Counts of Tusculum
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The counts of Tusculum were the most powerful secular noblemen in Latium during the tenth through twelfth centuries. Their house furnished some popes and an antipope during the eleventh century. Until the 11th century there was in Rome the political formula of noble-papacy: the Pope was designated among nobles of Rome.
The counts of Tusculum became arbiters of Roman politics and religion for a long period of time, more than a century; in general, they were pro-Byzantine and anti-German; from their clan came many popes of the transitory period between Early and High Middle Ages (from 914 to 1049). In the X century women of this family created the pornocracy in Rome.
The particular "formula" created by Counts of Tusculum to solve the problem of the dual civil and religious power in Rome involved nominating one member of the family pope (religious leader) and one consul (civil leader).
After 1049, the Tusculan papacy came to an end, with the appointment of Pope Leo IX. In fact, the Tusculan papacy was largely responsible for the reaction known as the Gregorian reform. Subsequent events (from 1062 on) confirmed a fundamental shift in regional politics as the counts came to side with the Holy Roman Emperors against the Rome of the reformers. From 1059 the papal-decree (Election reform) of Pope Nicholas II fixed the new rules to choose the Popes, so the political formula of noble-papacy ended.
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[edit] Counts and their titles
This list is partially incomplete in the tenth century and the chronology and dates of the various countships are often uncertain. They were only counts from about 1013, lords before.
- before 924 Theophylact I
- until 924 Alberic I, son-in-law
- 924 – 954 Alberic II, son
- before 1013 Gregory I, son (Excellentissimus vir - Praefectus navalis)
- until 1012 Theophylact II, son of Gregory I
- 1012 – 1024 Romanus, (Consul et dux, senator) brother of Alberic III and son of Gregory I
- 1032 – 1045 Alberic III, (Imperialis palatii magister Consul et dux - Comes sacri palatii Lateranensis) brother of Theophylact II and Romananus;
- 1024 – 1032 Theophylact III son of Alberic III
- 1044 – 1058 Gregory II, (Consul, nobilis vir, senator Comes Tusculanensis), son of Alberic III
- 1058 – ca 1108 Gregory III, (Comes Tusculanensis Consul, illustris) son of Gregory II
- ca 1108 – 1126 Ptolemy I (Tolomeo I), (Consul, comes Tusculanus) son Gregory III;
- 1126 – 1153 Ptolemy II (Tolomeo II), (Illustrissimus, dominus Consul et dux) son of Ptolemy I;
- 1153 – ca 1167 Jonathan, (Comes de Tusculano) co-ruler with Raino son of Ptolemy II;
- 1153 – 1179 Raino, (Nobilis vir, dominus) brother of Jonathan, co-ruler with Jonathan.
[edit] Tusculan popes
Those who were also counts in boldface.
- John XI, son of Alberic I, pope from 931 to 935
- John XII son of Alberic II, pope from 955 to 964
- Benedict VII, nephew of Alberic II, pope from 974 to 983
- Benedict VIII, son of Gregory I, pope from 1012 to 1024
- John XIX, son of Gregory I, pope from 1024 to 1032
- Benedict IX, son of Alberic III, pope from 1032 to 1048
- Benedict X, son, antipope from 1058 to 1059
[edit] Other Tusculani
- John I, son of Theophylact II (John II was Benedict X)
- Guy, brother of Gregory II
- Peter, brother of Gregory II
- Octavian, brother of Gregory II
[edit] Successors
The Counts of Tusculum's successors were the Colonna family by Peter (1099-1151) son of Gregory III, called Peter "de Columpna" from his property, the Columna Castle, in Colonna, Alban Hills.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Thietmar of Merseburg - Chronicle
- Ferdinand Gregorovius Geschichte der Stadt Rom im Mittelalter (1859–1872)
