Francesco Pio de Savoya
Encyclopedia
Francesco Pio de Savoya y de Moura (1672-1723) was a Spanish nobleman who held numerous hereditary and awarded titles.
, 2nd Principe di San Gregorio and Marchese di Casape. From his mother, he inherited the title of 6th Marques of Castelrodrigo.
He had a distinguished military career, being made a Field Marshal
of the Imperial Spanish Army in 1705, inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece
in 1708 and made a Grandee of Spain in 1720. He went on to hold various governmental positions including Governor-General of the Kingdom of Sicily
, Governor of Madrid
and Captain-General of Catalonia
.
He married some time before 1712 to Juana Spínola Colonna y de la Cerda (1683 - 1738), herself a scion of Spanish nobility, and they had 3 daughters: Margherita Eleonora, Lucrezia and Isabel Maria, who themselves all went on to marry high-ranking Spanish-Italian nobles. A son, Gisberto Pio de Savoya y Spinola, died without issue in 1776 and the hereditary titles were passed on through Isabel Maria's line.
Francesco drowned in Madrid
, together with one daughter and his father-in-law on 15 September 1723.
Life
Francesco was born in 1672 to Gilberto Pio de Savoya, who died when he was just four years old. The young Francesco therefore became the 4th Duke of NoceraNocera Inferiore
Nocera Inferiore, formerly Nocera dei Pagani, is a town and comune in Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, at the foot of Monte Albino, 20 km east-south-east of Naples by rail.-History:...
, 2nd Principe di San Gregorio and Marchese di Casape. From his mother, he inherited the title of 6th Marques of Castelrodrigo.
He had a distinguished military career, being made a Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
of the Imperial Spanish Army in 1705, inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
in 1708 and made a Grandee of Spain in 1720. He went on to hold various governmental positions including Governor-General of the Kingdom of Sicily
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the County of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during the Norman conquest of southern Italy...
, Governor of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Captain-General of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
He married some time before 1712 to Juana Spínola Colonna y de la Cerda (1683 - 1738), herself a scion of Spanish nobility, and they had 3 daughters: Margherita Eleonora, Lucrezia and Isabel Maria, who themselves all went on to marry high-ranking Spanish-Italian nobles. A son, Gisberto Pio de Savoya y Spinola, died without issue in 1776 and the hereditary titles were passed on through Isabel Maria's line.
Francesco drowned in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, together with one daughter and his father-in-law on 15 September 1723.