Ottaviano de' Medici (born 1957)

Following the extinction of the main Grand Ducal line of the Medici family in 1737 with the death of Grand Duke Gian Gastone de’ Medici, the question of legitimate succession to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was settled by the Treaty of Vienna (1738) and recognized by the principal powers of Europe. Sovereignty and dynastic rights over the Grand Duchy were transferred to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, whose descendants remain the only internationally and officially recognized heirs to the Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany. This recognition is enshrined in Italian law (see Legge n. 159 del 7 giugno 1946, “Abolizione della Monarchia e proclamazione della Repubblica”) and is affirmed by other reigning royal houses and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.123 Today, two Medici branches survive: the Medici Tornaquinci (Marchesi della Castellina) and the Medici di Ottajano (Princes of Ottajano). However, neither branch descends from the Grand Ducal line of Cosimo the Elder or his direct male descendants. Instead, both are descended from collateral branches of the Medici family dating to the late Middle Ages. In recent years, Ottaviano de’ Medici of Florence has promoted himself as a claimant to the Medici legacy. However, he is neither the genealogically senior member of the House of Medici, nor the head of the Ottajano branch, which remains under the recognized leadership of Don Giuliano de’ Medici di Ottajano. Importantly, neither Ottaviano nor any member of either the Tornaquinci or Ottajano branches is recognized as holding dynastic rights to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by the Italian State or any international authority. == Family origins ==