Everything about The Colonna totally explained
The
Colonna family was a powerful noble family in
medieval and
Renaissance Rome, supplying one
Pope and many other leaders. Their family is notable for their bitter feud with the
Orsini family over influence in Rome until it was stopped by
Papal Bull in 1511; in 1571 the Chiefs of both families married the nieces of Pope
Sixtus V.
Oddone Colonna ended the
Western Schism as
Pope Martin V.
According to tradition, the Colonna are a branch of the
Counts of Tusculum — by Peter (1099-1151) son of
Gregory III, called Peter "de Columpna" from his property, the Columna Castle, in Colonna, Alban Hills.
The first
cardinal from the family was appointed in
1192 when
Giovanni Colonna was made
Cardinal Priest of
Santa Prisca.
In
1297, Cardinal Jacopo disinherited his brothers Ottone, Matteo, and Landolfo of their lands. The latter three appealed to
Pope Boniface VIII, who ordered Jacopo to return the land, and furthermore hand over the family's strongholds of Colonna,
Palestrina, and other towns to the
Papacy. Jacopo refused; in May, Boniface removed him from the
College of Cardinals and excommunicated him and his followers for four generations. The Colonna family (aside from the three brothers allied with the Pope) declared that Boniface had been elected illegally after the unprecedented
abdication of
Pope Celestine V three years previously. The dispute lead to open warfare, and in September Boniface appointed Landolfo to the command of his army, to put down the revolt of Landolfo's own relatives. This he did, and by the end of
1298 Colonna, Palestrina, and other towns had been captured and razed to the ground. The family's lands were distributed among Landolfo and his loyal brothers; the rest of the family fled Italy.
In the 1300s, the family sponsored the decoration of the Church of
San Giovanni, most notably the floor mosaics.
In
1728, the family added the name
Barberini to its family name when Giulio Cesare Colonna di Sciarra married Cornelia Barberini, daughter of the last male Barberini to hold the name, Taddeo Barberini.
The Colonna family have been
Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne since 1710, though their papal princely title only dates from 1854.
The family residence in Rome, the
Palazzo Colonna, is open to the public.
Notable members
- Vittoria Colonna, friend of Michelangelo.
- Sciarra Colonna, who participated in the Outrage of Anagni against Pope Boniface VIII.
- Stefano Colonna, an influential noble in Medieval Rome an Imperial vicar in the early 14th century.
- Pope Martin V
- Fabrizio Colonna, who was the father of Vittoria Colonna, and a general in the Holy League.
- Prospero Colonna, who fought alongside his cousin Fabrizio.
- Pompeo Colonna, cardinal.
- Marcantonio I Colonna (1478 - Milan 1522) condottiero of the XV-XVI century.
- Marcantonio Colonna, also successful condottiero of the late 16th century.
- Pirro Colonna, 16th century captain under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
- Francesco Colonna, who was credited with the authorship of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili by an acrostic in the text. Also believed to have written the story.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Colonna'.
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