and
overseas land possessions, the Republic was in fact ruled as an
oligarchy by about 20 to 30 families of Venice's urban nobility, who elected the
Doge, held political and military offices and directly participated in the daily governing of the state. They were predominantly
merchants, with their main source of income being trade with the East and other entrepreneurial activities, on which they became incredibly wealthy. Some of the most important families, who dominated the politics and the history of the state, include those such as the
Contarini,
Cornaro,
Dandolo,
Dolfin,
Giustiniani,
Loredan,
Mocenigo,
Arellano,
Morosini,
Sanudo, and the
Venier families.
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946): the House of Savoy The
House of Savoy was the ruling
dynasty of the
Duchy of Savoy, then the
Kingdom of Sardinia and later
Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1946. The nobility of this House of Savoy masterminded the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. In the years preceding the political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of
different states of the
Italian Peninsula into a single state, the
Kingdom of Italy, the existence of the
Kingdom of Sardinia, the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (before 1816: the
Kingdom of Naples and the
Kingdom of Sicily), the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the
Duchy of Parma, the
Duchy of Modena, the
Duchy of Savoy, the
Papal States and the Austrian
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia led to parallel nobilities with different traditions and rules.
Unification , the residence of the king of the Two Sicilies. It is the largest former royal residence in the world. Modern Italy became a nation-state during the
Risorgimento on 17 March 1861, when most of the states of the peninsula and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies were united under King
Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty, hitherto monarch of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which included
Piedmont. The architect of Italian unification was
Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, the Chief Minister of Victor Emmanuel.
Rome itself remained for a further decade under the Papacy, and became part of the Kingdom of Italy only in 1870. In September of that year, invading Italian troops entered the Papal state, and the ensuing occupation forced
Pope Pius IX to his palace where he declared himself a prisoner in the Vatican, as did his successors, until the
Lateran Pacts of 1929.
Nobility in the Kingdom Under the united
Kingdom of Italy a new national nobility, an attempt (not wholly successful) to impose a uniform nobiliary law, was created, including male succession (although it was possible for ancient titles to be transferred to an heir in the female line by royal authority), and some acknowledgement was made by the
King of Italy of titles conferred by
Francis II of the Two Sicilies in exile by making new grants in the same name. Those nobles who maintained allegiance to the
pope became known as the
Black Nobility. After the unification of Italy, its kings continued to create titles of nobility for eminent Italians, this time valid for all Italian territory. For example, General
Enrico Cialdini was created
Duca di Gaeta for his role during unification. The practice continued until the 20th century, when nominations would be made by the Prime Minister of Italy and approved by the Crown. In the aftermath of the
First World War, most Italians who were ennobled received their titles through the patronage of the
Mussolini government. Examples include General
Armando Diaz (
Duca della Vittoria), Admiral
Paolo Thaon di Revel (
Duca del Mare), Commodore
Luigi Rizzo (
Conte di Grado e di Premuda),
Costanzo Ciano (
Conte di Cortellazzo i Buccari),
Dino Grandi (
Conte di Mordano) and
Cesare Maria de Vecchi (
Conte di Val Cismon). Many of these were
victory titles for services rendered to the nation in the Great War. The writer and aviator
Gabriele d'Annunzio was created
Principe di Montenevoso in 1924, and the physicist, inventor, and
Nobel laureate Guglielmo Marconi was also ennobled in 1924 as
Marchese Marconi. In 1937,
Ettore Tolomei was ennobled as
Conte della Vetta. When Cardinal
Eugenio Pacelli became Pope in 1939, Mussolini had the title of
Principe posthumously bestowed on the new Pontiff's brother
Francesco Pacelli, who had already been made a
Marchese by the Holy See during his lifetime. In 1929, the
Lateran Treaty acknowledged all Papal titles created before that date and undertook to give unquestioned recognition to titles conferred by the Holy See on Italian citizens in the future.
Italian Republic In 1946, the Kingdom of Italy was replaced by a
republic. Under the
Italian Constitution adopted in 1948, titles of nobility, although still used as a courtesy, are not legally recognised. Certain
predicati (
nobiliary particles and/or
territorial designations) recognised before 1922 may continue to be attached to surnames and used in legal documents. Often these were historic feudal territories of noble families. Although a high court ruling in 1967 definitively established that the heraldic-nobiliary legislation of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) is not current law, the title of the head of the noble family is still accorded to all descendants as
courtesy titles. == Titles of nobility ==