Barony of Budaq
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The Barony of Budaq is a title of Maltese nobility. The title can be nominated.
- Titled: Nicholas de Piro, 9th Baron.
- Heir: His sons; it is assumed that Clement is the Baroninco and the elder son, Cosimo, is the Marchesino de Piro.
See also A Maltese Palace.
[edit] History
The Barony of Budaq was created on February 6, 1736 by Grandmaster Ramon Despuig.
The fief of Budaq (originally Budacco) had been granted or sold numerous times during its interesting history:
- 1397 Barba family
- 1398 Gatto family and Aulesa family
- 1408 Inguanez family
- 1644 Cilia family
- 1646 Passalaqua family and Fiteni family
The families of Barba, Gatto, Alesa and Inguanez intermarried, passed the fiefdom as a marriage legacy.
Francesco Cilia had purchased the fief of Budaq from Baron Antonio Inguanez on May 16, 1590 for the sum of 2280 onze, and was registered in the acts of Notary Enrico Zarb. For some reason, neither father nor son ever paid homage to the Grand Master as an acknowledgement of fealty and were consequently never styled Baron.
When Cilia was in danger of having his fief confiscated by the Order for failure to pay homage, he successfully petitioned the Grand Master to formally recognise him as the Baron de Budaq. The Grand Master, Lascaris, acceded to Cilia's request in and concluded a transaction with his protomedico, but only over a part of the fief. He was probably also awarded the "Croce d'Oro" on his appointment. On February 18, 1644, the Council of the Order gave the Grand Master permission for the said transaction. Eight days later, Cilia was created Baron di Budaq. There is no evidence that Cilia had been ennobled because of his service to the Order, but his appointment as Protomedico probably had considerable influence in his investiture as Baron, since Lascaris could have claimed this fief by virtue of Cilia's omission to pay homage.
Cilia died two years later in 1646, leaving no successor, whereupon the fief devolved to the Order, to be regranted a few months later. At this time, the fief went to Cesare Passalacqua, his daughter and her husband Silvestro Fiteni. Silvestro Fiteni was Capitano della Verga (1644 - 1652), and was created a Knight of the Order of St John in 1656. Fiteni left no legitimate heir and so the title became extinct with his death.
The Barony was regranted to Gio Pio de Piro and his wife, Anna Gourgion, by the Grand Master, Perollos, on April 23, 1716, with the required tribute of two muskets on St. Barbara. The Barony de Budaq was given to the de Piros and his legitimate heirs, males and females, procreatis vel procreandis.
The Baron de Piro could not attend his first Investiture since he was in Sicily. His father paid homage instead. Only three years after de Piro was ennobled, he neglected to present his two muskets, to the grave concern of his father. Not only were Gio Pio's successors never invested, their rights to the Barony was never queried. It may be argued that when a nobleman did not pay homage and present tribute, he was in breach of the original oath, which was similar to that taken in 1644 by the feudatory of Budach, who declared:
"I, Niccolo Cilia, swear and promise fidelity, reverence and observance to your Highness and to Your Holy Religion, recognising you as the true and rightful Lords of the fief of Budach which you and your Holy Convent have honoured me with and to present, every year at Easter of the Resurrection, a bunch of roses as rightful recognition in the said fief."
The de Piro family has held this fief to this day.
[edit] Note of interest
The remainder of the Barony to the de Piro family stated "His descendants in perpetuity, each holder of the title having the right to nominate a successor, in default of nomination to the first born male descendant and in absence of male issue, to the first born female descendant. Members of the clergy are precluded from succession by primogeniture."
Wealth therefore becomes an influencing factor in the choice of a prospective "Secreto". The fourteen thousand scudi which Baron Gio Pio de Piro paid out during 1720 - 1721 in his official capacity as Zondadari's administration was less than the private income for the same period of the de Piro-Gourgion family.
The only two sons of Marquis Vincenzo de Piro to marry disregarded the wish of their parents and married partners of their own choosing. The eldest, Antonio, married Teresa de Re, a person of his own "nationality but not of equal rank," from whom it was rumoured, he had an illegitimate child. This enraged his father who not only disinherited him, but also his innocent descendants. Five years later, in 1795, Antonio left with his family to live in Rome. The second son, Giuseppe, was nominated, within the space of three years, as the future heir to the lucrative Gourgion and the de Piro entails. Rather surprisingly, he was not disinherited in spite of the fact that he married Generosa Borg, who was below his rank.
The title passed from father to son, until the 4th holder, where it was succeeded by his sister, who died in 1877 and nominated her cousin Msgr. Don Salvatore Grech-Delicata to succeed her. But the Court of Appeal overruled this decision in favour of Giuseppe de Piro-Gourgion, the holder of the Primogeniture. The senior branch of the de Piros, though, were excluded from succession, due to Vincenzo de Piro being born outside of wedlock to the third Baron and his wife, Teresa della Re.
In a lengthy judgment on December 5, 1807, the Courts of Malta upheld the primogenital and fede-commessary right, due to Vincenzo and his descendants being members of the de Piro family.
Today, the junior branch still carries the titles of Baron di Budaq and Marquis de Piro (Maltese recognised title), with Nicholas de Piro D’Amico-Inguanez, as the 8th Marquis de Piro, and 9th Baron di Budaq.
[edit] Giovanni Pio, 1st Baron of Budaq
Giovanni Pio (Gio’Pio) J.U.D. (1670 - 1752) was the 1st Baron of Budach and 1st Marquis de Piro . He studied for his doctorate in Rome and was appointed ambassador, representing the Grand Master and the Università as procurator of wheat. He was created Baron of Budach by Grand Master Perellos in 1716 with a tribute of two muskets annually to be paid on the feast of St Barbara. He became a Segreto of the Inquisition in 1720, and in 1728, became Curator of the Holy Office. He was placed in a position of further trust by being appointed Secreto of Malta, Gozo and Comino. His honours increased. He was not only appointed Luogotenente of the regimental company to which the Grand Master’s famigliari belonged, but was also appointed Regio Secreto of Syracuse by the King of Spain.
By 1742, Gio’Pio was Senior Jurat of Valletta and later Lieutenant Governor of Malta. As a stepping stone to his final accolade, he was temporally created Viscount Cartely but this title was suppressed in order to raise him further. On November 6, 1742, Philip V of Spain raised him to the rank of Marquis de Piro in the Kingdom of Castile.
Gio’Pio was an entrepreneur with seemingly insatiable ambition and unflagging energy. He was soon in charge of his family’s business, including transactions involving infidel slaves. The family archives held a bill for 1,500 Scudi, representing one transaction in which Gio’Pio sold Muslims to a Muslim trader called Rais. But these were early days in his career. Soon, he would concentrate on other people’s administrations and prove his reliability.
His marriage to Anna Antonia Gourgion considerably increased his worldly assets and fortune seems to have been showered upon him for the rest of his life. His wealthy father-in-law’s administration fell into his lap. Giovanni Gourgion was a landowner, Magistro di Sala of the Valletta Magisterial Palace and even a patron of Mattia Preti. The artist painted both Giovanni and his wife, pouring water over the Holy Souls in Purgatory, in a great altarpiece at St George’s Basilica in Gozo.
Gio’Pio’s career was a triumph and perhaps the most successful of any Maltese man of his period. He invested in land, ships, and cargoes of textiles, grain, sugar, rice and coffee. He would sometimes insure cargoes and ships on his own account. He sometimes lent money, and quite often to knights, resident in Malta, including the illustrious Fra Carlo Albani, nephew of Pope Clement XI.
Gio’Pio purchased land all over Malta, and great tracts in the plains of Girgenti in Sicily. He kept houses in Valletta, in Medina, by the sea in Scicli and also in the hexagonal city of Avola. He also invested in good unions. He married off his daughter to the Baron Ferdinando de Ribera, and his granddaughter to Francesco, eldest son of the Duke of Montalto. Both ladies were given conspicuous dowries, the descriptions of which survive in the family archives.
His business affairs were administered with efficiency. The surviving papers, including many of his letters, make the point. He was always aware of what was happening and crosschecked his information through a series of agents in Malta, Sicily, Naples and Rome. His income in later years would certainly suffice for him to buy a palazzo, such as Casa Rocca Piccola, without any need to touch his capital. He organised the education of his sons through his contacts: Angelo went to Siena and was made to take the Holy Orders against his will; Felicissimo Antonio, who pre-deceased his father, went to Lyons; Vincenzo, his adored grandson and heir, went to Rome under the tutelage of the Albani.
Gio’Pio was conscientious and even religious. He endowed charities, helped spinsters, donated altars and embellishments, and gave oil and legacies to churches for their masses. He died in 1752 after his son, and was succeeded by his grandson. He was buried with his wife in his family vault under an intarsio marble tombstone in the main isle of the Church of St Francis in Valletta.
Antonio Felicissimo, Baroncino of Budach and Marchesino de Piro, died in 1738. He was Secreto to Grand Master Despuig. He married Elena Grech Balzani as his third wife in 1736 and from this final union was born a son and heir.
[edit] Vincenzo, 2nd Baron of Budaq
Vincenzo (1736 - 1799) was the 2nd Baron of Budach and 2nd Marquis de Piro. He became a Jurat and also Procurator of the Inquisition. He was interested in military tactics and operations and was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Sicilian Regiment. In this capacity, he helped to raise the rebellion against the French invaders, and was elected one of the four representatives of the people.
Vincenzo married Maria Testaferrata Abela, daughter of the 3rd Baron of Gomerino, in 1757, and died in 1799, having nominated his eldest son to the Barony and his second son to the Marquisate.
[edit] Antonio, 3rd Baron of Budaq
Antonio (1758 - 1806), the 3rd Baron of Budach, was not left the Marquisate because of his liaison with one Maria Teresa Speranza Campanella de lo Re. They produced four children out of wedlock, two of whom took Holy Orders. The couple eventually married and were blessed with a legitimate, scholarly and erudite heir.
[edit] Giuseppe Maria, 4th Baron of Budaq
Sir Giuseppe Maria G.C.M.G. (1794 - 1870) was the 4th Baron of Budach. He was the author of A History of the Plague of 1813 and Pieces of History, both written in Italian. The second book was an impassioned answer to Adolphus Slade’s vitriolic and denigrating commentary on Malta. In his book, Giuseppe Maria listed Maltese savants and artists together with their creditable works of merit. He set out to prove that his compatriots had been the principal factors in procuring their emancipation and had voluntarily submitted to England's help; and that the latter, it had to be remembered, had not lost a single soldier in the procurement of Malta.
According to William Hardiman’s History of Malta, Sir G.M. was an aspirant to the government of the Islands (p.643). He married the wealthy Antonia Moscati Gatto Xara, 3rd Baroness of Benwarrad and widow of Sir Paolo Parisio G.C.M.G. They lived in the magnificent Palazzo Parisio in Valletta where Napoleon had chosen to spend his days in Malta. It was he who presented the ‘Majmuna Stone’ (now in the Gozo Museumto the nation. Governor Reid historically appointed him first Maltese Captain Commandant of the Malta Militia. He died without legitimate heirs in 1870 and was succeeded by his sister.
[edit] Francesca, 5th Baroness of Budaq
Francesca, the 5th Baroness of Budach, was a spinster. She received an inheritance from her brother and died seven years later in 1877. She attempted to leave her title and estates to the Bishop of Gozo but was succeeded by Giuseppe de Piro, following a successful claim in the courts. Giuseppe was the eldest son of her deceased first cousin, Carmelo.
[edit] Giuseppe, 6th Baron of Budaq
Giuseppe (Pinu) (1845 - 1916), the 6th Baron of Budach, was a bachelor, a dandy, a keen gardener, an enthusiastic builder and lover of the ceremonial. He was a Knight of Cape and Sword at the Vatican. He devoted his energies to building some noteworthy follies, among them a villa in Rome and a neo-Gothic house in Mdina, and he created perhaps the finest garden in Malta, attached to his Villa Gourgion in Lija. He allowed his cousins, the Marquises Francesco Xaverio and Giuseppe Lorenzo, to use the title and indeed even enjoy some of the patrimony; his lawsuit over the inheritance of Francesca had established him as the senior de Piro heir and he had no desire to upset his cousins. His own heir was not his younger brother, Alessandro (1849 - 1899) because Alessandro died first.
Alessandro married the heiress, Orsola Agius Caruana, and she brought a great palazzo in Florence into the family. It had been the seat of the Florentine Commandery and Embassy of the Knights of Malta in the days of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. One of their seven sons, Monsignor Giuseppe de Piro, founded the Missionary Society of St Paul and is now a strong candidate for beatification.
Pinu’s heirs were his nephews, Igino who inherited his titles and the entails of the barony of Budachand the de Piro marquisate. His younger brother Pio inherited the large Gourgion estates.
[edit] Igino, 7th Baron of Budaq
Igino (1874 - 1942) was the 7th Baron of Budach. He was educated at the Lyceum and at the Royal University of Malta. He married Nicolina, daughter of Felicissimo Apap Bologna, 4th Marquis of Gnien-is-Sultan.
Igino was adjutant for five years to the 9th Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment. He fought in the Second Boer War and was present at the Siege of Ladysmith (Queen’s Medal three clasps). After his retirement from the military, he returned to Malta and was elected President of the Senate and served on the Committee of Privileges of the Maltese Nobility. He was the only member of the Maltese aristocracy in the National Assembly to vote in favor of the adoption of the Maltese language as part of the Constitution.
Igino was elected President of the Casino Maltese, and represented Malta at the Coronation of King George VI. A keen gardener and stamp collector, his homes were in Valletta, Attard (now the Malta residence of Grand Master Bertie), St Paul's Bay and Florence. His heir was his only son.
[edit] Jerome, 8th Baron of Budaq
Jerome (1914 - 1996}, the 8th Baron of Budach, was educated at Collège Champittet, Lausanne, Switzerland. He served as a gunner in World War II in the 2nd A.A. Regiment of the Royal Malta Artillery(Africa Star, 1939 - 1945 Star, War Medal 1939 - 1945, Victory Medal). A member of the Committee of Privileges of the Maltese Nobility for 40 years, he was, for a long period, its President.
On his retirement, he was elected President of the Committee of Privileges, Emeritus ad vitam and represented the Maltese Nobility in the National Congress and in the National Assembly. He was a Knight of Honour and Devotionof the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Jerome married Phyllis Cassar Torreggiani and they had five children: Nicholas, Madeleine, Mary, Elizabeth and Margaret.
[edit] Other nobles
Marquis Giuseppe de Piro C.M.G. (d. 1852), 3rd Marquis de Piro, was a second son who also inherited the great Gourgion estates. From September 15, 1799 to September 8, 1800, he was captain of the insurgent and heroic troops called 'Cacciatori Maltesi'. Under British rule, he became Colonel of the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment and completed 47 years and 194 days of service. A document dated 1888 declares that during the siege of Valletta, Giusepe was always selected by his colleagues to convey personally the dispatches to Lord Nelson. He was succeeded by his eldest son.
Adriano (1817 - 1866), 4th Marquis de Piro, died unmarried and the next-in-line was his brother, Dr Carmelo de Piro M.D. (1820 - 1869). However, it was Dr Carmelo's younger brother who was nominated.
Francesco Xaverio (1824 - 1894), 5th Marquis de Piro, married Adelaide Testaferrata, daughter of 5th Marquis Cassar Desain. He was a Member of the Council of Government and was for a time, President of the Committee of Privileges of the Maltese Nobility, and Lieutenant Colonel commanding the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery. He retired in the rank of Colonel in 1884.
Giuseppe Lorenzo (1858 - ?), 6th Marquis de Piro, was educated at Stonyhurst College. He was Chamberlain to Pope Leo XIII; A.D.C. to the Governor of Malta; a Knight of Malta; Lieutenant Colonel Commanding the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malta Militia. He became a legend in the Mess due to his gourmandish proclivity and capacity. His brass bed was so enormous that, on one occasion when it was moved to his summer residence, it was mistaken for a bandstand.
Giupseppe was made C.M.G. on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. He was succeeded by his only daughter.
Adelina Victoria (1892 - 1962), 7th Marchioness de Piro in her own right, used the title by consent of the senior line. She was a renowned beauty and married Kenneth MacPherson. They lived in Lija and Monaco, and produced no heirs.
Jerome (b. 1914) was recognised as 8th Marquis de Piro by the Committee of Privileges of the Maltese Nobility. He relinquished his title in favour of his only son by special permission of the said Committee.
Nicholas (b. 1941), 9th and present Marquis de Piro and Baron of Budach, married Frances Elizabeth Wilson on October 1, 1970 and has four children, Cosmo, Clement, Louisa and Anton, and four grandchildren, Serafina, Nicholas, Mary Benedicta and Edward. The family lived at Painswick House in Gloucestershire for 14 years between 1976 and 1990 before returning to Malta.
Nicholas is the author of a number of books:
- Lost Letters (with Kenneth Zammit Tabona and others, Pedigree Books London).
- The International Dictionary of Artists who Painted Malta (Said International, Malta)
- Picking Through The Stones, Notions, Nostalgia and Nonsense Poems (Said International, Malta)
- Valletta (Miranda Publications with photographs by Daniel Cilia)
- Medina (Miranda Publications with photographs by Daniel Cilia)
- The Temple of the Knights of Malta (Miranda Publications with photographs by Daniel Cilia)
- Costume in Malta (contributor and joint-editor with Vicki Ann Cremona)
- The Sovereign Palaces of Malta
- The Quality of Malta
- The Innocence of Ina is scheduled for publication before Christmas.
[edit] References
- 1) Said Vassallo, C.M., Unpublished research papers.
- 2) Said Vassallo, C.M., Charles Said-Vassallo's Research site and Maltese Nobility web site.
- 3) Attard Monalto, John., "The Nobles of Malta 1530-1800" Midsea Books Ltd, Malta 1979.,pp35.
- 4) Casa Rocca Piccola web site [1]
- 5) De Piro D'Amico Inguanez, Marquis Nicolas, Family archives.
- 6) Burkes Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the UK.- 1914 ed.
- 7) Cassar Desain, Marchese L.A., " Genealogia della famiglia Testaferrata di Malta." Malta, 1880.
- 8) Gauci,C.A.," The Genealogy and Heraldry of the Noble Families of Malta", Gulf Publishing Ltd, Malta, 1981.
- 9) Gauci,C.A.," The Genealogy and Heraldry of the Noble Families of Malta, Volume Two", Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1992.
- 10) Gauci,C.A and Mallet, P.,"The Palaeologos Family- A Genealogical Review" ,Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1985
- 11) Gauci, C.A.," A Guide to the Maltese Nobility", Publishers Enterprise Group (PEG) Ltd, Malta, 1986.
- 12) Giles Ash, S., "The Nobility of Malta", Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1988.
