Barberini family
Barberini | |
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Barberini coat of arms. | |
Country | Italy |
Founded | Between 1530 and 1559 |
Founder | Antonio Barberini (1494–1559) |
Current head | Benedetto Francesco Barberini, Prince of Palestrina (born 1961) |
Titles |
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Estate(s) | Palestrina |
Cadet branches |
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The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban palace, the Palazzo Barberini, completed in 1633 by Bernini, today houses Italy's Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica (National Gallery of Ancient Art).
Early history
The Barberini family was originally a family of minor nobility from the Tuscan town of Barberino Val d'Elsa, who settled in Florence during the early part of the 11th century.[1]
Carlo Barberini (1488–1566) and his brother Antonio Barberini (1494–1559) were successful Florentine grain, wool and textile merchants. In 1530 Antonio participated in the defense of the
In 1552, Carlo's son Francesco followed his uncle to Rome and business flourished. Francesco became a very rich man and bought several high offices within government and the
Francesco continued to build his fortune and amass titles until he died in 1600. Ordinarily, his estate would have been "fined" by the
Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII
The Barberini acquired great wealth and influence when Cardinal Maffeo Barberini was elected to the papal throne in 1623, taking the name
The ecclesiastical, diplomatic, and cultural accomplishments of Urban's reign were overshadowed by the nepotism the pope practised. Urban's contemporary, John Bargrave, wrote:[4]
Upon his elevation, his kindred flew from Florence to Rome like so many bees (which are the Barberini's arms), to suck the honey of the Church, which they did excessively.
Likewise, the
When the pope removed the ancient bronze beams from the portico of the
Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini
This translates to "What the barbarians did not do, the Barberini did". The pope erected a tablet proudly proclaiming his re-use of these hidden beams for the glory and defense of the church.
Wars of Castro, exile and restoration
The Barberini participated extensively in the
Despite Urban's appointment of several relatives as cardinals, the
The three nephews who had risen to prominence under their uncle Pope Urban VIII, cardinals Antonio and Francesco and Prince Taddeo were forced into exile and fled to Paris under the protection of Cardinal Mazarin. Antonio and Taddeo left first, by sea, but not before hanging the French coat of arms above the door of the Palazzo Barberini to confirm they were under the protection of France. Francesco joined his brothers soon after.
Taddeo's wife, Anna Colonna also joined her husband and children in Paris but not before making a passionate appeal (in person) to the Pope, urging him not to strip the Barberini of their assets. The Pope agreed and, though he paid some debts out of the Barberini estate, left the Barberini alone.[3]
In Paris, they relied on the hospitality of
Taddeo's older son
Later history
The 1627 marriage of
In 1728, the Carbognano branch (Colonna di Sciarra) of the Colonna family added the name Barberini to its family name when Giulio Cesare Colonna di Sciarra married Cornelia Barberini, daughter of Urbano Barberini, the last legitimate male Barberini heir.[6]
Though Urbano's wives bore him no legitimate male heirs, Urbano fathered a son, Maffeo Callisto Barberini in 1688 before any one of his three marriages. The will of Urbano Barberini's last wife, Maria Teresa Boncompagni, makes mention of this Maffeo Callisto as the Marquis of Corese. A large portion of the Barberini estate was left for him in her will.[7]
Later her progeny came into conflict with his over claims to the Barberini estate but the quarrel was settled with an agreement signed in Paris in 1811 which divided the estate between the two claimant branches of the family.
The Colonna line became extinct again on the death of Prince Enrico Barberini-Colonna and the name went to his daughter and heiress Maria and her husband Marquis Luigi Sacchetti, who received the title of Prince of Palestrina and permission to use the Barberini name.
On 21 June 2005, Augusto Barberini, the 13th Prince of Palestrina, died in Rome.[8] The family is now represented by Benedetto Francesco Barberini, Prince of Palestrina (born 1961), whose heir is his eldest son.
Patrons of the arts
The Palazzo Barberini, the Barberini library (now a core section of the Vatican's
- The Barberini Apollo, sold to Ludwig I of Bavaria and now in the Munich Glyptothek
- The Barberini Venus
- The Barberini Hera, also seen in this head;
- The Portland Vase (once known as the Barberini Vase), bought from the family by Sir William Hamilton and now in the British Museum
- The Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power
- The Anglo-Saxon Barberini Gospels, in the Vatican Library, with many other manuscripts from the Barberini collections
- The Barberini Codex, or Aztecherbal manuscript now once again in Mexico.
A nucleus remains in the hands of the family, as well as in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, which occupies part of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. The cultural influence of the dynasty was considerable, and provided the subject for a major international conference in December 2004 (and subsequent publication), entitled I Barberini e la Cultura Europea.
Barberini family tree
Family tree of the 16th and 17th century Barberini[6] (hereditary patriarchy of the family is indicated by the colored squares).
Carlo Barberini (born 1488) | Cassandra del Branca | Antonio Barberini (born 1494) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Francesco Barberini | Antonio Barberini | Camilla Barbadori | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carlo Barberini | Costanza Magalotti | Alessandro Barberini | Niccolo Barberini | Pope Urban VIII | Antonio Marcello Barberini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Francesco Barberini (senior) | Camilla Barberini | Maria Barberini | Taddeo Barberini | Anna Colonna | Clarice Barberini | Antonio Barberini | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pamphili ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rinaldo d'Este | Costanza Barberini | Camilla Barberini | Francesco Barberini (junior) | Urbano Barberini (1664–1722) | Taddeo Barberini | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
- The Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power
- Ferrante Pallavicino – satirical critic of the Barberini.
- Palazzo Barberini ai Giubbonari
References
- ^ a b public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Barberini". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 386. This cites:
- A. von Reumont, Geschichte der Stadt Rom (Berlin, 1868), iii. b. 611–612, 615, 617, &c.
- Almanach de Gotha (Gotha, 1902).
- J. H. Douglas, The Principal Noble Families of Rome (Rome, 1905).
- ISBN 9004148930.
- ^ a b c d e f von Ranke, Leopold (1901). History of the popes; their church and state (Volume III). The Colonial Press.
- ^ Bargrave, John (1867). James Craigie Robertson (ed.). "Pope Alexander the Seventh and the College of Cardinals". Works of the Camden Society. 92. Royal Historical Society.
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b "Worldroots – Barberini". Archived from the original on 6 March 2008.
- ^ "Testamento Barberini: Donna Maria Teresa Boncompagni" (in Italian).[dead link]
- ^ "Italian Genealogy of the Noble Families" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 September 2012.