The Princes of Ottajano (or Ottaiano) are a cadet branch of the ducal dynasty of Tuscany. Along with the Veronese Medici Counts of Caprara, and Gavardo, they make up the last and closest descendants to the main line of the House of Medici.
The Princes of Ottajano (or Ottaiano) are a cadet branch of the ducal dynasty of Tuscany. Along with the Veronese Medici Counts of Caprara, and Gavardo, they make up the last and closest descendants to the main line of the House of Medici.
The founder of the Ottajano line was Ottaviano de' Medici, who married Bartholomea Giugni and gave issue to Bernardetto and Countess Constance, della Gherardesca of Donoratico. Bernardetto married Giulia de' Medici, daughter of Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence, descended from Cosimo il Vecchio and Lorenzo the Magnificent of the Medici family's senior line. [1] It was Bernardetto who bought from Gonzaga in 1567 the fiefdom of Ottaviano, located near Naples. [2]
Over the centuries, this remaining House of Medici has reached a leading position in the aristocracy of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. Among the members of the dynasty are leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, ambassadors, cardinals (Francesco de Medici di Ottaiano), a pope, and Don Luigi de' Medici, representative of the Kingdom of Naples at the Congress of Vienna. [3]
In his book "The History of My Dynasty," Ottaviano de' Medici points to Vatican law at the time and claims that either the Medici Princes of Ottaiano or the Veronese Medici should have inherited the Grand Duchy of Tuscany upon the death of last of the Medici Grand Dukes, Gian Gastone de' Medici, [4] instead of the Habsburg-Lorraine line, since both Medici branches were closer descendants [5] than Francis Stephen of Lorraine (Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor), who was a great-great-great-grandson of Francesco I de' Medici via the female line. However, due to the Habsburg-Lorraine influence, they were able to secure Florence for themselves. [6]
The branch is still in existence under the current head, Giuliano de' Medici di Toscana di Ottajano, who holds the titles of 14th Prince of Ottajano and 12th Duke of Sarno. [7] The Princes of Ottaiano and the Veronese Counts have common ancestry with most royal monarchies, and the branches are the collateral branch of the House of Medici. [8] In the modern day, the resulting House of Medici has still maintained close ties with the remains of the House of Bonaparte. [9]
Pope Leo XI, born Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 April 1605 to his death, on 27 April 1605. His pontificate is one of the briefest in history, having lasted under a month. He was from the prominent House of Medici originating from Florence. Medici's mother opposed his entering the priesthood and sought to prevent it by having him given secular honours, but after her death he eventually was ordained a priest in 1567. In his career he served as Florence's ambassador to the pope, Bishop of Pistoia, Archbishop of Florence, papal legate to France, and as the cardinal Prefect for the Congregation of the Bishops and Religious. He was elected to the papacy in the March 1605 papal conclave and served as pope for 27 days.
The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici, during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of Tuscany, and prospered gradually until it was able to fund the Medici Bank. This bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century and facilitated the Medicis' rise to political power in Florence, although they officially remained citizens rather than monarchs until the 16th century.
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici was an Italian noblewoman who was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of the House of Medici. A patron of the arts, she bequeathed the Medicis' large art collection, including the contents of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti and the Medicean villas, which she inherited upon her brother Gian Gastone's death in 1737, and her Palatine treasures to the Tuscan state, on the condition that no part of it could be removed from "the Capital of the grand ducal State....[and from] the succession of His Serene Grand Duke."
Alessandro de' Medici, nicknamed "il Moro" due to his dark complexion, Duke of Penne and the first Duke of the Florentine Republic, was ruler of Florence from 1530 to his death in 1537. The first Medici to rule Florence as a hereditary monarch, Alessandro was also the last Medici from the senior line of the family to lead the city. His assassination at the hands of distant cousin Lorenzaccio caused the title of Duke to pass to Cosimo I de Medici, from the family's junior branch.
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population of the Grand Duchy was about 1,815,000 inhabitants.
Méditerranée was a department of the First French Empire in present-day Italy. It was named after the Mediterranean Sea. It was formed in 1808, when the Kingdom of Etruria was annexed directly to France. Its capital was Livorno.
Central Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region, and a European Parliament constituency.
Ottaviano de' Medici was an Italian politician. He was the ancestor of the Princes of Ottajano line of the Medici family.
The Order of Saint Stephen is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. The order was created by Cosimo I de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany. The last member of the Medici dynasty to be a leader of the order was Gian Gastone de Medici in 1737. The order was permanently abolished in 1859 by the annexation of Tuscany to the Kingdom of Sardinia. The former Kingdom of Italy and the current Italian Republic also did not recognize the order as a legal entity but tolerates it as a private body.
Bernadetto de' Medici was an Italian patrician who moved from Florence to Naples and established the Ottaiano branch of Medici - one of two Medici branches still extant.
The Medici villas are a series of rural building complexes in Tuscany which were owned by members of the Medici family between the 15th century and the 17th century. The villas served several functions: they were the country palaces of the Medici, scattered over the territory that they ruled, demonstrating their power and wealth. They were also recreational resorts for the leisure and pleasure of their owners; and, more prosaically, they were the centre of agricultural activities on the surrounding estates. In 2013, the Medici villas were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Prince Ottaviano de' Medici di Toscana di Ottajano is an Italian noble and member of the Ottajano branch of the House of Medici. He is the president of the Associazione Internationale Medicae and one of the founders of Save Florence, an initiative to conserve the cultural heritage of the city of Florence.
Giuliano de' Medici di Ottajano, 14th Prince of Ottajano is an Italian noble, belonging to Neapolitan Ottajano branch of the House of Medici.
Ottaviano de' Medici (1604–1629) was an Italian patrician, belonging to Napolitan branch of House of Medici. He was the first to hold the title of Prince of Ottajano.
Giuseppe de' Medici (1635–1717) was an Italian patrician, belonging to Napolitan branch of House of Medici. He was the first to hold the title of Duke of Sarno.
Michele de 'Medici of Ottajano, Prince of Ottajano was an Italian noble and politician.
Giuseppe de 'Medici of Ottajano, Prince of Ottajano was an Italian noble and Sicilian politician from Naples.
Giuseppe de 'Medici of Ottajano, Prince of Ottajano was an Italian noble and courtier.
The flag of Tuscany is the official flag of the region of Tuscany, Italy. The flag depicts a silver Pegasus rampant on a white field between two horizontal red bands. The flag first appeared as a gonfalon on 20 May 1975 along with accompanying text Regione Toscana above the Pegasus. It was officially adopted as the flag of Tuscany on 3 February 1995.
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