Fulco Ruffo di Calabria

Prince Fulco Ruffo di Calabria
6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda
Spouse Luisa Gazelli dei Conti Rossana
Issue
Maria Cristina
Laura
Prince Fabrizio, 7th Duke of Guardia Lombarda
Augusto
Giovannella
Antonello
Paola, Queen of the Belgians
Father Don Beniamino Tristano Ruffo di Calabria, 5th Duke of Guardia Lombarda
Mother Laura Mosselmann du Chenoy
Born 12 August 1884(1884-08-12)
Naples, Kingdom of Italy
Died 23 August 1946(1946-08-23) (aged 62)
Marina di Massa, Italy

Fulco VIII, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (Naples 12 August 1884 – Ronchi di Apuana 23 August 1946) was an Italian World War I flying ace, and posthumous father-in-law of King Albert II of the Belgians.

Contents

Background

Ademarus Rufus, who died in 1049, held the title of Comes in southern Italy and Siggerio Ruffo became Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II's grand marshal of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1235.[1] The family divided into two branches after the 14th century: the Ruffo di Calabria and the Ruffo di Scaletta, to the former of which Fulco belonged.

Don Fulco was the son of Don Beniamino Tristano Ruffo di Calabria, 5th Duke of Guardia Lombarda (1848 - 1901, who himself was the younger brother of the head of the House of Ruffo, Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 10th Principe di Scilla, 2nd Duque di Santa Cristina, etc.), and Laura Mosselmann du Chenoy, a Belgian noblewoman, whose maternal grandfather was Jacques André Coghen, Belgium's second finance minister.

Don Fulco was made, by decree of 15-3-1928, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, in the Kingdom of Italy. By inheritance he was also the 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda and 17th Count of Sinopoli.[1] The family Ruffo di Calabria represents one of the most ancient lineages of Italy and includes Cardinal Fabrizio Ruffo. Fulco was related to historically eminent Roman and southern Italian noble families, including the Colonna, Orsini, Pallavicini, Alliata and Rospigliosi. Among his distinguished ancestors of the French aristocracy were the Marquis de Lafayette, hero of American Independence, and the Dukes of Noailles.

Since the fall of the Italian monarchy in 1947 the Princes Ruffo di Calabria have become connected by marriage to such formerly reigning dynasties as the Orléans, the Savoys, the Bonapartes and the Windisch-Graetz.[2]

World War I service

See also: First World War and List of World War I aces credited with 20 or more victories

He joined the 11th Foggia Light Cavalry Regiment when aged 20, and went on to serve in Africa. In 1914, he transferred to the Italian Air Service.[3][4] He won two Bronze awards of the Medal for Military Valor while still a two-seater pilot. He was assigned to 1a Squadriglia as a fighter pilot. He won his first victory there, on 23 August 1916,[5] and had a second go unconfirmed. By 16 September, he was scoring for his new unit, 70a Squadriglia, and ran his score with them to four confirmed and four unconfirmed by 28 February 1917.[6] He then switched to flying a Nieuport for 91a Squadriglia.[5] His personal emblem was a black skull and crossbones painted on the fuselage of his plane.[3][4] He flew Nieuport 11, Nieuport 17, and SPAD VII airplanes.[7] In the end, he shot down twenty enemy airplanes, making him the fifth highest scoring Italian flying ace of World War I.[8] After the death of Francesco Baracca in June 1918, Fulco assumed command of the 91a Squadriglia, the renowned 'Squadron of Aces'. He relinquished command of 91a Squadriglia, after suffering a nervous breakdown.[9] After recovering,he was handed command of 10th Gruppo, on 23 October 1918, but was shot down by artillery fire within a week near Marano.

Postwar service

Di Calabria remained in the military, though without assignment. He eventually did rise to the rank of tenente colonnello by 1942. However, his main activity was management of his family estates.[10]In 1934 he was named senator of the kingdom by king Victor Emmanuel III.[11]

Awards

Di Calabria was awarded he following distinctions:

Italian awards

International awards

He also served as a senator.[1]

Family

On 30 June 1919 he married, in Turin, Luisa Gazelli (1896–1989), daughter of Augusto Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana, and of Maria dei Conti Rignon. Luisa served as a lady-in-waiting at the Italian court.[1]

They had seven children:[1]

References

Sources of information

  1. ^ a b c d e f Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVI. "Ruffo". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, pp.522-529. ISBN 3-7980-0824-8.
  2. ^ de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. Le Petit Gotha. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, p. 702 (French) ISBN 2-9507974-3-1
  3. ^ a b SPAD VII dell'asso Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, Museo Storico di Vigna di Valle - Bracciano (Roma)
  4. ^ a b Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, nonno
  5. ^ a b Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 79. 
  6. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/italy/ruffo.php ?Retrieved on 1 April 2010.
  7. ^ Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, theaerodrome
  8. ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/italy/index.php Retrieved on 4 May 2010.
  9. ^ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. p. 26. 
  10. ^ Nieuport Aces of World War 1. p. 80. 
  11. ^ From Italian senate website [1]
  12. ^ Although The Belgian Monarchy website attributes the title of "Princess" to Queen Paola prior to her marriage, Burke's Guide to the Royal Family, The Descendants of Louis XIII, Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, La Descendance de Marie-Thérèse de Habsburg and Le Petit Gotha, among others, accord only the noble prefix of Donna to she and her sisters, reserving the title Principessa for the wife of the head of the family, her father having received the title of prince in the Italian nobility in 1928 from King Victor Emmanuel III, heritable according to masculine primogeniture.

External links