Miglionico
Encyclopedia
Miglionico is a town and comune
in the province of Matera
, in Basilicata
, southern Italy.
Miglionico was also used by kings and queens to show royalty, the last name is considered good luck by many in Italy.
(whence the name), Miglionico was most likely founded by the Oenotrians
, a local Italic tribe. After the Greek colonization, it was held by the Lucani
, followed by the Samnites until 458 BC
, when it was conquered by the Romans
.
In the Middle Ages the story of Miglionico was strongly connected to that of its large castle, which was held by the Hauteville
Normans and then by the Sanseverino
. After the latter where slaughtered by order of Frederick II
(1245), Miglionico was assigned to his son Manfred
. After the latter's fall, however, the Sanseverino were re-instated, holding the town until the abolition of feudalism.
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 Matera
Province of Matera
The Province of Matera is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Matera.It has an area of 3,447 km², and a total population of 203,837 . There are 31 comunes in the province . The main comunes by population are:- External links :* **...
, in Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
, southern Italy.
Miglionico was also used by kings and queens to show royalty, the last name is considered good luck by many in Italy.
Main sights
- The massive Castello del Malconsiglio ("Castle of the Bad Council"), built in the 8th-9th century and enlarged in 1110 and in the 15th century.
- The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. It is home to a polyptych by Cima da ConeglianoCima da ConeglianoGiovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano was an Italian Renaissance painter.-Biography:Giovanni Battista Cima was born at Conegliano, now part of the province of Treviso, in 1459 or 1460...
(1499), and two canvasses by TintorettoTintorettoTintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
(1580 and Guercino.
History
Despite the legend assigning its foundation to the famous Greek wrestler Milo of CrotonMilo of Croton
Milo of Croton was a 6th century BC wrestler from the Magna Graecian city of Croton in southern Italy who enjoyed a brilliant wrestling career and won many victories in the most important athletic festivals of ancient Greece...
(whence the name), Miglionico was most likely founded by the Oenotrians
Oenotrians
The Oenotrians were an ancient Italic people of unknown origin who inhabited a territory from Paestum to southern Calabria in southern Italy...
, a local Italic tribe. After the Greek colonization, it was held by the Lucani
Lucani (ancient people)
The Lucani were an ancient people of Italy, living in Lucania, who spoke an Oscan language, a member of the Italic languages.-Society:...
, followed by the Samnites until 458 BC
458 BC
Year 458 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rutilus and Carvetus...
, when it was conquered by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
.
In the Middle Ages the story of Miglionico was strongly connected to that of its large castle, which was held by the Hauteville
Hauteville
-Places in France:* Hauteville, a former commune in the Ain département, part of Hauteville-Lompnes*Hauteville, Aisne, in the Aisne département*Hauteville, Ardennes, in the Ardennes département*Hauteville, Marne, in the Marne département...
Normans and then by the Sanseverino
Sanseverino
Sanseverino is a surname, and may refer to:* Roscemanno Sanseverino, 12th century cardinal* Ferdinando Sanseverino , prince of Salerno and Italian condottiero* Gaetano Sanseverino , Italian theologian...
. After the latter where slaughtered by order of Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
(1245), Miglionico was assigned to his son Manfred
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
. After the latter's fall, however, the Sanseverino were re-instated, holding the town until the abolition of feudalism.