Theblack nobility orblack aristocracy (Italian:nobiltà nera, aristocrazia nera) are Romanaristocratic families who sided with thePapacy underPope Pius IX after the army of theKingdom of Italy led by theHouse of Savoy enteredRome on 20 September 1870, overthrew thepope and thePapal States, and took over theQuirinal Palace, and any nobles subsequently ennobled by the pope prior to the 1929Lateran Treaty.[1][2]
For the next 59 years, the pope confined himself toVatican City and claimed to be aprisoner in the Vatican to avoid the appearance of accepting the authority of the new Italian government and state.[2] Aristocrats who had been ennobled by the pope and were formerly subjects of the Papal States, including the senior members of the papal court, kept the front doors of their palaces in Rome closed to mourn the pope's confinement, which led to their being called the "black nobility".[1]
Despite the relatively recent name, the Black Nobility had existed for centuries, originating in the baronial class of Rome and in the powerful families who moved to Rome to benefit from a family connection to the Vatican. These supported the Popes in the governance of thePapal States and in the administration of the Holy See.[2] Many of the members of Black Noble families also became high-ranking clergy and even Popes.
Black Nobility families, in this instance families whose ancestors included Popes, still in existence include notably theColonna,Massimo,Orsini,Ruspoli,Pallavicini,Theodoli,Sacchetti,Borghese,Odescalchi, andBoncompagni-Ludovisi. Major extinct papal families include theSavelli,Caetani, theAldobrandini andConti.
Famous members of Black Nobility families includeArnaldo De Rosette,Bishop of Asti, who promulgated aSynod which provided some decrees to regulate and classify the clergy ofLombardy andPiedmont and its composition, with a particular emphasis on theKnights Hospitallers;Eugenio Pacelli, who later becamePope Pius XII;Ernesto Pacelli, an important financier; andProspero Colonna, mayor of Rome.
Following the conclusion of theLateran Treaty in 1929, the Black Nobility were given dual citizenship in Italy and Vatican City. Under the provisions of the treaty, noble titles granted by the pope were recognized in the Kingdom of Italy. Many of these families were members of the largely ceremonial PapalNoble Guard; others were foreigners affiliated with the Holy See in various ways. In 1931,Pope Pius XI denied the request ofAlfonso XIII of Spain to open the Noble Guard further to nobles from all Catholic countries. InWorld War II, the Papal Noble Guard protected the Pope alongside theSwiss Guard.[3]
In 1968,Pope Paul VI abolished many Vatican City positions with themotu proprio documentPontificalis Domus (English: The Papal Household). As well as changing the name of the group from Papal Court to Papal Household, many of the positions occupied by the Black Nobility were abolished. According to the motu proprio: "Many of the offices entrusted to members of the Papal Household were deprived of their function, continuing to exist as purely honorary positions, without much correspondence to concrete needs of the times."[4]
Many of these positions and the Papal Court itself were still set up for administering thePapal States, which had been lost in 1870. The Black Nobility's perks, such as Vatican City licence plates, were also withdrawn. Some Black Nobles resented these changes. According to diplomat and authorRoger Peyrefitte, it was members of the Black Nobility who first told him of the Pope's alleged association withan actor, which eventually led to Peyreffite's public statements and subsequent scandal.[5] In May 1977, some members of the Black Nobility, led by PrincessElvina Pallavicini, started courting traditionalist ArchbishopMarcel Lefebvre.[6]
Calendario Pontificio (tutte le edizioni) Gallelli-editoreLibro d'Oro della Nobiltà Pontificia (tutte le edizioni) Gallelli-editore
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