Frescobaldi

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The Frescobaldi coat of arms at the Palace of the Podestà in Galluzzo
Impalement of the coat of arms of Frescobaldi (left) and Albizzi (right), probably created upon the wedding of Angiolo Frescobaldi and Leonida degli Albizzi (19th century)

The Frescobaldi are a prominent Florentine noble family that have been involved in the political, social, and economic history of Tuscany since the Middle Ages. Originating in the Val di Pesa in the Chianti, they appear holding important posts in Florence in the twelfth century.

Early history

From an early economic base in the Italian community of cloth merchants in Bruges, the Frescobaldi expanded their banking interests to their home city of Florence in the 13th century.[1] Their power base in the city's affairs lay in their participation in the small network that controlled the great cloth-working Arti: the Arte della Lana, the Arte di Calimala, the guild of cloth finishers and merchants in foreign cloth, and the Cambio, or money exchange. In Florence the Frescobaldi found themselves on the wrong side in the attempted power coup of the Grandi in 1343 and were henceforth barred from public service in the Republic, but the Frescobaldi remained prominent in the lesser offices still open to them, such as podestà in the small towns governed from Florence, and through the web of marriage connections among the Florentine ruling class.

As bankers, the Frescobaldi financed ventures for numerous members of European royal families, notably their financial conquest of England, which

Piers Gaveston, swept up Frescobaldi, who at the time of the Ordinances of 1311 was ordered to tally up his accounts by October, and was arrested and all his goods seized.[6] Frescobaldi fled England, first to Papal Avignon
and then to Florence. The royal debt was never repaid, and together with other reverses in the economic downturn of the 14th century, led to the bankruptcy of the Frescobaldi.

A second Frescobaldi bankruptcy, in 1581, Braudel traces to the general movement of capital and trade to the North.[7]

The family included several

literary figures, including Dino Frescobaldi a poet (died c. 1316) and Leonardo Frescobaldi, who visited Egypt and the Holy Land in 1384 and wrote valuable historical accounts of the countries he visited, noting their customs, social life and economics.[8]

Wine production

The Frescobaldi family began producing

Henry VIII; surviving contracts in the family archives are signed by the English king.[10]

The

in-law of the Frescobaldi family through the marriage of his sister Leonida to Angiolo Frescobaldi; with Frescobaldi financing he was able to pioneer modern wine production techniques in Tuscany. In 1855, Albizi introduced Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot vines to the region.[10]

The Frescobaldi family operates the wine producer Marchesi de' Frescobaldi and is behind the Laudemio brand of Italian olive oil.[11]

Present day

The family is currently headed by

Marchese
Lamberto Frescobaldi (full name: Lamberto Frescobaldi Franceschi Marini), son of Vittorio Frescobaldi

Partnership with Mondavi

In 1995 the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi entered into a joint venture with

Robert Mondavi Winery to produce Tuscan wine. The joint venture produced several labels including Danzante, Luce della Vite, and the Wine Spectator "2001 Wine of the Year" Ornellaia. Following the acquisition of Mondavi by Constellation Brands in December 2004, the Frescobaldi family has been attempting to gain full control of the Tuscan ventures. In March 2005, the family was able to acquire control of Luce della Vite[12] and Ornellaia in April 2005.[13]

Gorgona Project

The Gorgona project began in August 2012 thanks to the partnership between Frescobaldi and Gorgona, the only island penitentiary in Europe. Here, inmates spend the final years of their sentence, working and living in close contact with nature, while developing skills to support their return to society and the workforce. In a small vineyard located in an amphitheatre-shaped area that overlooks the sea, the project aims to provide inmates with practical experience in the areas of grape cultivation and winemaking by working closely with Frescobaldi agronomists and oenologists. Today, the vineyard measures two hectares, including the original plot and a second area planted in 2015.

Tenute di Toscana

In May 2006, the Frescobaldi family merged their Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, Castel Giocondo and Luce della Vite wine holdings into a new venture partnership, Tenute di Toscana, with

See also

References

  1. ^ Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Merchant networks in the early modern world (1996:18).
  2. ^ Braudel, The Wheels of Commerce ("Civilization and Capitalism", II) (1979) 1982:392f.
  3. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Frescobaldi Family
  4. ^ Johnson, Hugh. Vintage: The Story of Wine p.152, Simon and Schuster, 1989
  5. ^ May McKisack, The Fourteenth Century (Oxford History of England) 1959 :14.
  6. ^ a b McKisack 1959:14.
  7. ^ Braudel, The Perspective of the Wold ("Civilization and Capitalism", III) (1979) 1984:150.
  8. ^ Frescobaldi Family Encyclopædia Britannica
  9. ^ Dayton Daily News Uncorked: Making Wine Since Before Christopher Columbus Was Born Archived 2015-06-09 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ a b Frescobaldi Article Archived 2007-06-09 at the Wayback Machine excerpt also reprinted at Etiquette Magazine Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Frescobaldi web site.
  12. ^ WineCountry.it (March 3, 2005) "Frescobaldi Acquires Control of 'Luce della Vite'" Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Lechmere, Adam, Decanter.com (December 16, 2004). "Frescobaldi wants to buy Ornellaia outright".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Wine Business Insider (May 15, 2006) Frescobaldi Establishes Tenute di Toscana Partnership
  15. ^ Shah, Michele, Decanter.com (May 22, 2006). "Frescobaldi joins Stolly and Mondavi".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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