| House of Boncompagni | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of Boncompagni family | |
| Country |  Papal States Kingdom of NaplesDuchy of Sora Kingdom of Italy |
| Founded | 1133 |
| Founder | Rodolfo Boncompagni |
| Titles | |
| Deposition | 1796 (from Sora) 1801 (from Piombino) |
| Cadet branches | Boncompagni-Ludovisi |
TheHouse of Boncompagni is a princely family of theItalian nobility which settled inBologna in around the14th century, but was probably originally fromUmbria.[1]
In 1572, Ugo Boncompagni was elected pope, taking the nameGregory XIII, and the family prospered. In 1579, the pope bought theDuchy of Sora from theDella Rovere family for his sonGiacomo, whose descendants reigned there as dukes until 1796. Later, they also obtained thePrincipality of Piombino, following the marriage ofGregorio II Boncompagni withIppolita Ludovisi, princess of Piombino and last of her dynasty. They reigned over Piombino asBoncompagni-Ludovisi, until Antonio II Boncompagni Ludovisi was deposed as Prince of Piombino in 1801;[1] the heads of the family, though no longer reigning, continued to be known as "Prince [forenames] Boncompagni Ludovisi" as of 2023.[2]
The Bolognese family, perhaps originally from Umbria, rose socially with the marriage of Cristoforo Boncompagni (1470 - 1546) to the noble Angela Marescalchi. In 1572, Ugo Boncompagni, son of Cristoforo and Angela, was elected Pope Gregory XIII, the 226th pope of the Catholic Church, followed by increased power and prestige of the family.[3]
Many family members obtained important positions in the Church; five were created cardinals: Filippo (1548 - 1586), Francesco (1592 - 1641), Girolamo (1622 - 1684), Giacomo (1652 - 1731), Ignazio Gaetano (1743 - 1790); of these, among other posts, one wasArchbishop of Naples and two wereArchbishops of Bologna, while another was alsoSecretary of State of the Holy See.[4]
Gregorio II Boncompagni waslord of Piombino from 1706 to 1707.
The family later merged with theLudovisi family.
The princes Boncompagni-Ludovisi inherited a large (30 hectare) estate in Rome with vast collections of art; in 1883 they subdivided it and sold most of it, retaining and living in what became known as theCasino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi or Villa Aurora, which remained in the family until 2023, when it was put up for auction. The 19th-century mathematicianBaldassarre Boncompagni-Ludovisi was a member of the family.
PrinceFrancesco Boncompagni Ludovisi (1886-1955) wasGovernor of Rome from 1928 to 1935. Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi died in 2018, leaving three sons.[2]
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