Amidei
Encyclopedia
Amidei was the name of a noble and ancient family from Florence
, Italy
. The Amidei, according to a tradition came from Rome
, but lived in Florence
since the foundation of the city.
, survived World War II and can still be seen.
The Amidei are particularly famous for their role in the factional conflicts between the Guelfs and Ghibellines. In 1215 a fight broke out during a banquet celebrating the ennoblement of a young Florentine. One young noble, Buondelmonte de' Buondelmonti, stabbed a rival in the arm. To make up for the injury and dishonour, it was decided that Buondelmonte should marry a girl from the Amidei. On the day that Buondelmonte was to pledge troth to the Amidei girl, the Amidei and their parenti e amici had gathered in the piazza, waiting for Buondelmonte to arrive so they could begin the ceremony. Buondelmonte rode straight past the assembly and went to pledge troth to a girl from the Donati, a leading families of the Guelf faction. The Amidei were infuriated and gathered their allies to discuss what sort of vendetta they should make. They debated whether they should scar Buondelmonte's face, beat him up, or kill him. Mosca di Lamberti took the floor and argued that they should kill him at the place where he had dishonoured them. (His famous words, 'cosa fatta capo ha', were recorded in Dante's Inferno and an earlier chronicle known as Pseudo-Latini.) On Easter morning, Buondelmonte crossed the Ponte Vecchio on his way to marry the Donati girl, was pulled from his horse by the Amidei and their allies, and murdered. The murder of Buondelmonte became the legendary origin of the Guelf and Ghibelline conflict in Florence, but early fourteenth century chroncilers, including Dino Compagni and Giovanni Villani, manipulated the story to lay blame for the conflict on one group or another.
On 20 April 1749, Maddalena Amidei got married to Carlo Barbiellini
and they agreed to keep her name, since she was one of the last descendants of the Amidei.
was part. There was in fact Marcus Juulius Cotius who had an important role in the Cozius Alpes
. The Amidei were related to the Piccolomini
for a certain Giulius Piccolominis Amideis, and as soon as they knew that their relatives descended from the Gens Julia, they decided to call one of them Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became pope Pius II
, and his nephew became pope Pius III
.
. He moved from Florence
to Mount Senarius (18 km away from the city), with his other six friends, in order to be left alone and to concentrate himself on his devotion to God. He died 12 February 1266, and according to the legend, the other Father Founders saw a flame rising to the sky as a symbol of his love for God. In 1888 he, along with the other six saints, was sanctified by Pope Leo XIII
.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, 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 Amidei, according to a tradition came from 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...
, but lived in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
since the foundation of the city.
History
The Amidei lived in Florence and in the area around the city. They owned a castle in Mugnana and other properties in that zone. At that time they probably produced oil and wine, although their main financial income was from loans. They loaned money and some times the loan kept on from father to son. In fact there was one or more wills in which the father stated he was leaving some credits that had to be withdrawn. Bongianni of the Amidei was a councillor in Florence in 1182. In the early thirteenth century, the Amidei were closely allied with the Ghibelline faction, led by the Uberti and Lamberti families. Their strongold was on via Por San Maria, which connected the Ponte Vecchio to the Mercato Nuovo and Mercato Vecchio. The remains of their tower, Torre degli AmideiTorre degli Amidei
The Torre degli Amidei is a tower in Florence, Italy. Dating from the upper Middle Ages, it is located near the Piazza della Signoria. Once located near the city's ancient walls, it belonged to the Amidei family, and, according to the tradition, was the alleged location of the killing of...
, survived World War II and can still be seen.
The Amidei are particularly famous for their role in the factional conflicts between the Guelfs and Ghibellines. In 1215 a fight broke out during a banquet celebrating the ennoblement of a young Florentine. One young noble, Buondelmonte de' Buondelmonti, stabbed a rival in the arm. To make up for the injury and dishonour, it was decided that Buondelmonte should marry a girl from the Amidei. On the day that Buondelmonte was to pledge troth to the Amidei girl, the Amidei and their parenti e amici had gathered in the piazza, waiting for Buondelmonte to arrive so they could begin the ceremony. Buondelmonte rode straight past the assembly and went to pledge troth to a girl from the Donati, a leading families of the Guelf faction. The Amidei were infuriated and gathered their allies to discuss what sort of vendetta they should make. They debated whether they should scar Buondelmonte's face, beat him up, or kill him. Mosca di Lamberti took the floor and argued that they should kill him at the place where he had dishonoured them. (His famous words, 'cosa fatta capo ha', were recorded in Dante's Inferno and an earlier chronicle known as Pseudo-Latini.) On Easter morning, Buondelmonte crossed the Ponte Vecchio on his way to marry the Donati girl, was pulled from his horse by the Amidei and their allies, and murdered. The murder of Buondelmonte became the legendary origin of the Guelf and Ghibelline conflict in Florence, but early fourteenth century chroncilers, including Dino Compagni and Giovanni Villani, manipulated the story to lay blame for the conflict on one group or another.
On 20 April 1749, Maddalena Amidei got married to Carlo Barbiellini
Barbiellini
Barbiellini is a noble family of counts, title wanted from an assembly in Rome during the Pontificial State. The Barbiellini originally come from the family of conti di Sant'Eustachio, an ancient family which lasted from the 700 to 1477 and was a descendant of the king of Antiochia. The first...
and they agreed to keep her name, since she was one of the last descendants of the Amidei.
Legend
The family descended from the family of Cotius or Cozzi, who, always according to a legend, descended from the Gens Julia, family of which Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
was part. There was in fact Marcus Juulius Cotius who had an important role in the Cozius Alpes
Alpes
Alpes may refer to:*Alpes-de-Haute-Provence , a French department in the south of France*Hautes-Alpes, a department in southeastern France*Alpes-Maritimes, a department in the extreme southeast corner of France...
. The Amidei were related to the Piccolomini
Piccolomini
Piccolomini is the name of an Italian noble family, which was prominent in Siena from the beginning of the 13th century onwards. In 1220, Engelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini received the fief of Montertari in Val d'Orcia from the emperor Frederick II as a reward for services rendered...
for a certain Giulius Piccolominis Amideis, and as soon as they knew that their relatives descended from the Gens Julia, they decided to call one of them Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became pope Pius II
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
, and his nephew became pope Pius III
Pope Pius III
Pope Pius III , born Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, was Pope from September 22 to October 18, 1503.-Career:...
.
Saint Amadeus
One of the Amidei was called Bartholomeus Amadeus of the Amidei and was one of the seven saint founders of a religious congregation, very spread world wide, especially in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He moved from Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
to Mount Senarius (18 km away from the city), with his other six friends, in order to be left alone and to concentrate himself on his devotion to God. He died 12 February 1266, and according to the legend, the other Father Founders saw a flame rising to the sky as a symbol of his love for God. In 1888 he, along with the other six saints, was sanctified by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
.
Coat of arms
Their coat of arms consists in a gold shield with three red stripes on it. The stripes started with the red one and then alternated with the gold shield. After some years there was a slight modification; the shield started with the gold stripe and then always alternated with the red stripes.Sources
- Giovanni Villani, Nuova Cronica, ed. G. Porta. 6.38.
- Dante, Inferno, XXVIII.
- Pseudo-Latini, "Cronica", ed. O. von Hartwig in Altesten (Halle, 1880).
- Dino Compagni, Cronica, ed. I. del Lungo (Citta di Castello, 1913).