 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(September 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| House of Farnese | |
|---|---|
 Blazon:Or, six fleurs-de-lis azure set 3, 2 and 1 | |
| Country |  Papal States Duchy of Parma and Piacenza Duchy of Castro |
| Founded | 1419 (1419) |
| Founder | Ranuccio Farnese the Old |
| Final ruler | Parma:Antonio Farnese Spain:Elisabeth Farnese |
| Titles |
|
| Style(s) | "His Holiness" (papacy) "Grace" |
| Estate(s) | Ducal Palace of Colorno Palazzo del Giardino Palazzo della Pilotta Palazzo Farnese Villa Farnese |
| Dissolution | 1766 (1766) |
TheHouse of Farnese (/fɑːrˈneɪzi,-zeɪ/,alsoUS:/-eɪsi/,[1][2]Italian:[farˈneːze,-eːse]) was an influential family inRenaissanceItaly. The titles ofDuke of Parma and Piacenza,Duke of Latera andDuke of Castro were held by various members of the family.[3]
Its most important members includedPope Paul III,Alessandro Farnese (a cardinal),Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (a military commander andGovernor of the Spanish Netherlands), andElisabeth Farnese, who became Queen of Spain and whose legacy was brought to her Bourbon descendants.
A number of important architectural works andantiquities are associated with the Farnese family, either through construction or acquisition. Buildings include thePalazzo Farnese in Rome and theVilla Farnese atCaprarola, and ancient artifacts include theFarnese Marbles.
The family could trace its origins back to around AD 984 and took its name from one of its oldest feudal possessions -Castrum Farneti. There has been some debate as to the origins of the name Farnesi/Farnese. Some suggest that it derives from the vernacular name for an oak found in the region, the Farnia (Quercus robur), but others believe that the name owes its origins to the Fara, a term ofLombard origin used to denote a particular social group.
In the 12th century, they are recorded as minor feudatories in the areas ofTuscania andOrvieto, several members holding political positions in the latter commune. One Pietro defeated the TuscanGhibellines in 1110 and, most likely, fought against theItalo-Normans in 1134. His son Prudenzio was consul in Orvieto and defeated the Orvieto Ghibellines backed bySiena; another Pietro defended the town againstEmperor Henry VI. In 1254, one Ranuccio defeatedTodi's troops and fought forPope Urban IV againstManfred of Sicily. His son Niccolò was in theGuelph army in theBattle of Benevento (1266).
The Farnese returned toTuscia (southern Tuscany-northern Lazio) in 1319, when they acquiredFarnese,Ischia di Castro, and the castles of Sala and San Savino. In 1354, CardinalAlbornoz, in return for the family's help in the war against the Papal riotous barons, gave them the territory ofValentano. In this period they fought against the fierce Papal rivals, thePrefetti di Vico.
In 1362,Pietro Farnese was commander-in-chief of theFlorentine army againstPisa in the war forVolterra. Six years later Niccolò Farnese saved PopeUrban V from the attack ofGiovanni di Vico, first in the castle ofViterbo and then in that ofMontefiascone. The loyalty to the Papal cause meant that the Farnese were granted confirmation of their possessions in the northern Lazio and given a series of privileges which raised them to the same level as more ancient and powerful Roman barons of the time, such as theSavelli,Orsini,Monaldeschi andSforza ofSanta Fiora.
The family substantially increased its power in the course of the 15th century, as their territories reached the southern shore of theLake Bolsena andMontalto, largely due toRanuccio the Elder. He was commander-in-chief of the forces of neighbouring Siena against the Orsini ofPitigliano and, after his victory, received the title of Senator of Rome. His son, Gabriele Francesco, also took up a military career, a line of employment which disappeared after three generations.
Ranuccio's son, Pier Luigi, married a member of the ancient baronial family of theCaetani (that ofPope Boniface VIII), thus giving the Farnese further importance in Rome. His daughter,Giulia, who was a mistress ofPope Alexander VI, further expanded the Roman fortunes of her family by persuading the Pope to bestow on her brotherAlessandro the title of cardinal. Under Alexander's successor,Pope Julius II, he became governor of theMarca Anconetana and, in 1534, he was elected as pope and took the name of Paul III. Notable features of his reign included the establishment of theCouncil of Trent and an unprecedented level ofnepotism. For example, two months after becoming pope in 1534, he made his 14-year-old grandsonAlessandro acardinal deacon.
Paul III died in 1549 and his political role in the Curia passed to his grandson Alessandro, who remained an influential cardinal and patron of the arts until his death in 1589.
Paul III used his position as pontiff to increase the power and possessions of his family. He gave his illegitimate son,Pier Luigi, the title ofgonfaloniere orGonfalone of the Church. He also gave him the town ofCastro with the title ofDuke of Castro, granting him possession of lands from theTyrrhenian Sea to the Lake of Bolsena, as well as the area ofRonciglione and many other smaller fiefdoms.
In 1545, Paul handed over, from land once belonging to the Papal States, further territories in northern Italy to his son, who took the additional title ofDuke of Parma. Paul thus established his family as an Italian ducal dynasty, a project at which theBorgiaPope Alexander VI had failed. Two years later, Pier Luigi was assassinated by his new subjects under a Spanish mandate. Despite intrigues byCharles V, the Pope reacted promptly and soon establishedOttavio, Pier Luigi's son, on the ducal throne. He secured this by marrying Ottavio (1547–86) to the eldest illegitimate daughter of Charles V,Margaret. Ottavio was given the additional title of Duke ofPiacenza and initially established his court there, where work was begun on a huge Farnese palace on the banks of the River Po. However, during construction, and probably in response to political intrigues by the Piacentine nobility, Ottavio Farnese moved his court toParma, where he had thePalazzo della Pilotta constructed in 1583.
In 1580,Ranuccio I was first in the succession line to theKingdom of Portugal. His great-uncle Henry I of Portugal's death triggered thestruggle for the throne of Portugal when Ranuccio was 11 years old. As the son of the late elder daughter of Infante Edward, 4th Duke of Guimarães, the only son of King Manuel I whose legitimate descendants survived at that time, Ranuccio was according to the succession law the first heir to the throne of Portugal. However, his father was an ally and even a subject of the Spanish king, another contender, so Ranuccio's rights were not very forcibly claimed.
The Farnese court inParma andPiacenza under DukeRanuccio II (1630–94) was one of the most splendid in Italy.
The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza continued to be ruled by the Farnese until the 17th century. However, the city of Castro was removed from the Farnese family holdings when the Farnese fell out with theBarberini family ofPope Urban VIII, sparking theWars of Castro. In 1649, the conflict ended whenPope Innocent X had the city razed.[4]
The small dukedom eventually fell under Spanish control and influence; the family lost Parma and Piacenza in 1731 when the last Farnese duke,Antonio Farnese, died without direct heirs. His collateral heir, his nieceElizabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, passed a successful claim on to her sons, Don Carlos (later KingCarlos III of Spain) andFilippo, who established theHouse of Bourbon-Parma, still extant as of today.
| Alessandro Farnese (Pope Paul III) (1468–1549) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (illeg.)Costanza (1500–1545) | (illeg.)Pier Luigi (1503–1547) | (illeg.) Ranuccio | (illeg.) Paolo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alessandro (1520–1589) | Vittoria (1521–1602) | Ottavio (1524–1586) | Ranuccio (1530–1565) | (illeg.)Orazio (1531–1553) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alessandro (1545–1592) | Carlo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Margherita (1567–1643) | Ranuccio I (1569–1622) | Odoardo (1573–1626) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alessandro | Odoardo I (1612–1646) | Maria (1615–1646) | Vittoria (1618–1649) | Francesco Maria (1619–1647) | (illeg.)Ottavio (1598–1643) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranuccio II (1630–1694) | Alessandro (1635–1689) | Orazio (1636–1656) | Caterina (1637–1684) | Pietro (1639–1677) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Margherita Maria (1664–1718) | Teresa (1665–1702) | Odoardo II (1666–1693) | Francesco (1678–1727) | Antonio (1679–1731) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elisabetta (1692–1766) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House of Bourbon-Parma | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure | Date and blason |
 | The Farnèse family Or, six fleurs-de-lis azure set 3, 2 and 1.[citation needed] |
 | 1545–1586 Per pale: 1 and 3, or, three fleurs-de-lis azure, 2. gules, papal tiara or, surmounted by two keys argent and or in saltire and interlaced at their intersection with a cord azure (for Papal State).[citation needed] |
 | 1586–1592 I, quarterly: 1 and 4, or, six fleurs-de-lys azure, in three, two and one, (for Farnèse); 2 and 3, per pale, gules, a fess argent (for Austria) and bendy of six, or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy). II, tierced in fess: Gules, papal tiara or, surmounted by two keys argent and or in saltire and interlaced at their intersection with a cord azure (for Papal State).[citation needed] |
 | 1592–1731 I, quarterly: 1 and 4, or, six fleurs-de-lys azure, in three, two and one, (for Farnèse); 2 and 3, per pale, gules, a fess argent (for Austria) and bendy of six, or and azure, a bordure gules (for Burgundy). II, tierced in fess: Gules, papal tiara or, surmounted by two keys argent and or in saltire and interlaced at their intersection with a cord azure (for Papal State), overall, argent, five escutcheons in cross azure, each charged with five plates in saltire, a bordure gules charged with seven three-towered castles or (for Portugal).[citation needed] |
