Prince or Princess Belmonte

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prince or Princess Belmonte (Principe o Principessa di Belmonte) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the dynasty founded by the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte, descendants of the Genovese papal family of Fieschi, hereditary Counts of Lavagna who were ennobled as Counts Palatine in the 11th Century. The title of 'Prince or Princess of Belmonte' was created with succession according to Spanish nobiliary law. (See Nobiliary Regulations in Spain)

In 1712 the Princes were made Grandees of Spain, First Class, and in 1726 they were granted the rank of 'Reichsfürsten', Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, with the title Serene Highness (Durchlaucht). The Princes hold a number of other titles, as set out below.

The seat of the Prince of Belmonte is Palazzo Belmonte, on the Bay of Salerno and south of Amalfi (in Italy), although the title refers to the fortress town of Belmonte, now Belmonte Calabro. The current and 13th Prince is SE Don Angelo, Principe di Belmonte. ^[1]. The principal title of Belmonte has descended to the 13th Prince through the following heiresses: Ravaschieri Fieschi, Squarciafico Pinelli, and Pignatelli y Aymerich. The last of these three heiresses married the Marquess of Castellabate, bringing her extensive lands and titles to the Granito family, patricians (patrizii) of Salerno (Seggio di Campo) since 1380.

Contents 1 Ancestry 2 Other Titles 3 Arms 4 Residences 4.1 Castello di Belmonte (Belmonte Castle) 4.2 Acerenza 4.3 Castello di Galatone (Galatone Castle) 4.4 Castello di Copertino (Copertino Castle) 4.5 Palazzo Belmonte 5 Succession of the Princes and Princesses of Belmonte 5.1 Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi (1619-1685) 5.2 Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi Squarciafico Pinelli (1685-1779) 5.3 Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi Squarciafico Pinelli Pignatelli y Aymerich (1779-1911) 5.4 Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi Squarciafico Pinelli Pignatelli y Aymerich Granito (‘Granito Pignatelli’) (1911- ) 6 Style and forms of address 7 Notes 8 See also 9 Further reading 10 External links

[edit] Ancestry

HE The Prince of Belmonte is descended from the Fieschi, Counts Palatine of Lavagna. The Fieschi were a celebrated family of Liguria in north-west Italy, and one of the principal four families of Genoa, with the Grimaldi, Spinola and Doria. In the 13th Century, the Fieschi were allied to the House of Grimaldi, modern day Princes of Monaco, in the struggle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines.

The ancestors of the Belmonte Princes include Sinibaldo, Pope Innocent IV son of Ugone Fieschi, and Ottobuono, Pope Adrian V son of Thedisius Fieschi, as well as several cardinals, a King of Sicily, the Viceroy of Naples to René of Anjou (René I of Naples) (Jacopo Fieschi), three saints including Saint Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510), and both generals and admirals of Genoa and other states. Through their later marriage to a line of the Pignatelli, the Princes of Belmonte share blood with a third pope, Pope Innocent XII, and the Jesuit Saint Joseph Pignatelli (1737-1811), of Saragossa.

The Prince's ancestor Count Ugone was the first to bear the name 'Fiesco' or Fieschi, attributed to his control of the fiscal affairs of the Holy Roman Emperor. His descendant, Rubaldo/Robaldo di Fiesco or 'Fieschi', was created Count of Lavagna in c1060. In the mid 12th Century (c1158) Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor 'Barbarossa' confirmed ^[2] feudal rights in Lavagna to the Fieschi: the beneficiaries included Rubaldo and his nephews Gulielmo, Tebaldo, Enrico, Ruffino, Aldedado, Gherardo; Ottone and his brother Ugone; and Alberto and his brother Beltramino. The rank of Count Palatine was confirmed once again at Lucca on 27th May 1369 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor of the House of Luxembourg ^[3]. Later confirmations of the Fieschi status as direct vassals to the Holy Roman Emperor were given by the House of Habsburg in 1521, 1529, 1568, and 1620.

Descending from Beltramino Fieschi, Count of Lavagna, the Ravaschiero Fieschi rose to prominence as royal bankers: Giovanni Battista was Master of the Mint (Maestro di Zecca) under His Imperial Majesty Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1516-1554), and his seal of 'IBR' frequently appears on the coinage of that time ^[4]. Giovanni Battista was one of 7 children, of whom the eldest brother Giovan Francesco, was Prior of Bari of the Order of Malta (+1555). Germano followed his father as 'Maestro di Zecca', under King Philip II of Spain, and was the father of Giovan Battista, 1st Baron of Badolato, and therefore grandfather of Don Orazio, the first Prince Belmonte (see below).

[edit] Other Titles

The Princes or Princesses of Belmonte have historically held the following titles:

• Prince of Belmonte, (Don Orazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi, of the ancient Counts of Lavagna, was elevated in the Barony of Belmonte by Philip III of Spain, 5th March 1619 ^[5].
• Prince (Reichsfürst) of the Holy Roman Empire, (granted to Prince (HRE) Don Antonio Pignatelli y Aymerich, 2nd Marquess of San Vicente, husband of the 6th Princess of Belmonte (in her own right), by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, 9th September 1726)^[6], with primogeniture succession ('Fürstenstand in der Primogenitur'). Note: the style HSH Prince (or Princess) of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire ceased to be used by the Princes and Princesses of Belmonte upon the death of Her Serene Highness Princess (Reichsfürstin) Donna Francesca di Paola (Paolina) Granito Pignatelli in 1911.
• Grandee of Spain (1st Class), on the Acerenza fief (see 'Duke of Acerenza' below), with entitlement to the style ‘His/Her Excellency’ ('Sua Eccellenza') or ‘Most Excellent’ ('Eccellentissime'). Formally addressed as "cousin" ("primo") by the King of Spain (granted to Don Oronzo Pinelli, 5th Prince of Belmonte and 4th Duke of Acerenza, by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor 15th July 1718).
• Prince of Muro Leccese (granted to Don Antonio Maria Pignatelli, 8th Prince of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire, by Ferdinand IV of Naples, 3rd October 1797)
• Duke of Acerenza (granted to Don Galeazzo Pinelli, by Philip II of Spain, King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily and of England (as consort to Mary I of England), 12th April 1593^[7])) (See Duke or Duchess of Acerenza)
• Duke of Corigliano d'Otranto (granted to Don Antonio Maria Pignatelli, 8th Prince of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire, by Ferdinand IV of Naples, 3rd October 1797)
• Marquess of Argençola (Argensola) (granted to Don Gerónimo Rocaberti-Pau-Bellera, whose mother was Agnes, Signora di Argençola, by Felipe V of Spain, 12th June 1702). Title inherited by descent to the Belmonte Princes through Doña Giustiniana (Anna) de Aymerich (qv), daughter of Bernardo de Aymerich Lord of Aiguafreda and Rajadell and Maria de Argensola.
• Marquess of Castellabate (granted to Don Parise Granito, by Charles III of Spain as Charles VII of Naples, the latter throne abdicated in 1759 in favour of his third son Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, 29th November 1745). Title inherited by descent to the Princes of Belmonte through Don Angelo Granito, 4th Marquess of Castellabate (qv).
• Marquess of Galatone (feudal control from 5th October 1557, title granted to Don Stefano Squarciafico, Patrician of Genoa, by Philip II of Spain on 29th June 1562) ^[8] (See Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone). Title inherited by descent to the Belmonte Princes through Donna Anna Maria Ravaschieri Caracciolo, sister of Don Gaetano, 4th Prince of Belmonte (qv).
• Marquess of San Vicente (granted 1694^[9] to Don Domenico Pignatelli y Vaez, by Charles II of Spain; elevated to a Grandeeship in 1771 ^[10] for HSH Prince (Reichsfürst) Don Antonio Pignatelli, 7th Prince of Belmonte and 2nd Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, by Charles III of Spain). Title inherited by descent to the Belmonte Princes through Don Antonio Pignatelli y Aymerich, 2nd Marquess of San Vicente (qv).
• Count of Copertino (feudal control from 5th October 1557, title granted to Don Stefano Squarciafico, Patrician of Genoa, by Philip II of Spain on 29th June 1562) (See Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone). Title inherited by descent to the Belmonte Princes through Donna Anna Maria Ravaschieri Caracciolo, sister of Don Gaetano, 4th Prince of Belmonte (qv).
• Count of Lavagna The title of Count Palatine of Lavagna ('Conte di Lavagna') was borne by all males of the Fieschi family from c1060 in Liguria. Included among those confirmed in the dignity was Beltramino Fieschi, founder of the line of the Ravaschieri Fieschi, later Princes of Belmonte. The dignity was confirmed in 1158 by Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor of the House of Hohenstaufen and later by the Emperors of the House of Luxemburg and the House of Habsburg. The Lavagna title itself has never been used by the Belmonte Princes, although the Ravaschieri Fieschi antecedents of Don Orazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi, 1st Prince of Belmonte, are frequently styled as heirs of that line in historical records, as 'dei Conti di Lavagna' ('of the Counts of Lavagna').
• Baron of Aiguafreda (Ayguafreda)
• Baron of Badolato (granted to Don Giovan Battista Ravaschieri, +21st April 1604)
• Baron of Belmonte
• Baron of Rocca Cilento (granted to Don Parise Granito, by Charles III of Spain as Charles VII of Naples, the latter throne abdicated in 1759 in favour of his third son Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, 29th November 1745). Title inherited by descent to the Princes of Belmonte through Don Angelo Granito, 4th Marquess of Castellabate (qv).
• Baron of Tresino (granted to Don Parise Granito, by Charles III of Spain as Charles VII of Naples, the latter throne abdicated in 1759 in favour of his third son Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, 29th November 1745). Title inherited by descent to the Princes of Belmonte through Don Angelo Granito, 4th Marquess of Castellabate (qv).
• Baron of Veglie (feudal control from 5th October 1557, title granted to Don Stefano Squarciafico, Patrician of Genoa, by Philip II of Spain on 29th June 1562) (See Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone). Title inherited by descent to the Belmonte Princes through Donna Anna Maria Ravaschieri Caracciolo, sister of Don Gaetano, 4th Prince of Belmonte (qv).

Note: the Princely title of Belmonte and most of the subsidiary titles of the Princes of Belmonte were granted in the peerage of the Kings of Spain, as rulers of the Kingdom of Naples which was subject to their viceroys. These titles have subsequently been recognised, firstly within the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and secondly within the Kingdom of Italy. Titles granted by the Kings of Spain, having dominion over Naples and other territories, are eligible for recognition by the Spanish throne and subject to the terms of their original grant.

[edit] Arms

Grand Arms: the separate arms described below both trace the descent of the Belmonte princely title, and include arms brought to the family with an additional title (marked *) through marriage alliances. These quarterings combine to form the 'Grand Arms' of the Prince or Princess of the day.

• Fieschi (Genoa)- bendy argent and azure, coronet of an Earl or Count (Lavagna). Crest- an eagle issuant sable. Augmentation of Honour of the papal ombrellino and keys in saltire for (Pope Innocent IV and Pope Adrian V), the arms all borne on the breast of a single-headed eagle displayed sable crowned and nimbed or (as Counts Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire, first recognised by the Hohenstaufen Emperors).

• Ravaschieri (Naples)- bendy gules and argent, the 2nd bend gules charged with an ermine proper; coronet of a Prince (Belmonte). Augmentation of Honour as Grand Seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples.

• Squarciafico (Genoa)- gules, a cross or potencée, repotencée; coronet of a Marquess (Galatone*).

• Pinelli (Naples)- gules, six pinecones or arranged 3, 2, 1; coronet of a Duke (Acerenza*).

• Aymerich (Barcelona)- argent, four pales azure (Aymerich), in chief per saltire in the first and fourth or, four pales gules (Aragon), in the second and third argent an eagle sable, crowned or, beaked and limbed gules (Sicily). (Note: these arms, granted by Queen Joanna of Castile and Aragon, are often shown with a bordure argent on which is written the motto: “IAM NON MEA SED VESTRA VESTRIS MERITIS COMPARATA”).

• Rocaberti (Catalonia)- gules, three pales or each charged with three chess rooks azure; coronet of a Marquess (Argençola*).

• Pignatelli (Naples)- or, three pignates sable arranged 2, 1. Crest- two ostrich plumes, gules and or. Mantle- gules, fringed or, doubled ermine. Coronet of a Prince. (HSH Prince Antonio Pignatelli and Belmonte, Marquess of San Vicente*). Augmentation of Honour of the papal ombrellino and keys in saltire (Pope Innocent XII), and as General of the Imperial Cavalry, the arms all borne on the breast of a double-headed eagle displayed sable crowned and nimbed or (Prince of the Holy Roman Empire*).

• Granito (Salerno)- party per fess azure and or, in the first a lion proper nascent from the second, armed gules; in the second six points azure arising from the bottom of the shield, coronet of a Marquess (Castellabate*). Motto: "RUMPAR NON FLECTAR".

Simple Arms: instead of their 'Grand Arms', the Princes have sometimes preferred to use simpler arms. So, the arms of the most recent Belmonte heiress (the 10th Princess) and her alliance in marriage are currently used (thus, quartering Granito with Pignatelli for 'Granito Pignatelli').

Representation of Coronets: please note that coats of arms depicted in this article obey a convention with respect to coronets, for consistency of illustration. In several cases the coronet corresponding with a rank would be different if shown according to current Spanish or Italian convention. Moreover, some forms of Spanish or Italian coronet have altered over the centuries since the creation of certain titles, and indeed varied further in some cases by area or city-state. Since the earliest feudal title granted to the immediate ancestors of the Princes (County or Earldom of Copertino) was recognised from 1557 by Philip II of Spain, who was King of England as consort to Mary I, the convention has been followed of showing coronets as used for the same rank in England. An exception has been made in the case of the rank of 'Prince', where Spanish and Holy Roman Empire coronets have been preferred since there is no acceptable English proxy.

[edit] Residences

[edit] Castello di Belmonte (Belmonte Castle)

See Belmonte Calabro.

[edit] Acerenza

See Acerenza

[edit] Castello di Galatone (Galatone Castle)

See Galatone

[edit] Castello di Copertino (Copertino Castle)

See Copertino Castle

[edit] Palazzo Belmonte

The current seat of the Princes of Belmonte for the last 250 years is Palazzo Belmonte, at Santa Maria di Castellabate, south of Amalfi. The Granito family acquired the lands surrounding Castellabate and constructed the Palazzo in 1733, incorporating pre-existing buildings. They held the feudality of Castellabate to the end of the feudal era in 1806. Through the Marquesses of Castellabate the Palazzo descended directly to the current Prince Belmonte, including the Granito estates which extend beyond the port of San Marco and Punta Licosa with its lighthouse. At Punta Licosa is the Palazzo Granito built in the 17th Century on the point: on the private chapel's facade can be seen the coat of arms of the Marquesses of Castellabate.

[edit] Succession of the Princes and Princesses of Belmonte

The Principate of Belmonte was granted to the Ravaschieri Fieschi family (also written Ravaschiero or Ravaschiera), Barons of Badolato and Barons of Belmonte, and hereditary Counts of Lavagna, whose private chapel is in the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Naples.

In 1685 the Belmonte princely title descended in marriage to the Pinelli, who held the subsidiary titles of Duke or Duchess of Acerenza (along with the title of Marquess or Marchioness of Galatone and that of Count or Countess of Copertino through an earlier marriage of the Pinelli with the Squarciafico family); in 1779, on the death of the Princess, the princely title was inherited through marriage (to the Marquess of San Vicente), by the Pignatelli and Aymerich, of the princely line of Noia; in 1911, the last Princess of Belmonte in the Pignatelli and Aymerich line died and her son inherited the title (this succession was also confirmed by patent in 1887).

The following have held the princely title of Belmonte since 1619^[11]:

[edit] Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi (1619-1685)

• Don Orazio Giovan Battista (of the Counts Palatine of Lavagna), grandson of Don Germano Ravaschieri Fieschi and Donna Antonia Scorza, and son of Don Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi 1st Baron of Badolato and his wife Donna Maria, heiress of Girifalco from her uncle Don Pietro Francesco Ravaschieri Fieschi and herself the daughter of Don Torino Ravaschieri Fieschi, Treasurer ('Tessoriere') of Calabria, and his wife Donna Vittoria Spinola. Baron of Belmonte, Baron of Badolato and Baron of Tortora (in right of Pietro Francesco Ravaschiero + 2nd May 1613), created 1st Prince of Belmonte at Madrid on 5th March 1619 by Philip III of Spain; Grand Seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples ('Gran Siniscalco del Regno di Sicilia'). Patrician of Genoa. Married 29th May 1621, Donna Anna MariaCarracciolo Pisquizi, of the Lords (later Dukes) of Sicignano, Princess of Belmonte, (28th January 1604 - Belmonte 1637). (Note: Don Oronzo's cousin, Don Etoro (Hettore) Ravaschiero, Prince of Satriano and Duke of Cardinale, was made a Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Ordine del Tosone) in 1634 by Philip IV of Spain). (+12th October 1645).

• Don Daniele Domenico, 2nd Prince of Belmonte, 3rd Baron of Badolato, Baron of Belmonte. Married 1stly Donna Eleonora, daughter of Don Francesco Exarquez, Marquess of Lauria, and widow of Don Annibale Sersale, Prince of Castelfranco, Princess of Belmonte; 2ndly the daughter of Don Giovan Francesco Grimaldi, Prince of Gerace, Princess of Belmonte. (1622 - 5th February 1685).

• Donna Anna Maria, 3rd Princess of Belmonte ‘suo iure’, 4th Baroness of Badolato, Baroness of Belmonte. (Note: Donna Anna Maria succeeded her brother despite being the youngest of four children. Don Ramiro and his son Don Gennaro Francesco died in 1684 and 1662 (at 9 months old) respectively, while Donna Maria Teresina was in holy orders as an Abbess.) Married Don Cosimo Squarciafico Pinelli, 2nd Duke of Acerenza, 5th Marquess of Galatone, 2nd Count of Copertino. (+12th August 1685)

[edit] Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi Squarciafico Pinelli (1685-1779)

• Don Galeazzo (also Gaetano), 4th Prince of Belmonte, 3rd Duke of Acerenza, 6th Marquess of Galatone, 3rd Count of Copertino, 5th Baron of Badolato, Seigneur (Signore) of Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc. Married 30th June 1613 Donna Giustiniana Pignatelli, daughter of Don Fabrizio Pignatelli, 1st Prince of Noia and Marquess of Cerchiara and Donna Violante de Sangro, daughter of Don Giovanni Francesco 1st Prince of Sansevero and of Donna Andreana Carafa (2nd October 1595 - 15th September 1624). Died 1711 without issue, and was succeeded by his brother Don Oronzo.

• HE Don Oronzo, 5th Prince of Belmonte, 4th Duke of Acerenza, 7th Marquess of Galatone, 4th Count of Copertino, 6th Baron of Badolato, Seigneur (Signore) of Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc., High Counsellor of State to His Imperial & Royal Highness Emperor Charles VI; elevated by the Emperor on 15th July 1718 to the rank of Grandee of Spain, 1st Class (See Grandees of Spain) in the feudal title and rank of the Dukedom of Acerenza, with succession ‘per i suoi figli maschi e femmine in perpetuo’, thus being granted the style for himself, his heirs, heiresses and their consorts of ‘Most Excellent Lord/Lady’ or ‘His/Her Excellency (HE)’ (See Grandee). Married 5th May 1701 Donna Violante di Sangro, of the Prince of Viggiano, Princess of Belmonte. (18th January 1661 - 25th March 1722).

• HSH Princess Donna Anna Francesca, 6th Princess of Belmonte ‘suo iure’ and 1st Princess of the Holy Roman Empire ‘maritali nomine’, daughter and heiress of the 5th Prince, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 5th Duchess of Acerenza, 8th Marchioness of Galatone, 5th Countess of Copertino, 7th Baroness of Badolato, Signore di Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc. Married 26th May 1721, Prince (HRE) Don Antonio Pignatelli y Aymerich (4th August 1685 - 26th January 1771), for which occasion the writer Metastasio produced the musical serenade 'Epithalamium'. (Note: Don Antonio's sister, Doña Marianna, Countess of Althann, was lady in waiting to the Empress Elizabeth, consort of Emperor Charles VI and mother of Empress Maria Theresa.) Don Antonio was 2nd Marquess of San Vicente (son of the 1st Marquess Don Domenico Pignatelli y Vagher and of Doña Maria Aymerich y Rocaberti d'Argençola; through her 3rd Marquess of Argençola); General of the Imperial Cavalry, created a Reichsfürst of the Holy Roman Empire as Fürst von Pignatelli und Belmonte with the style of Durchlaucht (Serene Highness or HSH), styled 'His Serene Highness the Prince of Belmonte'. Knight of the Royal Order of Saint Januarius (Real Ordine di San Gennaro) 1765. (14th August 1702 - 8th January 1779)

[edit] Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi Squarciafico Pinelli Pignatelli y Aymerich (1779-1911)

• HSH Prince (Reichsfürst) Don Antonio, 7th Prince of Belmonte and 2nd Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 6th Duke of Acerenza, 9th Marquess of Galatone, 4th Marquess of Argensola, 3rd Marquess of San Vicente, 6th Count of Copertino, 8th Baron of Badolato, Signore di Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc.. Lieutenant General, President of the Royal Academy of Science and Letters. Knighted in the Royal Order of St. Januarius by Charles III of Spain, 1766. Married 1stly 24th February 1754 Donna Francesca Revertera, daughter of Don Nicolo Duke of Salandra and Duchess Maria Theresa, herself daughter of the Austrian Count Francesco Ignazio von Thürheim and Countess Maria Maximiliana Rebecca Salburg von Thürheim, (died 1756) (Note: the Thürheim were Hereditary Falconers to the Holy Roman Emperor in the lands of Austria); 2ndly 28th August 1762 Donna Chiara Spinelli, daughter of Don Troiano 9th Duke of Laurino and Donna Barbara Caterina Pinto y Mendoza, 3rd Princess of Montacuto (herself daughter and heir of Prince Don Gregorio and Cristina Malaspina of the Marquesses of Fosdinovo), Princess of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire. (27th March 1722 - 2nd January 1794). [Note: His Eminence Cardinal Domenico Pignatelli di Belmonte (19th November 1730 - 5th February 1803), the younger brother of HSH Prince (Fürst) Don Antonio, was ordained priest 22nd September 1753, elected bishop of Caserta and chosen as Assistant at the Pontifical Throne 25th February 1782, being consecrated Bishop, 3rd March 1782 in Rome. He was promoted to the metropolitan see of Palermo, 29th March, 1802 and was Viceroy of Sicily, 1802 - 1803. Created cardinal priest 9th August 1802. He is buried in the church of the Theatine Fathers, Palermo.]

• HSH Prince (Reichsfürst) Don Antonio Maria, 8th Prince of Belmonte and 3rd Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, 1st Prince of Muro Leccese, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 7th Duke of Acerenza, 1st Duke of Corigliano d'Otranto, 10th Marquess of Galatone, 5th Marquess of Argensola, 4th Marquess of San Vicente, 7th Count of Copertino, 9th Baron of Badolato, Signore di Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo, Specchia, Gildone etc. Married 12th May 1783 Donna Giovanna Pignatelli Aragona Cortés, daughter of Don Ettore Pignatelli Aragona Cortés, 9th Prince of Noia and of the Holy Roman Empire and Princess Donna Anna Maria Piccolomini d’Aragona, 7th Princess of Valle and Grandee of Spain 1st Class, also 16th Duchess of Amalfi &c &c and Patrician of Siena, (herself daughter and heir of the Prince of Valle and Donna Margherita Caracciolo, 5th Duchess of Girifalco), Princess of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire. (7th July 1763 - 17th August 1798). [Note: HSH Fürst Don Francesco, Duke of Acerenza (after 9th November 1812), (13th February 1766 - 20th December 1827), younger brother of the 8th Prince of Belmonte and favourite of Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and the Two Sicilies , married at Dresden 18th March 1801 Giovanna Biron, Princess of Courland, daughter of Prince Peter, Sovereign Duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and Livonia and Duke of Sagan, and of Anna Charlotte, Countess von Medem. The princess became the niece of Talleyrand. HSH Fürst Don Francesco did not survive to inherite the princely title of Belmonte.]
• HSH Prince (Reichsfürst) Don Gennaro, 9th Prince of Belmonte and 4th Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, 2nd Prince of Muro Leccese, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 8th Duke of Acerenza, 2nd Duke of Corigliano d'Otranto, 11th Marquess of Galatone, 6th Marquess of Argensola, 5th Marquess of San Vicente, 8th Count of Copertino, 10th Baron of Badolato, Signore di Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc. Married 11th December 1823, Donna Carmela de Chiaro, Princess of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire. (28 February 1777 - 28 July 1829).
• HSH Princess (Reichsfürstin) Donna Francesca di Paola (Paolina), 10th Princess of Belmonte ‘suo iure’ and 5th Princess of the Holy Roman Empire, 3rd Princess of Muro Leccese, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 9th Duchess of Acerenza, 3rd Duchess of Corigliano d'Otranto, 12th Marchioness of Galatone, 7th Marchioness of Argensola, 6th Marchioness of San Vicente, 9th Countess of Copertino, 11th Baroness of Badolato, Signora di Veglie, Leverano, San Cosimo etc., all 'suo iure'. Married 12th January 1839, Don Angelo Granito, 4th Marquess of Castellabate, Baron of Rocca Cilento and Tresino, Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (appointed 4 June 1843), awarded the degree of Peer of the Realm (13 May 1848), Superintendent of the Royal Archives (appointed 6th June 1848), styled 'Prince of Belmonte' (maritali nomine). (3rd April 1824 – 30th August 1911).

[edit] Belmonte- Ravaschieri Fieschi Squarciafico Pinelli Pignatelli y Aymerich Granito (‘Granito Pignatelli’) (1911- )

• HE Prince Don Gioacchino Granito, 11th Prince of Belmonte (confirmation of inheritance of title by letters patent dated 3rd April 1887), 4th Prince of Muro Leccese, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 10th Duke of Acerenza, 4th Duke of Corigliano d'Otranto, 8th Marquess of Argensola, 5th Marquess of Castellabate, 13th Marquess of Galatone, 7th Marquess of San Vicente, 10th Count of Copertino, 12th Baron of Badolato, Veglie, Leverano, Baron of Rocca Cilento and Tresino, Knight Commander of the Johanniterorden (Sweden), Deputy of the National Parliament, Librarian of the State Archive of Naples. Married 13th November 1869, Donna Maria Caterina d’Ayala Valva, of the Marquess of Valva, Princess of Belmonte. Succeeded by his grandson. (Note: Gennaro Cardinal Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte, Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals and Grand Prior of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (from 1937) was the brother of HE Prince Don Gioacchino.) (2nd November 1849 - 6th April 1934).
• HE Prince Don Gioacchino, 12th Prince of Belmonte, 5th Prince of Muro Leccese, Grandee of Spain 1st Class, 11th Duke of Acerenza, 5th Duke of Corrigliano d'Otranto, 9th Marquess of Argensola, 6th Marquess of Castellabate, 14th Marquess of Galatone, 8th Marquess of San Vicente, 11th Count of Copertino, 13th Baron of Badolato, Veglie, Leverano, Baron of Rocca Cilento and Tresino. Son of Don Angelo Granito Pignatelli, Duke of Acerenza (1875- 1924), and Donna Adelaide Serra Cassano, daughter of Don Francesco 7th Duke of Cassano and of Donna Clotilde Giusso of the Dukes of Galdo, Duchess of Acerenza. Don Gioacchino married 23rd April 1938 Donna Marcella Scheggi, Princess of Belmonte. (19th March 1913 - 22nd May 1982).
• HE Prince Don Angelo Gennaro, 13th Prince of Belmonte &c. Received as a Knight of Justice in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George by Prince Ranieri, Duke of Castro, 24th December 1962. (9th February 1939 - ).

[edit] Style and forms of address

As Spanish and Neapolitan Princes and Grandees of Spain (1st Class), The Princes and Princesses Belmonte are correctly styled and addressed as follows:

On Envelope

HE The Prince of Belmonte, HE The Princess of Belmonte, TE The Prince and Princess of Belmonte

Salutation in Letter

Your Excellency, Your Excellencies, Dear Prince, Dear Princess, or where familiar Dear Don [first name] or Donna [first name]

Oral Address

Excellency, Excellencies, Prince, Princess, or where familiar Don [first name] or Donna [first name]

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

• Belmonte Calabro
• Castellabate
• Muro Leccese
• Acerenza
• Corigliano d'Otranto
• Galatone
• Argençola
• San Vicente
• Castellabate
• Copertino
• Badolato
• Veglie
• Leverano
• Rocca Cilento
• Santa Maria di Castellabate
• Tresino

• Kings of Spain
• Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
• Kingdom of Naples
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

• Belmonte (rose)

[edit] Further reading

• Ammirato, Scipione (1580, 1651), Delle famiglie nobili Napoletane, Firenze (2 volumes)
• Bernabo, B. (1994/1998), I Conti di Lavagna e l’alta Val di Vara, in Atti del Convegno I Fieschi tra Papato e Impero, ed. Calcagno, D., Lavagna and Chiavari Casa Ravaschiera
• Firpo, M. (1994/1998), La ricchezza e il potere: le origini patrimoniali dell’ascesa della famiglia Fieschi nella Liguria Orientale tra XII e XIII secolo, in Atti del Convegno I Fieschi tra Papato e Impero, ed. Calcagno, D., Lavagna and Chiavari
• Frank, Karl Friedrich von (1967-1975), Standeserhöhungen und Gnadenakte für das Reich und die österreichischen Erblande bis 1823, volumes I-V, Senfteneg
• Frank, Karl Friedrich von (1928), Alt-Österreichisches Adels-Lexikon, Vienna
• Ganducci, O. Famiglie nobili di Genova, secolo XVIII, ms. 94. Santa Margherita Ligure, Biblioteca Comunale
• Granito, Giacchino (1912), Memorie, notizie e docc. della Gente Granita, Napoli
• Ilari, Annibale (2001- Tipografica L. Palazzotti), I Gran Priori di Roma del Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta
• Magri, Andrea (1640), Memorie della Nobilissima Famiglia Ravaschiera, Discendente da Gli'Antichissimi Conti di Lavagna
• Mediolani (1611), Antiquae Familie Scortiae, et Aliarum Comitum Lavaniae Antiquissima Monumenta
• Montefusco, Luigiantonio, Nobilta nel Salento Vol. III, Istituto Araldico Salentino, Lecce
• Musso, G.A. Stemmario p. 95
• Rietstap (1887), Armorial Général, 2eme Edition
• Rolland, V. H. (1926), Supplément à Rietstap
• Ruvigny, Marquis de (1914), The Titled Nobility of Europe
• Turchi, Gabriele (2004), Storia di Belmonte (Dalle origini alla fine del secolo XIX)

[edit] External links

• An Online Gotha - Princes and Princesses of Belmonte