Torriani (patrician family)

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The Torriani ( della Torre , da Torre , German: von Thurn ) were a patrician family from Milan. From the 12th to the 14th centuries they rose to become powerful masters in Lombardy and northern Italy . In the 13th century they ruled the Signoria Milan including large parts of Lombardy and were the leaders of the Guelphs loyal to the Pope . The Torriani became bitter rivals of the Visconti until they were ousted from power by them in 1281 and finally in 1311.

( see main article History of Milan )

However, numerous branches of the family continued to exist and belonged to the Italian aristocracy , some also became part of the Austrian aristocracy (including the Thurn and Valsassina family, which still exists today ). The return of the Thurn and Taxis to the Torriani is based on an unproven genealogical construction from the early 17th century.

history

The Torriani who immigrated from the area of Como to Torre in what is now the canton of Ticino have adopted the place name as their surname, or, according to another representation, probably built a gender tower in the Milan district of Porta Nuova , after which they were named ( la torre = it .: the tower). After the oath of Torre (1182) , the family was permanently expelled from the Blenio Valley by the rebels in the valley, their two castles in Torre and Semione were razed. They were enfeoffed by the Archdiocese of Milan with the county of Valsassina in what is now the province of Lecco , whose main fortified town was Primaluna .

Archbishop Ottone Visconti at the Battle of Desio in 1277
Guido della Torre fought royal troops in 1311
Tomb of Cassono della Torre, Patriarch of Aquileia 1316–1318

Middle Ages: Podestà and Signori of Milan, Patriarch of Aquileia

Martino "the giant" excelled as a crusader in the Holy Land and died after 1147. His son Pagano the Elder became Podestà in Padua in 1195 , his brother Cassone in Orvieto in 1204 , and his nephew Pagano the Younger in Brescia in 1227 and in Bergamo in 1228 . Among the ten sons of Pagano d. J. there are seven Podestà, which administered numerous northern Italian cities (Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Bergamo, Piacenza, Sacile, Novara, Brescia, Alessandria, Cremona, Mantua) as well as a bishop, Raimondo della Torre , who was bishop from 1262 to 1273 in Como and then until 1299 Patriarch of Aquileia ; as such he waged war against the Republic of Venice from 1283–91 . A nephew of Paganos d. J., Martino della Torre ruled the city of Milan as Podestà and Signore from 1256 and thus established the 50-year rule of the Torriani in Milan as leader of the popular party, the Popolaren. His brother Filippo was Podestà in Novara and in 1256 in Genoa .

Napoleone della Torre , one of the ten sons of Pagano the Younger, was imperial vicar of Lombardy under King Rudolf von Habsburg from 1265 to 1277 , but was defeated by Archbishop Ottone Visconti near Desio in 1277 and died as a prisoner in the Castello Baradello in Como. When Napoleone's powerful brother Francesco, the Podestà of Brescia, Alessandria, Bergamo, Lodi and Novara, was also defeated and killed, the Visconti secured power in Milan and all of Lombardy.

The rulership of the Patriarch Raimondo della Torre in Aquileia and Friuli became a place of refuge for the Torriani . There and in neighboring areas they now expanded their sphere of activity and influence: Napoleone's son Corrado "Mosca" della Torre became governor of Istria and Trieste. When Matteo I. Visconti was temporarily expelled from Milan in 1302, Corrado "Mosca" came back to power in Milan until 1307. When his cousin and successor Guido della Torre , a son of Francesco who had fallen at Desio, tried to instigate a popular uprising against the later Emperor Henry VII in 1311 , he was forced to flee and died in 1312. Corrado's son Florimondo "Moschino" della Torre tried in vain to come back to power in Milan, which Matteo I. Visconti succeeded in 1311. Cassono della Torre, another son of Corrado "Mosca", had become Archbishop of Milan in 1308, but soon came into conflict with his uncle Guido and was first imprisoned and then exiled by him; from 1316 to 1318, however, he became Patriarch of Aquileia. His successor from 1319 to 1332 was Pagano della Torre. Paganino , also a son of Corrado, became Podestà of Como and a Roman senator. The feud with the Visconti lasted until 1332 , when the Pope agreed a peace with Azzo Visconti and the della Torre family regained access to their possessions in Milan and Lombardy, while the Visconti remained sovereign rulers. With Lodovico della Torre, the dynasty 1359–65 provided once again a patriarch of Aquileia.

Modern times

In the following years the family lost influence. Different branches spread in Lombardy (Como), Veneto (Verona), Friuli (from 1453 to 1905 at Villalta Castle near Fagagna ) and Piedmont (Alessandria), others went to Carinthia, Carniola and Bohemia, some served the house Savoy , others the Habsburgs (see below, web links: family tables) . In the Milanese churches of Santa Maria delle Grazie and Sant'Eustorgio there are burial chapels of the Milanese Torriani (descendants of Napoleone) from the 15th century. Girolamo , a descendant of Napoleone from the Udine line, as well as his brothers and a cousin, was confirmed by Emperor Charles V in 1533 the old title of the Count of Valsassina family and conferred the title of Baron von Vercelli ; he acquired property in Moravia (Leipritz) and died in Venice in 1530. The line of Napoleone expired in 1842 with the Count della Torre di Madrisio .

Francesco della Torre (1518–1565) from the Gorizia line, the descendants of Ermanno, the eldest son of Pagano d. J., was councilor of Emperor Ferdinand I and was emperor's envoy to Venice in 1558; he was raised to baron of Thurn and Valsassina . His son Raimund married two Hofer von Hohenfels sisters, heiresses of Duino Castle ; in 1572 he became Count of Thurn-Hofer and Valsassina ; the last descendant of this branch, Theresa Maria († 1893), Duino passed on to her daughter, Princess Marie von Thurn und Taxis , the patron of Rainer Maria Rilkes . The castle still belongs to their descendants today.

The eighth son of Pagano d. J., Salvino († after 1281), founded a line that came to Carinthia with his great-grandson Richard I of Thurn-Valsassina , where he married into the aristocratic families of the country and, as the Count's family of Thurn and Valsassina-Como-Vercelli, continues to do so today Goods in Carinthia and Lower Austria. Six generations after Richard I, Anton II († 1569), Land Marshal of Gorizia, and his cousin Franz (1508–1586) were raised to barons and in 1541 to counts. Anton's younger son Johann Ambros (1537–1621) acquired Bleiburg Castle in 1601 and his older brother Achaz continued the line that is still there today. Franz 'youngest son, Count Heinrich Matthias von Thurn-Valsassina (1567–1640), became one of the main leaders of the Bohemian Protestant uprising against Ferdinand II in the first phase of the Thirty Years' War . He went into exile in the Baltic States, where the branch went out with his grandchildren. Salvino's brother Francesco († 1277 in the Battle of Desio) founded the Como line that flourished until 1657, the other brother Caverno († after 1277) founded the Verona line, which only became extinct in the 19th century.

In Italy there are numerous bourgeois families named Della Torre, Dalla Torre, Del Torre, Torriani, Turriano etc., although today it is hardly possible to prove whether one or the other of them goes back to the Milanese patrician family; the name also occurs frequently in southern Italy (della Torre, de Turris etc.) (comparable to the German names Türmer , Thürmer, Thürner, Dürner, Durner, Thurn etc.). The numerous Torriani from Mendrisio in Ticino or the Della Torre from Marradi in Tuscany can be traced back to around 1500 and speculate about their origins from scattered Torriani. The fate of the noble lines, however, is largely known, only in the case of a knightly family Bovio della Torre , who have lived in the castle Rivalta Bormida since 1331 , their descent from the della Torre of Milanese origin, documented in Alessandria since about 1200, is only suspected; In 1766 they achieved the status of Counts of Savoy (today Rapetti Bovio della Torre , similar coat of arms as the Torriani). Many of the middle-class families of the same name did not hesitate to use the Torriani coat of arms. Other originally Italian aristocratic families adorned themselves with the illustrious name - with dubious genealogical derivations - for example Countess Alexandrine von Taxis in 1650 , which laid the foundation for the imperial approval of a name change to "Thurn, Valsassina and Taxis" and the later rise of the Thurn and Taxis placed in the princely estate. Cardinal Carlo Rezzonico (1693–1769) held it similarly, who under all sorts of genealogical contortions got himself the name della Torre and in 1758 became Pope Clement XIII. was chosen.

coat of arms

Coat of arms shapes

Coat of arms of Napoleone della Torre
Family coat of arms
Crossed on a blue field two gold, with lilies crowned scepter .
Later coat of arms
On a blue (or silver) field a red, crenellated tower , above or below two crossed golden (or silver) sceptres adorned with golden lilies (occasionally under a lying silver crescent).
Coat of arms after Napoleone della Torre
Since the imperial vicariate of Napoleone della Torre from 1265, an upper field with the double-headed imperial eagle on a gold background, including the tower-scepter coat of arms on silver.

Symbolism and ancestry legend

The construction of legends of ancestry typical of the late Middle Ages and especially the Renaissance period , some of which extend into antiquity and mythology , led in the case of the Torriani to the unsubstantiated claim that a certain Frankish knight named Ariprand de la Tour , who “came from the sovereign house France originated “(that is, the Capetians ) and married Eurilla, the heir to the Count of Valsassina, in 1095. While the Milanese Torriani family could marry into the count family, their royal descent is a legend that is likely to be linked to the scepter of the Torriani coat of arms adorned with golden lilies. The lily, however, was the symbol of the Guelph Party loyal to the Pope , whose leaders were the Torriani in Lombardy for a time, and which is derived from the lily coat of arms of the Capetian Karl von Anjou , who, with papal support, fought the imperial party of the Hohenstaufen . The lily can therefore be found in numerous coats of arms of former Guelfish-minded Italian aristocratic families or municipalities (e.g. from Bologna ), while the double-headed imperial eagle indicates Ghibelline supporters.

Representative of the Milanese patrician family

Family coat of arms from the Torriani Book of Hours (around 1490)
  • Martino "the giant", crusader († after 1147), progenitor
  • Pagano d. Ä. della Torre, son of Martino , 1195 Podestà in Padua
  • Alcherio da Torre († between approx. 1190 and 1204), Vogt in the Blenio Valley with castles in Torre and Semione
  • Reinher della Torre († 1209), Bishop of Chur from 1194 until his death
  • Pagano d. J. della Torre († 1241), nephew Paganos the Elder , 1227 Podestà in Brescia , 1228 in Bergamo , after 1237 member of the Milanese government
  • Ermanno della Torre, 1st son Paganos the Younger , 1253 Podestà in Bologna , 1256 in Florence , 1258 in Pisa , ancestor of the Görzer line
  • Napoleone della Torre , 2nd son of Pagano the Younger , 1265 - 1277 imperial vicar of Lombardy under King Rudolf von Habsburg , defeated and captured in 1277 by Desio
  • Avone della Torre († after 1279), 3rd son Paganos the Younger , 1274 Podestà in Pistoia
  • Martino della Torre († after 1277), 4th son of Paganos the Younger
  • Filippo della Torre, 5th son of Pagano the Younger , 1290 Podestà in Sacile
  • Paganino della Torre († after 1266 in Vercelli), 6th son of Paganos the Younger , 1259 Podestà in Novara , son-in-law of Count Guido of Montefeltro
  • Francesco della Torre († 1277 in the Battle of Desio ), 7th son of Paganos the Younger , Podestà of Brescia, Alessandria , Bergamo , Lodi and Novara
  • Salvino della Torre († after 1281), 8th son of Paganos the Younger , progenitor of Thurn and Valsassina
  • Caverno della Torre († after 1277), 9th son of Paganos the Younger , 1245 Podestà in Mantua , progenitor of the Verona line
  • Raimondo della Torre († 1299), 10th son of Paganos the Younger , from 1273 Patriarch of Aquileja
  • Martino della Torre († 1263), nephew Paganos the Younger , Signore of Milan from 1257 , Podestà in Lodi in 1262
  • Filippo della Torre , nephew Paganos the Younger and brother Martinos, Podestà in Novara, 1256 in Genoa
  • Corrado Mosca della Torre († 1307), son of Napoleone , governor of Istria and Trieste , from 1303 Signor of Milan
  • Guido della Torre († 1312), son of Francesco , 1307–11 Signore of Milan
  • Cassono della Torre († 1319) (also: Cassone, Gastone ), son of Corrado "Mosca" , 1308–1317 Archbishop of Milan, 1316–1318 Patriarch of Aquileia
  • Florimonte "Moschino" della Torre († after 1345), son of Corrado "Mosca" , tried unsuccessfully in 1311 to regain power in Milan, in 1317 governor of the Patriarch of Aquileia
  • Lodovico della Torre († 1365), great-grandson of Ermannos , 1347 Bishop of Trieste, 1359 Patriarch of Aquileja
  • Ottolino della Torre († 1379), grandson of Moschino , Signore von Villalta (for three generations in the family)
  • Giovanni Antonio della Torre († approx. 1483/86), descendant of Corrado "Moscas" , 1439 bishop of Reggio, 1444 of Modena, 1364–1476 of Parma, 1476 of Cremona
  • Giulio della Torre, descendant of Caverno (Verona line), 1508 1st Conte di Cona (for 7 generations), legal teacher in Padua, 1509 Podestà in Peschiera, 1521 envoy in Venice
  • Domenico della Torre († 1576), descendant of Cavernos (Verona line), 1529 judge, privy councilor of the Duke of Parma, 1569/73 Marchese of Grotta and Salso Minore (for 8 generations)
  • Giacomo Antonio della Torre († 1618), descendant of Corrado "Moscas" , Savoy State Councilor and Chamberlain, envoy to Spain
  • Gaspare della Torre, descendant of Francesco , envoy Comos in Milan in 1591, vicar general and magistrate of Como, Podestà in Novara, 1617/18 in Vercelli, 1628 in Cremona, 1627 senator and patrician of Milan

Name bearer in the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland

The Historical Lexicon of Switzerland lists the following namesake each with its own article. Soglio in the canton of Graubünden and Mendrisio , Rancate and Torre in the canton of Ticino are named as Swiss communities of origin (citizenship before 1800) in the corresponding family name book in Switzerland .

  • Alessandro della Torre (approx. 1542–1625), civil servant / judge
  • Alessandro Torriani (1585–1651), civil servant / politician
  • Alfonso della Torre (1551! –1593), civil servant / politician
  • Alfonso Torriani (1586–1653), civil servant / politician
  • Donato della Torre (1451! –1495!), Civil servant / politician
  • Francesco Torriani (1612–1683), painter
  • Francesco Torriani (1663–1705), mercenary / politician
  • Franchino della Torre (1315! –1322!), Landlord / politician
  • Giovanni della Torre (c. 1512–1571), civil servant
  • Giovanni Torriani (1625–1699), civil servant / politician
  • Giovanni Ambrogio Torriani (1666! –1679), bishop
  • Giovanni Battista Torriani (1752–1823), civil servant / politician
  • Giulio della Torre (1582! –1621), clergyman and diplomat
  • Guidone Torriani (1556–1621), civil servant / politician
  • Innocenzo Torriani (1648–1700), painter
  • Napo della Torre (1265! –1278), military and Podestà
  • Pietro della Torre (1520! –1551/52), Podestà
  • Vico Torriani (1920–1998), musician and entertainer

Other namesake

  • Juanelo Turriano (after 1500–1585), watchmaker, mechanic
  • Bartolomeo della Torre († 1658), builder of the St. Ignatius Church and Jesuit Order House in Raab / Győr
  • Giacomo della Torre († 1669), son of Bartolomeo, bricklayer and foreman in Raab / Győr
  • Francesco della Torre (1627–1687), son of Bartolomeo, royal Prague stone mason
  • Bartolomeo della Torre, son of Francesco, pastor in Linz
  • Giovanni Pietro della Torre (1660–1711), son of Francesco, also royal Prague stone mason
  • Daniel Gran (1694–1757), imperial chamber painter, called himself "della Torre" from 1732
  • Lelio Della Torre (1805–1871), Italian Jewish scholar and Hebrew poet
  • José Della Torre (1906–1979), Argentine football player

literature

  • Fabrizio Frigerio: Torriani , in: Schweizer Lexikon , Luzern, Mengis & Ziehr Ed., 1991–1993, vol. VI, pp. 281-282.
  • Carlo Pirovano and Monica Minonzio: I Della Torre. Dalla Contea di Valsassina alla Signoria di Milano. Marna Casa Editrice, 2003 (176 pages), ISBN 8872032075 .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Lothar Deplazes: da Torre. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . November 18, 2015, accessed August 7, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Lothar Deplazes: Oath of Torre. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland. November 18, 2015, accessed August 7, 2020 .
  3. ^ Max Piendl: The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis . Verlag Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg 1981, according to p. 35 only the descent of the Austrian Counts of Thurn and Valsassina from the Torriani is unequivocally established.
  4. ↑ Stephen Slater: The Complete Book of Heraldry . ( ISBN 1843096986 ), p. 201. However, the ancestry legend was still treated as a fact in Pierer's Universal Lexikon , 4th edition (1857-1865).
  5. ↑ The lily can also be found in the coat of arms of the Bourbon del Monte Santa Maria family , which even took its name from it, while the Gherardesca wield half the imperial eagle.
  6. ↑ Lothar Deplazes: Alcherio daTorre. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland. October 26, 2012, accessed August 7, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Veronika Feller-Vest: Reinher da Torre. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland. March 5, 2012, accessed August 7, 2020 .

Web links

Commons : Torriani  - collection of images, videos and audio files