Siracusa (noble family)

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Family coat of arms

The Siracusa family (Spanish branch de Zaragoza ) comes from Spain. It is first documented in 1118 in the city of Zaragoza as a branch of the Béarn family from Roussellon. Gaston IV (Béarn) , who took part in the 1st Crusade, liberated the city of Zaragoza from the Moors and received the title of Lord of Zaragoza. Since then, a branch of the de Zaragoza family has called itself . Thomas Zaragoza came to Sicily with Peter III in 1283 ( Sicilian Vespers ) and was enfeoffed with the barony of Vizzini , as can be read in King Federico III's Adohamento . Antonio Zaragoza was sent as ambassador of the Duchy of Athens to King Frederick III of Sicily in 1319. Perhaps the first Zaragoza in Sicily were members of the Catalan companies ( Almogàvers ). Pedro Zaragoza was governor of the island of Djerba until 1333 on behalf of King Frederick of Sicily. Zurita reports in his Annales:

“The captains of the galleries from Genoa sold the captured weapons to the Moors and returned to King Robert and Don Ramon (de Peralta) when he found that the castle could not be kept, he left the island and returned to Sicily. The residents of the castle remained without hope of help. Immediately the Moors of the island stormed the castle, and after a bitter battle they penetrated and killed most of the inmates and stoned mosén Pedro Zaragoza, who was captain and governor of King Frederick (III of Sicily), and one of his sons [... ] " .

Over the centuries the family owned the Collesano , Cassaro , Xiridia , Monastero and others fiefs . Gaparo Siracusa received the city of Lagonegro from King Friedrich on August 11, 1498 . Jordanus Siracusa was baron of the city of Casacalenda . The main branch of the family originally lived in the city of Noto. Members of this branch were Pietro and his wife Margarita Siracusa, Baroness of Cassaro, who are among the ancestors of Queen Paola of Belgium, née Ruffo di Calabria.

The family took an active part in the centenary feud between the Perollo family and the Counts of Luna, which went down in history as Caso di Sciacca , among other things . As a result of this slaughter, part of the family moved to Palermo.

Antonio Siracusa was regent of the Consejo Supremo de Italia . Carlo Siracusa was a Knight of the Alcántara Order and Ottavio Siracusa, Knight of the Order of Santiago , inherited the titles Duke of Casteldimirto , Count of Villalta and Baron of Xiaccati from his uncle Ottavio Corsetto . The Duchy of Casteldimirto later passed by inheritance to the descendants of his sister Orietta, from the Stella family, later Bonagia.

Baroness Eufrosia Siracusa Valdaura also comes from the Siracusa family from Sciacca. She went down in the legends of Sicily because of her tragic love affair with Viceroy Marcantonio Colonna and who inspired Natoli to write his novel “La Dama tragica”. Her story is also described by Sciascia in the novel "The Wine-Colored Sea".

The family coat of arms is blue with a three-tower silver castle and a baron's crown.

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  1. ↑ Jeronimo Zurita , Anales del Reino de Aragon
  • State Archives of Palermo, see here
  • Entry in Mugnos : Teatro genologico delle famiglie nobili e titolate… di Sicilia, Palermo 1670, see here
  • Palizzolo Gravina: Blasone in Sicilia
  • Archivo Historico Nacional, Madrid
  • Archivo general de Simancas
  • Villabianca: famiglie nobili di Sicilia, see here
  • Crollalanza: Dizionario araldico Italia
  • Gian Luca Barberi: Capibreve (Latin)

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