Sicilian nobility
Encyclopedia
The Sicilian
nobility was a privileged hereditary class in the Kingdom of Sicily
, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
and the Kingdom of Italy
, whose origins may be traced to the 11th century CE.
s, Byzantine
s and Saracen
s exported different elements of their aristocratic
structures to the island of Sicily
, however, it was not until the Norman
invasion of 1061, led by Roger I de Hauteville
, that the Sicilian aristocracy and feudal system took root.
By the mid-twelfth century the majority of the island was divided into an agglomeration of agrarian communities (fiefs), controlled by Roger I, known as the Great Count, and his knights.
Count Roger was the youngest of five sons born to the petty Norman lord, Tancred de Hauteville
. During the mid-eleventh century, southern Italian powers from the mainland sought military assistance from Norman mercenaries in an attempt to wrest control of Sicily away from its Saracen
rulers. In 1068, Roger and his army of knights and foot soldiers were victorious at Misilmeri
(Menzil el Emir), and by 1072 Sicily was under Norman control.
The knights were given estates for their loyalty and military service to Roger and his army. Il Catalogus Baronum ("Catalogue of Barons"), was an early twelfth-century document listing the Norman vassal
s of the region and their respective feudal rights, possessions and duties. Although some historians claim it was a Norman creation others contend that it was modelled on the dîwân al-majlis, a document introduced by the Fatimidi prior to the Norman invasion.
Instead of renaming the regions which they controlled, the Norman aristocracy opted to change their own surnames, recorded in il Catalogus Baronum, often adopting that of the territories over which they obtained authority and taxation powers. Historians contend that this is the reason why so little of the original document has names of Norman origin. Some argue that this was because the Norman invaders in Sicily were often cadet
s of petty Norman lords rather than Norman magnate
s; allegedly they simply did not want their Norman names on the document, opting to reinvent themselves in their new homeland. Even the Hauteville
dynasty
itself was descended from petty Norman lords. Knights who became the first barons arrived in the region unattached, often marrying into the local population. Historians contend that the simplicity of recording ownership of land, utilising pre-existing place names, and changing their own names to correspond with the barony, far outweighed a desire to hold onto their family names.
Roger I’s son, Roger II
, became Sicily’s first king. By the mid-fourteenth century, the titles of baron and count were common, whereas formerly the vassals were either signori (lords) or cavalieri (knights). Although Sicilian feudalism did not entail serfdom
, it did permit knights and barons to tax and control the lands they held in fee from the king.
Under Norman rule, the title signore signified the highest rank of landed nobility. Although frequent reference to the baronage can be found in Sicily as early as the fourteenth century, it was not until the nineteenth century that these signori were formally designated baron
i and their property holdings baronies. Some families favoured the Longobard
system of land transfer, inheritance divided amongst all male heirs; however, most Norman families were practitioners of male primogeniture, the Frankish custom of inheritance, which served to maintain family fiefdoms in their original form. Conversely, under the Longobard system estates became smaller over time.
Over the centuries, established noble families were advanced through the aristocratic ranks. By the eighteenth century, the titles principe
, duca
and marchese
were held by many men whose ancestors, only several centuries earlier, had been barons and lords. Conte
, signore and cavaliere
are titles that have been used by the Sicilian nobility. Over the centuries many families emerged as landed aristocracy or nobility similar to the English gentry
and peerage
.
Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
and his second cousin, Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
, are rival claimants to the non-regnant dignity of Head of the deposed
Royal House of the Two Sicilies
. Their branch of the House of Bourbon
acquired the crowns of Naples and Sicily in the 18th century. Their dynasty was the fount of honour
which regulated the titulature of the Sicilian nobility until their deposition in 1860, whereupon the House of Savoy
as the new kings of Italy
recognized the titles, but not the traditional precedence
, of the Sicilian nobility as part of the Italian nobility.
One of the most celebrated members of twentieth century Sicilian aristocracy is Giuseppe Tomasi, the 11th Prince di Lampedusa (1896–1957), most remembered for Il Gattopardo
, for which he won the Strega Prize
. Published posthumously, it recounts the genteel decline of Sicilian aristocratic grandeur of the 19th century, remains the highest selling novel in Italian history, and is widely regarded as one of the most important works of contemporary Italian literature. Tomasi’s other works include I Racconti (Stories, first published in 1961), Le Lezioni su Stendhal (Lessons on Stendhal, 1959) and "Letters from London and Europe", published in 2010.
Without the feudal responsibilities of their ancestors many members of Sicilian aristocracy emigrate
d from their native land, sometimes to the Italian peninsula, to other locales of the European continent and Britain, or to North and South America.[7] As an example, Gioacchino Cristoforo Ventimiglia of the noble Ventimiglia family relocated from Sicily to Vallon, Switzerland.[8] His heir, thirty-two year old Jack Cristoforo Ventimiglia Vallon II, lives in London. Several members of the Ventimiglia family adopted the surname Vallon, in recognition of their new homeland.[9]
Another example is forty-one-year-old Baron Marco di Serramarrocco who, having left for a professional career in England, returned to start his own winery on his family's estate.[10] Others have adapted to modern day economic conditions by renting out their homes/sections of their homes, developing vineyards on their property, setting up agrotourism sometimes themed to replicate the lifestyle of a bygone era etc. Others have sold their estates, parts of their residences, even their coats of arms
in recent years.
With so many descendants of the landed Sicilian aristocracy leaving their native Sicily for foreign shores, and more descendants being born outside of aristocratic circles than within, maintaining social ties has been difficult, and has certainly lost importance in recent decades. Like gentlemen's club
s of the British Raj
which faded into obscurity as colonialism
receded, clubs with membership reserved for descendants of noble Sicilian families have largely disappeared as centers of aristocratic socializing and tradition, only a few, such as Il Circhio Bellini in Palermo, remaining. Influence is maintained in social and charitable endeavors by aristocratic organisations like the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
which still has representation in Sicily.
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
nobility was a privileged hereditary class in 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...
, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
and the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, whose origins may be traced to the 11th century CE.
History
The RomanRoman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status afforded to certain free-born individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance....
s, Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
s and Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s exported different elements of their aristocratic
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
structures to the island of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, however, it was not until the Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
invasion of 1061, led by Roger I de Hauteville
Roger I of Sicily
Roger I , called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the Norman conquest of southern Italy.-Conquest of Calabria and Sicily:...
, that the Sicilian aristocracy and feudal system took root.
By the mid-twelfth century the majority of the island was divided into an agglomeration of agrarian communities (fiefs), controlled by Roger I, known as the Great Count, and his knights.
Count Roger was the youngest of five sons born to the petty Norman lord, Tancred de Hauteville
Tancred of Hauteville
Tancred of Hauteville was an 11th-century Norman petty lord about whom little is known. His historical importance comes entirely from the accomplishments of his sons and later descendants...
. During the mid-eleventh century, southern Italian powers from the mainland sought military assistance from Norman mercenaries in an attempt to wrest control of Sicily away from its Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
rulers. In 1068, Roger and his army of knights and foot soldiers were victorious at Misilmeri
Misilmeri
Misilmeri is a town and comune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It is located approximately from Palermo and its name means "the resting place or the messuage of the Emir", and dates from when the Saracens ruled Sicily and named it Manzil-Al-Emir.The population is approximately 24,000...
(Menzil el Emir), and by 1072 Sicily was under Norman control.
The knights were given estates for their loyalty and military service to Roger and his army. Il Catalogus Baronum ("Catalogue of Barons"), was an early twelfth-century document listing the Norman vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s of the region and their respective feudal rights, possessions and duties. Although some historians claim it was a Norman creation others contend that it was modelled on the dîwân al-majlis, a document introduced by the Fatimidi prior to the Norman invasion.
Instead of renaming the regions which they controlled, the Norman aristocracy opted to change their own surnames, recorded in il Catalogus Baronum, often adopting that of the territories over which they obtained authority and taxation powers. Historians contend that this is the reason why so little of the original document has names of Norman origin. Some argue that this was because the Norman invaders in Sicily were often cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
s of petty Norman lords rather than Norman magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s; allegedly they simply did not want their Norman names on the document, opting to reinvent themselves in their new homeland. Even the Hauteville
Hauteville family
The family of the Hauteville was a petty baronial Norman family from the Cotentin which rose to prominence in Europe, Asia, and Africa through its conquests in the Mediterranean, especially Southern Italy and Sicily...
dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
itself was descended from petty Norman lords. Knights who became the first barons arrived in the region unattached, often marrying into the local population. Historians contend that the simplicity of recording ownership of land, utilising pre-existing place names, and changing their own names to correspond with the barony, far outweighed a desire to hold onto their family names.
Roger I’s son, Roger II
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...
, became Sicily’s first king. By the mid-fourteenth century, the titles of baron and count were common, whereas formerly the vassals were either signori (lords) or cavalieri (knights). Although Sicilian feudalism did not entail serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
, it did permit knights and barons to tax and control the lands they held in fee from the king.
Under Norman rule, the title signore signified the highest rank of landed nobility. Although frequent reference to the baronage can be found in Sicily as early as the fourteenth century, it was not until the nineteenth century that these signori were formally designated baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
i and their property holdings baronies. Some families favoured the Longobard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
system of land transfer, inheritance divided amongst all male heirs; however, most Norman families were practitioners of male primogeniture, the Frankish custom of inheritance, which served to maintain family fiefdoms in their original form. Conversely, under the Longobard system estates became smaller over time.
Over the centuries, established noble families were advanced through the aristocratic ranks. By the eighteenth century, the titles principe
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
, duca
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
and marchese
Marquis
Marquis is a French and Scottish title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:...
were held by many men whose ancestors, only several centuries earlier, had been barons and lords. Conte
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
, signore and cavaliere
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
are titles that have been used by the Sicilian nobility. Over the centuries many families emerged as landed aristocracy or nobility similar to the English gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
and peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
Modern history
Although at its inception nobility was a military honour, with conquering kings at the top of the feudal landscape and their trusted knights below, rewarded with land, wealth, and title for loyalty and bravery, by the sixteenth century nobility was no longer exclusive to the conquerors. Clergy, lawyers, bureaucrats, merchants, bankers and wealthy landowners entered the gates of the nobility. Title, like most valuables, became a purchasable commodity.Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria
Infante Carlos of Spain, Prince of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, KOGF, KGCHS is the son of Don Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria and Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma .-Biography:Infante Carlos is one of two claimants of the dignity of...
and his second cousin, Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro
Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro is one of two claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.-Early life and education:...
, are rival claimants to the non-regnant dignity of Head of the deposed
Abolished monarchy
Throughout history, monarchies have been abolished, either through revolutions, legislative reforms, coups d'état, or wars. The twentieth century saw a major acceleration of this process, with many monarchies violently overthrown by revolution or war, or else abolished as part of the process of...
Royal House of the Two Sicilies
Line of succession to the throne of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was unified with the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. The headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies has been disputed since the death of claimant Prince Ferdinand Pius, Duke of Calabria on 7 January 1960 between Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria and his descendants and...
. Their branch of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
acquired the crowns of Naples and Sicily in the 18th century. Their dynasty was the fount of honour
Fount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
which regulated the titulature of the Sicilian nobility until their deposition in 1860, whereupon the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
as the new kings of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
recognized the titles, but not the traditional precedence
Precedence
Precedence may refer to:* Message precedence of military communications traffic* Order of precedence, the ceremonial hierarchy within a nation or state* Order of operations, in mathematics and computer programming...
, of the Sicilian nobility as part of the Italian nobility.
One of the most celebrated members of twentieth century Sicilian aristocracy is Giuseppe Tomasi, the 11th Prince di Lampedusa (1896–1957), most remembered for Il Gattopardo
The Leopard
The Leopard is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society during the Risorgimento...
, for which he won the Strega Prize
Strega Prize
The Strega Prize is the most prestigious Italian literary award. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction by an Italian author and first published between 1 May of the previous year and 30 April...
. Published posthumously, it recounts the genteel decline of Sicilian aristocratic grandeur of the 19th century, remains the highest selling novel in Italian history, and is widely regarded as one of the most important works of contemporary Italian literature. Tomasi’s other works include I Racconti (Stories, first published in 1961), Le Lezioni su Stendhal (Lessons on Stendhal, 1959) and "Letters from London and Europe", published in 2010.
Without the feudal responsibilities of their ancestors many members of Sicilian aristocracy emigrate
Emigrate
Emigrate is a heavy metal band based in New York, led by Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead guitarist of the German band Rammstein.-History:Kruspe started the band in 2005, when Rammstein decided to take a year off from touring and recording...
d from their native land, sometimes to the Italian peninsula, to other locales of the European continent and Britain, or to North and South America.[7] As an example, Gioacchino Cristoforo Ventimiglia of the noble Ventimiglia family relocated from Sicily to Vallon, Switzerland.[8] His heir, thirty-two year old Jack Cristoforo Ventimiglia Vallon II, lives in London. Several members of the Ventimiglia family adopted the surname Vallon, in recognition of their new homeland.[9]
Another example is forty-one-year-old Baron Marco di Serramarrocco who, having left for a professional career in England, returned to start his own winery on his family's estate.[10] Others have adapted to modern day economic conditions by renting out their homes/sections of their homes, developing vineyards on their property, setting up agrotourism sometimes themed to replicate the lifestyle of a bygone era etc. Others have sold their estates, parts of their residences, even their coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
in recent years.
With so many descendants of the landed Sicilian aristocracy leaving their native Sicily for foreign shores, and more descendants being born outside of aristocratic circles than within, maintaining social ties has been difficult, and has certainly lost importance in recent decades. Like gentlemen's club
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
s of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
which faded into obscurity as colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
receded, clubs with membership reserved for descendants of noble Sicilian families have largely disappeared as centers of aristocratic socializing and tradition, only a few, such as Il Circhio Bellini in Palermo, remaining. Influence is maintained in social and charitable endeavors by aristocratic organisations like the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
which still has representation in Sicily.