Giacomo Boncompagni
Encyclopedia
Giacomo Boncompagni was an Italian feudal lord of the 16th century, the illegitimate son of Pope Gregory XIII
(Ugo Boncompagni). He was also Duke of Sora, Aquino
, Arce
and Arpino
, and Marquess of Vignola
.
A member of the Boncompagni family, he was a patron of arts and culture. Pierluigi da Palestrina dedicated to him the first book of Madrigals. He was also a friend of another composer, Vincenzo Ruffo
. He was also a lover of the theatre
and of chess
.
, the son of Ugo Boncompagni and his mistress from Carpi, Maddalena Fulchini. His father was in that city to participate in the Council of Trent
during the period in which had been moved there. He was legitimated on July 5, 1548 and entrusted to the Jesuits for education.
When his father was elected pope in March 1572, Giacomo moved to Rome
where, two months later, was appointed castellan
of Castel Sant'Angelo
. Later his father named him also Gonfalonier of the Church
(leader of the Papal Army), and he moved first to Ancona
and then Ferrara
, remaining in the latter until 1574. The following year Philip II of Spain
named him Capitano Generale delle genti in armi (commander-in-chief) of the Spanish-controlled Duchy of Milan
.
During the second Desmond rebellion in Ireland, led by James FitzMaurice FitzGerald, against the Protestant regime of Elizabeth II, Giacomo was proposed as King of Ireland if the Catholic faith were restored to dominance there.
In 1576 Gregory XIII named him governor of Fermo
. In the same year Giacomo married Costanza Sforza
of Santa Fiora
, who gave him 14 children. In 1581, together with Latino Orsini
, he received the task to counter the banditism
movement in the Papal States.
in 1577, in the same year the pope paid 70,000 golden scudi
for the small Marquisate of Vignola
to Alfonso II d'Este. Two years later it was the turn of the larger Duchy of Sora
and Arce
, for which the pope and Giacomo paid 100,000 golden scudi to Francesco Maria II of Urbino
.
In 1583, in reward of other 243,000 golden scudi, Giacomo acquired also the large Duchy of Aquino
and Arpino
in the Kingdom of Naples
, bought from the D'Avalos family. When Gregory died, Boncompagni was the most powerful man in central Italy, and, at the command of 2,000 infantry and some light cavalry, took the task to pacify the situation during the sede vacante
period. However, at the election of Sixtus V he was stripped of all his charges in the Papal States.
Philip II forced Boncompagni also to remain in Milan, while his family moved to Isola di Sora
, near Sora
, where his wife administered the Duchy. He was able to leave Milan only in 1612: but he was already ill, and died at Sora in the following August, at the age of 64.
His son Gregorio succeeded him in Sora.
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...
(Ugo Boncompagni). He was also Duke of Sora, Aquino
Aquino
Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.-History:The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri...
, Arce
Arce
Arce is a comune in the province of Frosinone, in the region of Lazio, Italy. it is an agricultural center located on a hill overlooking the Via Casilina, in the middle valley of the Liri.-History:...
and Arpino
Arpino
Arpino is a comune in the province of Frosinone in the region of Latium in central Italy. Its Roman name was Arpinum.-History:...
, and Marquess of Vignola
Vignola
Vignola is a city and comune in the province of Modena , Italy.Its economy is based on the cultivation of fruit, but mechanical industries and services companies are present....
.
A member of the Boncompagni family, he was a patron of arts and culture. Pierluigi da Palestrina dedicated to him the first book of Madrigals. He was also a friend of another composer, Vincenzo Ruffo
Vincenzo Ruffo
Vincenzo Ruffo was an Italian composer of the Renaissance. He was one of the composers most responsive to the musical reforms suggested by the Council of Trent, especially in his composition of masses, and as such was an influential member of the Counter-Reformation.Vincenzo Ruffo was born at...
. He was also a lover of the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and of chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
.
Early years
Giacomo Boncompagni was born in BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, the son of Ugo Boncompagni and his mistress from Carpi, Maddalena Fulchini. His father was in that city to participate in the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
during the period in which had been moved there. He was legitimated on July 5, 1548 and entrusted to the Jesuits for education.
When his father was elected pope in March 1572, Giacomo moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where, two months later, was appointed castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
of Castel Sant'Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...
. Later his father named him also Gonfalonier of the Church
Gonfalonier of the Church
The Gonfalonier of the Church or Papal Gonfalonier was a military and political office of the Papal States. Originating from the use of the Papal banner during combat, the office later became largely ceremonial and political...
(leader of the Papal Army), and he moved first to Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
and then Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, remaining in the latter until 1574. The following year Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
named him Capitano Generale delle genti in armi (commander-in-chief) of the Spanish-controlled Duchy of Milan
Duchy of Milan
The Duchy of Milan , was created on the 1st of may 1395, when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Lord of Milan, purchased a diploma for 100,000 Florins from King Wenceslaus. It was this diploma that installed, Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan and Count of Pavia...
.
During the second Desmond rebellion in Ireland, led by James FitzMaurice FitzGerald, against the Protestant regime of Elizabeth II, Giacomo was proposed as King of Ireland if the Catholic faith were restored to dominance there.
In 1576 Gregory XIII named him governor of Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
. In the same year Giacomo married Costanza Sforza
Costanza Sforza, duchess of Sora
Costanza Sforza of Santa Fiora was an Italian noblewoman. The direct granddaughter of Costanza Farnese , she was duchess of Sora and married Giacomo Boncompagni, marquess of Vignola and duke of Sora....
of Santa Fiora
County of Santa Fiora
The County of Santa Fiora was a small historical state of southern Tuscany, in central Italy. Together with the county of Sovana, it was one of the two subdivisions into which the possessions of the Aldobrandeschi, then lords of much of southern Tuscany, were split in 1274.At the moments of its...
, who gave him 14 children. In 1581, together with Latino Orsini
Latino Orsini
Latino Orsini was an Italian Cardinal.He was of Roman branch of the Orsini family and the owner of rich possessions, He entered the ranks of the Roman clergy as a youth, became subdeacon, and as early as 10 March 1438, was raised to the Episcopal See of Conza in Southern Italy...
, he received the task to counter the banditism
Brigandage
Brigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand is a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery....
movement in the Papal States.
Duke of Sora
Despite all the political and military charges he had been able to assign to his son, Gregory aimed to carve out for him a true state. After a failed attempt of acquisition of the Marquisate of SaluzzoMarquisate of Saluzzo
The Marquisate of Saluzzo was an historical Italian state that included French and Piedmont territories on the Alps.-Marquisate territories:The Marquisate of Saluzzo occupied parts of the provinces of Cuneo and Turin, and at times areas now under French control. However, Saluzzo was historically...
in 1577, in the same year the pope paid 70,000 golden scudi
Italian scudo
The scudo was the name for a number of coins used in Italy until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin scutum . From the 16th century, the name was used in Italy for large silver coins...
for the small Marquisate of Vignola
Vignola
Vignola is a city and comune in the province of Modena , Italy.Its economy is based on the cultivation of fruit, but mechanical industries and services companies are present....
to Alfonso II d'Este. Two years later it was the turn of the larger Duchy of Sora
Duchy of Sora
The Duchy of Sora was a semi-independent state in Italy, created in 1443 by King Alfonso I of Naples and dissolved in 1796. It occupied the south-eastern part of what is today Lazio, bordering what is now Abruzzo...
and Arce
Arce
Arce is a comune in the province of Frosinone, in the region of Lazio, Italy. it is an agricultural center located on a hill overlooking the Via Casilina, in the middle valley of the Liri.-History:...
, for which the pope and Giacomo paid 100,000 golden scudi to Francesco Maria II of Urbino
Francesco Maria II della Rovere
Francesco Maria II della Rovere was the last Duke of Urbino.- Biography :Born at Pesaro, Francesco Maria was the son of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, Count of Montefeltro and Vittoria Farnese, Princess of Parma...
.
In 1583, in reward of other 243,000 golden scudi, Giacomo acquired also the large Duchy of Aquino
Aquino
Aquino is a town and comune in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of Italy, 12 km northwest of Cassino.-History:The ancient Aquinum was a municipium in the time of Cicero, and made a colony by the Triumviri...
and Arpino
Arpino
Arpino is a comune in the province of Frosinone in the region of Latium in central Italy. Its Roman name was Arpinum.-History:...
in the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
, bought from the D'Avalos family. When Gregory died, Boncompagni was the most powerful man in central Italy, and, at the command of 2,000 infantry and some light cavalry, took the task to pacify the situation during the sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
period. However, at the election of Sixtus V he was stripped of all his charges in the Papal States.
Philip II forced Boncompagni also to remain in Milan, while his family moved to Isola di Sora
Isola del Liri
Isola del Liri is an Italian town in Lazio, Frosinone. As its name implies, Isola is situated between two arms of the Liri. The many waterfalls of this river and of the Fibreno are used by factories.-History:...
, near Sora
Sora, Italy
Sora is a city and comune of Lazio, Italy, in the province of Frosinone. It is built in a plain on the banks of the Liri. This part of the valley is the seat of some important manufactures, especially of paper-mills....
, where his wife administered the Duchy. He was able to leave Milan only in 1612: but he was already ill, and died at Sora in the following August, at the age of 64.
His son Gregorio succeeded him in Sora.
See also
- Duchy of SoraDuchy of SoraThe Duchy of Sora was a semi-independent state in Italy, created in 1443 by King Alfonso I of Naples and dissolved in 1796. It occupied the south-eastern part of what is today Lazio, bordering what is now Abruzzo...