Gherardesca family

Gherardesca family

▪ Tuscan noble family
      one of the foremost families of the Tuscan nobility, whose lands included the counties of Gherardesca, Donoratico, and Montescudaio, near Pisa. At the beginning of the 13th century, they led the pro-imperial Ghibelline party of the Pisan republic against the pro-papal Guelf (Guelf and Ghibelline) party led by the Visconti family of Milan. The Gherardesca family produced several churchmen but is especially noted for its soldiers and statesmen.

      The first documented member of the family is Gerardo (d. c. 990), who established himself as count of Gherardesca and of Donoratico. Tedicio became the first podesta, or chief political authority, of Pisa (1190). Upholding Ghibelline interests, Gherardo and Galvano fought with Conradin, duke of Swabia and last of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, in his ill-fated attempt to regain Naples from the Guelfs. They were decapitated along with their leader in Naples (October 1268). The most famous member of the family is Ugolino della Gherardesca, conte di Donoratico (d. March 1289), who switched allegiance from the Ghibellines to the Guelfs and became tyrannical master of Pisa.

      In 1284, when Pisa was menaced by Genoa, the city elected Ugolino podesta and captain of the people for 10 years. He concluded a peace with Florence and used his position to banish his personal enemies and to destroy their castles. He soon quarreled with his allies, the Visconti of Milan, and his interests then conflicted with those of the archbishop Ruggieri degli Ubaldini, who wanted to revive the republican order. Ruggieri accused Ugolino of treason and in 1288 imprisoned him, along with two of his sons and two of his grandsons, in the tower of Gualandi, where he was left to die of starvation. Dante commemorated these events in the Inferno, the first part of his great work The Divine Comedy.

      During 1316–47 various Gherardesci held the lordship (signoria) of Pisa. Gaddo, count of Donoratico (d. 1320), overthrew the tyrant Uguccione della Faggiuola in 1316 and governed the republic with moderation and justice until his death. Then Ranieri instituted a harsher rule with the resumption of Ghibelline politics. Fazzio, count of Donoratico (d. 1340/41), led the insurrection that freed the city from the despot Castruccio Castracani. Elected captain, he followed a policy of accord with Florence, the king of Naples, and the pope, while at the same time he fostered Pisan scholarship. Ranieri (d. 1347) succeeded his father as lord of Pisa and was the last of the family to play an important political role. His death and the Black Death (1348) signaled the decline of the family in Pisa.

      A branch of the family reestablished itself at the beginning of the 16th century in Florence, where the Gherardesci again achieved prominence in Italian aristocracy. They received Florentine citizenship in 1534 and recovered the county of Donoratico (1710–75). Notable descendants of this branch of the family include Ugo (1588–1646), a writer of military history; Tommaso Bonaventura (1654–1721), bishop of Fiesole (1702), archbishop of Florence (1703), and founder of the seminary in Florence; and Ugolino (1823–82), a deputy of parliament and a senator of the kingdom.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Della Gherardesca family — Coat of arms of the House of della Gherardesca. The Gherardeschi or della Gherardesca were a family of the Republic of Pisa, dating back as early as the 11th century. They were one of the most prominent in Pisa by the middle of the 13th century.… …   Wikipedia

  • Ugolino della Gherardesca — Ugolino by Jean Baptiste Carpeaux, 1861, Petit Palais. Count Ugolino della Gherardesca (c. 1220 – March 1289), count of Donoratico, was an Italian nobleman, politician and naval commander. He was frequently accused of treason and features… …   Wikipedia

  • Branches of the Russian Imperial Family — The Russian Imperial Family was split into four main branches named after the sons of Emperor Nicholas I: The Alexandrovichi (descendants of Emperor Alexander II of Russia) The Konstantinovichi (descendants of Grand Duke Constantine Nicholaevich… …   Wikipedia

  • Ugolino and Dante — Count Ugolino della Gherardesca was a person of a Ghibelline Pisan leader that Dante placed in the 9th circle of hell in Inferno because of his treason against his country. In the poem, Ugolino is found frozen in the ice of Antenora chewing on… …   Wikipedia

  • Fenzi — The Fenzi Bank and family were key players in both the economical growth of the Italian industrial revolution and the expansion of the north Italian Railways between Florence and Livorno in 18th and 19th century Italy.The FamilyThe old Florentine …   Wikipedia

  • Nicholas Romanov, Prince of Russia — Nicholas Romanovich Romanov Prince of Russia[1] Head of the House of Romanov (disputed) Time 21 April 1992 (O.S. 8 April 1992)  – present Predecessor Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich Heir …   Wikipedia

  • Walter Savage Landor — (30 January 1775 – 17 September 1864) was an English writer and poet. His best known works were the prose Imaginary Conversations, and the poem Rose Aylmer, but the critical acclaim he received from contemporary poets and reviewers was not… …   Wikipedia

  • List of cultural references in The Divine Comedy — The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is a long allegorical poem in three parts or canticas (or cantiche ), Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise), and 100 cantos, with the Inferno having 34, Purgatorio 33, and Paradiso 33 …   Wikipedia

  • Pisa — Infobox CityIT img coa = Pisa Stemma.png official name = it. Comune di Pisa name = Pisa region = Toscana province = Pisa (PI) elevation m = 4 area total km2 = 185 population as of = December 31, 2005 population total = 90482 population density… …   Wikipedia

  • Florence — Firenze and Florentine redirect here. For other uses, see Florentin, Florentine (disambiguation), Florence (disambiguation) or Firenze (disambiguation). Florence Firenze   Comune   …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”