Della Leonessa
| Della Leonessa Italian: Casa della Leonessa | |
|---|---|
| Italian noble family | |
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| Country |  France ItalyFormer countries |
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The Della Leonessa family (also known as De Lagonissa, Lagonissa, Lagonessa, Lagonesse, or La Gonessa) was an Italian and French noble family of Gothic origin.[1]
History
[edit]
The Della Leonessa family was a noble family of the Kingdom of Naples, belonging to the Sedile di Capuana. It also enjoyed nobility in Benevento and Capua. It became a protagonist of the historical events of southern Italy under the Angevin dynasty and many of its members held high-level public offices; it also enjoyed the right to mint coins with its own family crest.[2] After the Battle of Benevento in 1266, King Charles I of Anjou granted Guglielmo "William" Della Leonessa the Lordships of Airola and Montesarchio.[3] Later the family also obtained San Martino Valle Caudina and numerous other fiefs, to finally reach a total of one principality, two duchies, three counties and sixty-eight baronies.[4] The branch of the Princes of Sepino and Dukes of San Martino Valle Caudina became extinct in 1816 with Giuseppe Maria II. The latter's aunt, Carlotta (1746–1838), inherited his titles and assets.[5] She married Falco Ruffo, Prince of Scilla. The latter's son, Raffaele (1780–1847), added his mother's surname to his own, having as his only daughter and heir, Maria Carolina Ruffo-Della Leonessa. In 1834, she married Giovanni Pignatelli, 4th Prince of Monteroduni, who added the surname Della Leonessa to his, thus creating the branch of Pignatelli-Della Leonessa.[6]
Notable members
[edit]- Riccardo "Richard", Knight at the time of the Manfred, King of Sicily.[a]
- Filippo "Philip" of Lagonesse, Marshal of the Kingdom of Sicily and Vicar General of the Principality of Achaea.[b]
- Carlo "Charles", Grand Seneschal of the Kingdom of Sicily.[c]
- Guglielmo "William", Knight, Marshal of the Kingdom of Naples and Viceroy in Provence.[d]
- Fabio Lagonissa (c. 1584–1659) was an Italian bishop and papal diplomat.[e]
Coat of arms
[edit]The coat of arms of the Della Leonessa family were red and silver chequered with nine parts, the five red ones each charged with a golden lily and wrapped in a cloak surmounted by a prince's crown, the highest noble title achieved by it. The Angevin lilies were made to the Knight, Guglielmo Della Leonessa, added by concession of the King Charles I of Anjou.[8]
References
[edit]- Notes
- ^ He was Lord of San Nicandro Garganico.
- ^ He was Lord of San Nicandro Garganico.
- ^ He was Baron of Finocchito and Lord of Airola, Baiano, Castelfranci, Montefusco and Montesarchio. He married Caterina d'Aquino.[7]
- ^ He was Lord of San Nicandro Garganico.
- ^ He was the 5th Lord of Airola, Baiano, Campora, Castelfranci, Cervinara, Montemarano, Montesarchio, Pannarano, Salpe and San Martino Valle Caudina.
- Sources
- ^ Biagio Aldimari (1691). Giacomo Raillard (ed.). Memorie historiche di diverse famiglie nobili, così napoletane, come forastiere. Napoli.
- ^ Giovan Battista di Crollalanza (1888). Dizionario storico-blasonico delle famiglie nobili e notabili italiane estinte e fiorenti. Vol. 2. Pisa: Direzione del Giornale Araldico.
- ^ Francesco De Pietri (1634). Dell'historia napoletana. Vol. 2. Napoli: Giovanni Domenico Montanaro.
- ^ Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 63: Labroca–Laterza (in Italian). Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. 2004. ISBN 978-8-81200032-6.
- ^ Alfredo Rossi (2011). Ceppaloni. Storia e società di un paese del Regno di Napoli. Ceppaloni: Pro Loco.
- ^ Berardo Candida Gonzaga (1875). Memorie delle famiglie nobili delle province meridionali d'Italia. Vol. 2. Bologna: Arnaldo Forni Editore.
- ^ Scipione Mazzella (1601). Descrittione del Regno di Napoli. Napoli: Giovanni Battista Cappello.
- ^ Scipione Ammirato (1651). Delle famiglie nobili napoletane. Vol. 2. Firenze: Amadore Massi da Forlì.
External links
[edit]
Media related to House of Della Leonessa at Wikimedia Commons
