Buttigieg De Piro
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The Marquis Anthony, Buttigieg De Piro, Hereditary Marquis De Piro in the Kingdom of (Castile) Spain, Hereditary Noble Patrician of Rome and Messina, Hereditary Knight of the Holy Roman Empire, Segnieur of the Noble Fief of Pietralunga, of the Marquises Testaferrata of the Marquises Leone, of the Counts de Guevera, of the Counts de Alagona, of the Barons of Budaq, of the Barons of Gomerino, of the Barons of Castel Cicciano, of the Barons of Friggenuini, of the Barons of Ortigos and of the Noble Gatto-Inguanez Feudatories.
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[edit] History of the Marques de Piro
The current Marquis, Anthony Buttigieg de Piro (1932 - ), is a direct descendant of Antonio De Piro Testaferrata (1758-1806), The Marquis De Piro in the Kingdom of Castille, Baron of Budak, Hereditary Knight of theHoly Roman Empire and a Captain of Cavalry of the Order of St. John, through his eldest son Vincenzo. Vincenzo de Piro (1785-1840) distinguished himself in battle at Porto Ferrajo on the Island of Elba against the French in 1803 when he was a commissioned officer in the Maltese Light Infantry. During an attack on a defensive position with a moat in front he was among the first to advance carrying the colours and when orders came for the Maltese Light Infantry to cover the tactical retreat of their Tuscan allies and fight a rearguard action, the last two men to wade back across the moat, both with swords unsheathed, were Commanding Officer Major Weir and Ensign Vincenzo De Piro. Some weeks later Vincenzo lost an eye during an engagement but continued his service in other British and allied units long after the Maltese Light Infantry was disbanded. Following his return to Malta the British Crown granted him a pension for having lost an eye.
The De Piro Marquisate was granted by the Spanish Bourbons in 1742. It was granted on the name and not in connection to land to be held in Feudal land tenure. It was specified that it was a Title of Our Kingdom of Castille rather than one of the several other Kingdoms the Spanish Crown possessed.
The Marquisate was put into abeyance by the Spanish Royal Hacienda numerous times since those with the indisputable right to succeed were either loathe or incapable of paying the dues of succession. The situation was saved twice by junior members of the family coming forward and lifting the suppression in their favour by clearing the dues and going through the proper legal procedures according to Spanish Law.
The last member of the family this time belonging to the most senior branch but not necessarily the most senior member of that branch, saved the Marquisate as far as Spain is concerned. Anthony Marquis Buttigieg de Piro legally and financially took up the matter with the Ministry of Grace and Justice in Spain, and on November 13, 1987 the rehabilitation of the nobile title of Marques de Piro had been finalised and regulated in his favour.
On November 8, 2001 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in her capacity as the Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem sanctioned the promotion of the Deputy to the Grand Chancellor, The Marquis Buttigieg de Piro, CStJ, KCLJ, from Commander to Knight. The Marquis Buttigieg de Piro is also Corps Commander of the Saint John Rescue Corps - Malta, a para-military organisation under The Order of St. John. Honoring his contributions to Rescue on March 15, 2001, Prince Oskar of Prussia awarded The Marquis Buttigieg de Piro the Ehrenzeichen am Bande or Medal of Honor.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links and sources
[edit] References:
- Gauci,C.A.," The Genealogy and Heraldry of the Noble Families of Malta", Gulf Publishing Ltd, Malta, 1981.
- Gauci,C.A.," The Genealogy and Heraldry of the Noble Families of Malta, Volume Two", Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1992.
- Gauci,C.A and Mallet, P.,"The Palaeologos Family- A Genealogical Review" ,Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1985
- Gauci, C.A.," A Guide to the Maltese Nobility", Publishers Enterprise Group (PEG) Ltd, Malta, 1986.
- Giles Ash, S., "The Nobility of Malta", Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG) Ltd, 1988.
Acknowledgement including the Marquis Buttigieg De Piro's acceptance of use. The Original article was posted on www.maltesenobility.org and www.maltagenealogy.com. Searchmalta.com was one of a number of places where postings of this article was placed.
