Belmonte Calabro
Encyclopedia
Belmonte Calabro, known simply as Belmonte prior to the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy
, is a town and comune
in the province of Cosenza
, in Calabria
(Southern Italy
). The town is perched on a hilltop on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea
.
by Drogone di Beaumont, the marshal responsible for new fortification in Calabria, in order to provide resistance against partisans fighting for the claimant Conradin
of Hohenstaufen.
During the War of the Sicilian Vespers
(1282), Belmonte was conquered by Sicilian-Aragonese troops. It was elevated to the status of county, and assigned to Peter Salvacossa. In 1360 the county was awarded by Queen Joan II of Naples
to a family of Amantea, which maintained it until 1443. In that year the Aragonese transformed Belmonte into a barony and assigned it to the Tarsia family, who maintained it until 1578. During the feudal tenure of this family the petrarchan poet Galeazzo di Tarsia composed his canzoniere, or Book of Songs, in the castle of Belmonte.
Under the Tarsia lordship, Belmonte was besieged several times: during the invasions of Charles VIII
and Louis XII of France
, between 1495 and 1503, and again in 1528 under the French marshal Lautrec
. The Tarsia were succeeded by the Ravaschieri Fieschi, of the Counts Fieschi di Lavagna, an ancient family of powerful Genoese bankers. Feudal tenure of Belmonte is recorded to have been purchased from the Tarsia for 28,220 ducats. Under the Ravaschieri churches were constructed in Belmonte, fortifications built and palaces laid out, including the Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre
. In 1619 the title of Prince Belmonte was granted to the Ravaschieri Fieschi by King Philip III of Spain
.
The Principate of Belmonte was further enlarged in 1630 with the purchase of the town of Amantea and the manor of Saint Peter. In 1647, during the revolt of Masaniello
, the Prince provided 200 of his armed Belmontese vassals to Naples to assist the Viceroy. In 1685, the Ravaschieri family had no male heir, and the principate of Belmonte passed first to the Pinelli by marriage and then in 1722 again by marriage to the Pignatelli.
His Serene Highness Prince Antonio Pignatelli, 6th Prince of Belmonte by marriage and a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in his own right, minted his own coinage among which was the famous "zecchino of Belmonte", a gold coin on which appears both the Prince's head and coat of arms. In 1806 and 1807 Belmonte supported Amantea and Fiumefreddo while under siege by French troops commanded by General Peyri. Belmonte's castle was the last to surrender. Under the French, Belmonte became the centre of the administrative area of Crati, comprising the territory that reaches from Amantea to Guardia Piemontese and including the cities of Aiello, Altilia, Mangone and Rogliano. With the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in the late C19th, Belmonte gained the additional name of Calabro, to distinguish it from other Italian places of the same name.
The coat of arms of Belmonte itself is a palm between two towers under a princely crown. The two towers represent the fortifications of Verri and Barbarise, with the palm symbolizing the countryside between. The crown represents the historical connection with the Belmonte Princes.
Belmonte was in the news on 5 December 1930, when the English aviator
s Winifred Spooner
and Captain Edwards were forced by mechanical breakdown to ditch into the sea whilst en-route from London
to Cape Town
, South Africa
, in what had been planned as a 5 days and nights record breaking attempt. Winifred Spooner swam the 3 kilometers to shore in complete darkness and alerted local fishermen who rescued Captain Edwards and the plane.
The town has a station on the main line from Naples to Reggio Calabria
.
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...
, is a town and comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Cosenza
Province of Cosenza
The Province of Cosenza is a province in the Calabria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Cosenza.It has an area of 6,650 km², and a total population of 733,797 . It is the biggest Calabrian Province...
, in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
(Southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
). The town is perched on a hilltop on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy.-Geography:The sea is bounded by Corsica and Sardinia , Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria and Sicily ....
.
History
Belmonte was founded in about 1270, under the reign of King Charles I of Anjou, with the construction of a castle in the territory of AmanteaAmantea
Amantea is a town and comune in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy.It is a touristical centre on the southern Tyrrhenian Sea coast...
by Drogone di Beaumont, the marshal responsible for new fortification in Calabria, in order to provide resistance against partisans fighting for the claimant Conradin
Conradin
Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , King of Jerusalem , and King of Sicily .-Early childhood:Conradin was born in Wolfstein, Bavaria, to Conrad...
of Hohenstaufen.
During the War of the Sicilian Vespers
Sicilian Vespers
The Sicilian Vespers is the name given to the successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out on the Easter of 1282 against the rule of the French/Angevin king Charles I, who had ruled the Kingdom of Sicily since 1266. Within six weeks three thousand French men and women were slain by...
(1282), Belmonte was conquered by Sicilian-Aragonese troops. It was elevated to the status of county, and assigned to Peter Salvacossa. In 1360 the county was awarded by Queen Joan II of Naples
Joan II of Naples
Joan II was Queen of Naples from 1414 to her death, upon which the senior Angevin line of Naples became extinct. As a mere formality, she used the title of Queen of Jerusalem, Sicily, and Hungary....
to a family of Amantea, which maintained it until 1443. In that year the Aragonese transformed Belmonte into a barony and assigned it to the Tarsia family, who maintained it until 1578. During the feudal tenure of this family the petrarchan poet Galeazzo di Tarsia composed his canzoniere, or Book of Songs, in the castle of Belmonte.
Under the Tarsia lordship, Belmonte was besieged several times: during the invasions of Charles VIII
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
and Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
, between 1495 and 1503, and again in 1528 under the French marshal Lautrec
Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec
Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec was a French military leader. He gained the reputation of a gallant and able soldier, but this scarcely seems to be justified by the facts; though he was always badly used by fortune....
. The Tarsia were succeeded by the Ravaschieri Fieschi, of the Counts Fieschi di Lavagna, an ancient family of powerful Genoese bankers. Feudal tenure of Belmonte is recorded to have been purchased from the Tarsia for 28,220 ducats. Under the Ravaschieri churches were constructed in Belmonte, fortifications built and palaces laid out, including the Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre
Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre
Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre or Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi-del Giudice is a 16th century noble palace in the historical center of Belmonte Calabro in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy....
. In 1619 the title of Prince Belmonte was granted to the Ravaschieri Fieschi by King Philip III of Spain
Philip III of Spain
Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...
.
The Principate of Belmonte was further enlarged in 1630 with the purchase of the town of Amantea and the manor of Saint Peter. In 1647, during the revolt of Masaniello
Masaniello
Masaniello was a Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the revolt against Spanish Habsburg rule in Naples in 1647.-Name and place of birth:...
, the Prince provided 200 of his armed Belmontese vassals to Naples to assist the Viceroy. In 1685, the Ravaschieri family had no male heir, and the principate of Belmonte passed first to the Pinelli by marriage and then in 1722 again by marriage to the Pignatelli.
His Serene Highness Prince Antonio Pignatelli, 6th Prince of Belmonte by marriage and a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in his own right, minted his own coinage among which was the famous "zecchino of Belmonte", a gold coin on which appears both the Prince's head and coat of arms. In 1806 and 1807 Belmonte supported Amantea and Fiumefreddo while under siege by French troops commanded by General Peyri. Belmonte's castle was the last to surrender. Under the French, Belmonte became the centre of the administrative area of Crati, comprising the territory that reaches from Amantea to Guardia Piemontese and including the cities of Aiello, Altilia, Mangone and Rogliano. With the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in the late C19th, Belmonte gained the additional name of Calabro, to distinguish it from other Italian places of the same name.
The coat of arms of Belmonte itself is a palm between two towers under a princely crown. The two towers represent the fortifications of Verri and Barbarise, with the palm symbolizing the countryside between. The crown represents the historical connection with the Belmonte Princes.
Belmonte was in the news on 5 December 1930, when the English aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s Winifred Spooner
Winifred Spooner
Winifred Evelyn Spooner was an English aviatrix of the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of the Harmon Trophy as the world's outstanding aviatrix of 1929. She died aged 33 from pneumonia....
and Captain Edwards were forced by mechanical breakdown to ditch into the sea whilst en-route from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, in what had been planned as a 5 days and nights record breaking attempt. Winifred Spooner swam the 3 kilometers to shore in complete darkness and alerted local fishermen who rescued Captain Edwards and the plane.
Noted Belmontesi
- Michele BianchiMichele BianchiMichele Bianchi was an Italian revolutionary syndicalist leader. He was among the founding members of the Fascist movement. He was widely seen as the dominant leader of the leftist, syndicalist wing of the National Fascist Party, and one of the most influential politicians of the regime before his...
, involved with the March on RomeMarch on RomeThe March on Rome was a march by which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party came to power in the Kingdom of Italy... - Luigi MatteiLuigi MatteiLuigi Mattei was an Italian military General and Marquis de Belmonte. During the 17th century he commanded troops loyal to the papal armies of Barberini Pope Urban VIII and Pamphili Pope Innocent X during the Wars of Castro.-Biography:...
, Marquis de Belmonte during the 17th century
Main sights
- Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della TorrePalazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della TorrePalazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi della Torre or Palazzo Ravaschieri Fieschi-del Giudice is a 16th century noble palace in the historical center of Belmonte Calabro in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy....
(17th century) - Castle, erected around 1271
- Collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta (16th century)
- Church of the Immacolata Concezione (17th century)
- Capuchins' Convent (17th century)
- Palazzo Rivellino (17th century)
- City walls and coastal watchtowers
Transportation
Belmonte can be reached by road through the SS18 State Road (Tirrena Inferiore).The town has a station on the main line from Naples to Reggio Calabria
Reggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
.