The Ceva Grimaldi are an Italian noble family established in Southern Italy since the 16th century but whose origins are in Piedmont and Liguria and date back to the 10th century. The main titles associated with this branch of the Ceva family are Marchese di Pietracatella and Duca di Telese.
The Ceva family is a descendant branch of the Aleramici dynasty founded by William of Montferrat in the 10th century named for his son Aleramo. By the early 12th century, the family had vast landholdings in Piedmont and northern Liguria, including the town of Ceva and its surrounding area. On the death of Bonifacio del Vasto c. 1125, his son Anselmo received the newly created Marquisate of Ceva. Anselmo's son, Guglielmo Anselmo, was the first member of the family to use Ceva as a surname. By 1389, one of Guglielmo Anselmo's descendants, Gherardo Ceva, established himself in Genoa and became the progenitor of the Ceva branch that eventually added Grimaldi to its surname. Another branch established itself in France in the early 16th century and acquired the Barony of Fléchères. Their surname became Sève. [2] [3] The branch that remained associated with the Marquisate of Ceva and based in Piedmont produced a number of Roman Catholic prelates, including several bishops and a cardinal. [4]
After Giorgio II di Ceva (floruit 1268–1324), the Marquisate of Ceva began an inexorable decline, partly because each generation divided its holdings equally between their various sons. The family split into several branches, including Ceva San Vitale, Ceva di Nuceto, and Ceva di Lesegno, and its members became scattered throughout Piedmont. The death in 1845 of Abbot Celestino Ceva di Lesegno, the son of marchese Giovanni Giacomo, marked the end of the Ceva family's presence in the town which they once ruled. [5] Although the Marquisate of Ceva is long gone, the town's coat of arms still uses that of the Ceva family. [6]
During the course of its history, the Ceva family and its various branches, including the Ceva Grimaldi branch, held five marquisates, three duchies, one county, and twenty-three fiefdoms. They intermarried with numerous other noble families from both Northern and Southern Italy, including the Adorno, Balzo, Caracciolo, Carafa, Pignatelli, Merode, Pallavicino, and Lanza families. [7]
In 1528, the Republic of Genoa under Andrea Doria reformed the system which organized its patrician families into alberghi. The number of alberghi was limited to 28, and to qualify as an albergo going forward, a family had to have at least six households. The Genoese Ceva family was too small to qualify and along with sixteen other families was attached to the Grimaldi, one of the four principal dynasties of Genoa. The first member of the family to bear the double name was Francesco Ceva Grimaldi who was living in Genoa at the time and married to a noblewoman of the Giustiniani family. The Ceva Grimaldi family's new coat of arms incorporated both the Ceva's (six alternating horizontal gold and black stripes) and the Grimaldi's (alternating vermilion and silver lozenges). [8] [3] [2]
In 1545, Francesco Ceva Grimaldi's son, Cristofaro, transferred the family's seat to Naples to pursue his business affairs. Once in Naples, he purchased the fiefs of Telese, Pietracatella, Solopaca, and several other holdings. His sons Giovanni Francesco (1559–1618) and Giovanni Antonio (1561–1616) ultimately became the heads of the two branches of the Ceva Grimaldi—the Marchesi di Pietracatella and the Duchi di Telese. Cristofaro and his wife, Claudia Adorno, also had four daughters: Emilia and Giovanna, both of whom married into the Carafa family; Cecilia, who married into the Capece family ; and Silvia, who married into the Di Capua family . The Di Capua family were the original owners of the fief of Pietracatella. [3] [9]
As the eldest son, Giovanni Francesco had initially inherited the Pietracatella, Telese, and Solopaca fiefs. He served in the army of Philip II but left Naples after a quarrel and returned to Genoa. There he served as a captain of the Republic of Genoa and a colonel in the militia of Riviera di Levante. He was also a diplomat on the part of Spain to the courts of Modena, Turin, Florence, and Mantua. He returned to Naples in 1606 and was granted the title Marchese di Pietracatella by Philip III. His marriage to Vittoria del Balzo produced eight children. His first three sons predeceased him and he was succeeded as Marchese di Pietracatella by his fourth son, Francesco Aleramo. The Marchesi di Pietracatella branch owned palazzi in Nola, Pietracatella, Montorio, and Naples where they also acquired the Palazzo Pisanelli through the marriage of the 4th Marchese di Pietracatella, Giuseppe Maria (1705-1757), to Angela Pisanelli. Their son and the 5th Marchese di Pietracatella, Francesco Maria (1737–1802), inherited the title Duca delle Pesche from his mother which was passed down to future generations. The family also held the titles of Marchese di Montorio, and Barone di Gambatesa, Macchia and Venafro. In the 19th century the Marchesi di Pietracatella branch produced prominent civil servants and politicians. This branch continues into the 21st century, although the title Marchese di Pietracatella and all noble titles in Italy ceased to be recognized when the monarchy was abolished in 1946. [9] [10] [11]
During the years that Giovanni Francesco was away from Naples, his younger brother, Giovanni Antonio, had administered his holdings. In recognition of this, Giovanni Francesco gave him the Telese and Solopaca fiefs. Giovanni Antonio was formally granted the title of Duca di Telese by Philip III in 1609. His grandson, the third Duca di Telese (also called Giovanni Antonio), built the family's ducal palace in Solopaca between 1672 and 1673. Solopaca was used as their seat because the town of Telese had been destroyed in 1349 by an earthquake which had also released lingering clouds of sulfur dioxide into the air. The palace served not only as their residence but also as the administrative headquarters of the duchy and had a court of justice and jail on the ground floor. When Angelo Ceva Grimaldi 5th Duca di Telese died without children in 1710, his holdings reverted to the state. A distant cousin, Marcello Ceva Grimaldi (1652–1725), subsequently bought back Telese and reclaimed the title in 1723 becoming the 6th Duca di Telese. He was succeeded by his nephew, Filippo (1674–1763) 7th Duca di Telese. With the death of Filippo, the Duchi di Telese branch became extinct. During the 17th and early 18th centuries, this branch produced a number of high-ranking officers in the armies of Charles II and Philip V of Spain. [9] [12] [10]
Members of the Ceva and Ceva Grimaldi families include:
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