Gabriele Francesco Farnese

Gabriele Francesco Farnese (* around 1420 , † 1475 in Viterbo ) was an Italian nobleman.

The son of Ranuccio di Pietro and Agnese Monaldeschi, he was probably born between the second and third decade of the 15th century . In his youth he experienced the economic and cultural rise of his family. In 1442 , when he married Isabella di Aldobrandino, daughter of the Count of Pitigliano, it became part of family policy. This marriage not only resolved the conflicts between these two families, but also marked the beginning of the family's integration into the ancient Roman nobility.

In 1454 he supported his wife's father, the Count of Pitigliano , in the armed conflict with Siena . This temporarily strained the good relations of the Farnese family with Siena. Following the centuries-old custom of the family, he took over the arms trade and, in addition to Siena, he was also the leader of the papal army in armed actions in the area. Together with his brothers Pierluigi and Angelo, he continued the work of his father and worked on expanding territorial rule. The brothers succeeded in consolidating and developing relationships, respecting their father's concern to ensure the indivisibility of the administration. After Angelo's death, his right of inheritance was transferred to Gabriele Francesco, thus avoiding fragmentation. This was the basis of wealth and power for future generations.

Ranuccio di Pietro gave his sons the will of July 2, 1450, the lands and castles of Ischia , Tessennano , Cellere , Pianano , Valentano , Capodimonte , Piansano , Marta , the islands of Martana and Bisentina , Canino , Gradoli , Badia al Ponte and Musignano as well other goods and real estate. Kalixt III. confirmed to him and his brothers half of the rights from the vicariate of the castles of Canino, Gradoli and Badia as Ponte. The remaining half was completely taken over in 1464 by Antonio Piccolomini, nephew of Pius II , for 5000 Fiorini . In November of the same year, the newly elected Pope Paul II Farnese and his cousin Pier Bertoldo, son of Ranuccio's brother Batolomeo, along with older rights, reaffirmed the lands and castles of Valentano, Latera , Tessennano and Piansano.

In May 1461 , together with Pierluigi, he was able to regain the rights to the castle of Marte from Pius II against a credit of 6000 Fiorini to the Apostolic Chamber and to strengthen his territorial rule. Thanks to his good prestige, he was able to act as a peacemaker between the Orvietani and their "Comitatini" in 1473 and suppressed an uprising within the city the following year. This gave him immunity within the Orvieto municipality . He lived in the family palace in the parish of Viterbo and when he died at the end of 1475 , the parish decided to attend his funeral.

Together with his brother Pierluigi, he was also able to expand and maintain the network of relationships. The excellent relationships with the Piccolomini were strengthened by the marriage of his daughter Agnese to Andrea di Nanni Piccolomini Todeschini . Two years before that, the daughter of his late brother Angelo, Francesca, was married to Count Guidi di Buoso Attendolo Sforza with a dowry of 3000 Fiorini. This acquired a new family relationship in the Po Valley to which his son Ranuccio was destined, who married Ippolita di Federico Pallavicino. Relations with the Medici and Florence were already strengthened by his father Ranuccio, who had made an enormous investment (approx. 11,000 Fiorini) in the Florentine national debt. Ranuccio's children enjoyed the benefits and support from this for a long time, especially when Gabriele Francesco recommended his young son Ranuccio to Lorenzo il Magnifico when he was starting a military career in the mid-1470s.

Gabriele Francesco probably had another daughter from Isabella Orsini - in addition to Agnese and Ranuccio - who married Sigismondo Castellottieri in 1480 and whose name is unknown, as well as another son, Paolo, who was an apostolic protonotary .

literature

Andrea Zorzi: Gabriele Francesco Farnese . In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani . tape 45 , 1995 (Italian, treccani.it ).