Malaspina
The Malaspina are an Italian noble family of Lombard origin. The progenitor of the family is Adalberto Malaspina († 1140), who descended from the Margravial Otbertines ( Obertenghi ), who have been known since the middle of the 10th century .
The Malaspina owned numerous fiefs in the Lunigiana (the hinterland of La Spezia in the Apennines ) and had also held the margravate of Massa and Carrara since the 14th century . They also owned contiguous territory north of Genoa (the so-called Quattro province ), in the valleys of the Trebbia and Staffora. Both territorial complexes soon split up due to the adoption of the Lombard inheritance law, which provides for the division of all goods and fiefs to all male descendants. In the disputes between the emperor and the pope in the High Middle Ages, the Malaspina belonged to the Guelph party . Individual branches of the Malaspina still exist today.
The marriage of a Malaspina with a Cibo gave rise to the Cybo-Malaspina branch , which owned the independent principality of Massa and Carrara (later the Duchy of Massa and Carrara ) from the 15th to 19th centuries . Some members of the Cibo or Cybo-Malaspina were known as Cardinals Cibo. You held important posts in the papal curia in the Vatican . This has also found expression in literature: for example, Alfred de Musset has a Cardinal Cibo appear in his historical drama "Lorenzaccio".
origin
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The Malaspina are descended from the Otbertines ( Obertenghi ). Their progenitor Otbert I was in the middle of the 10th century Count Palatine of the Kingdom of Italy , from 951 Margrave of Milan and Prince of Luni . He owned the Obertengische Mark in eastern Liguria named after him . Overall, he owned about the area of today's Lombardy with parts of Piedmont , Italian-speaking Switzerland ( Ticino ) and Emilia with Ferrara , as well as large parts of the province of Genoa . This extensive territory was reduced and fragmented through inheritance divisions and disputes with other families, especially the ruling patricians of the Republic of Genoa (the Doria , Spinola , Fieschi , etc.), but also through pressure from other up-and-coming cities (Milan, Piacenza , Tortona , Pavia and Bobbio ).
After their heyday in the early Middle Ages and the fall of their margraviate, the mighty Otbertines were partly extinct in the male line, partly they split up into various branches of the family under other names, some of which came into modern times , all of which were historically very important: the Malaspina, the Pallavicini , the Parodi and the House of Este , which in turn was divided into the younger Welfs (including the House of Hanover ) and the Dukes of Ferrara-Modena.
Oberto I. descends from (via Oberto II., Oberto Opizzo I., Alberto I., Oberto Obizzo II.) Alberto or Adalberto Malaspina († 1140), the progenitor of the family. His son Obizzo I the Great († 1185) was confirmed in his possessions by Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa in 1164 and made an imperial vassal . These possessions were already divided into two parts: parts of Liguria (for example the Cinque Terre ) with the Lunigiana and Garfagnana, as well as areas in Lombardy.
In 1220 only two lines existed, with Corrado and Opizzino, which were confirmed in their fiefs by Emperor Friedrich II . In 1221 the two divided their territories: Corrado received the western Lunigiana and the valley of the Trebbia in Lombardy. He is the progenitor of Malaspina dello Spino Secco ("from the dry blackthorn "). Opizzino got the eastern Lunigiana and the valley of the Staffora in Lombardy and became the progenitor of the branch of the Malaspina dello Spino Fiorito ("from the blooming blackthorn").
Malaspina dello Spino Secco
The progenitor of Malaspina dello Spino Secco is Corrado “the old man”. The name goes back to the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri , where Corrado is so named in Canto 8 of the Purgatory . Dante knew the Malaspina family because he had been accommodated in Mulazzo by a descendant of Corrado from 1306 on his flight from Florence .
From 1266 four lines branched off from Corrado "the old":
Malaspina di Mulazzo
Its origins go back to Moroello († 1284) who, in addition to the castle of Mulazzo in Lunigiana, the ancestral seat of the line of the Spino secco, also had properties in the Trebbia valley around Ottone. In addition there were shares in rulers in Sardinia , the north of which they shared with the Doria early on . In 1743 the province of Bobbio was formed within the Margraviate of Bobbio, which had existed since 1516, under the suzerainty of the Savoy . The oldest line was kept by the Margraviate of Mulazzo until the abolition of feudal rule; it expired in 1810 with Margrave Alessandro Malaspina di Mulazzo , a famous politician and circumnavigator in the Spanish service.
The following lines sprang from the Malaspina di Mulazzo:
- Malaspina di Cariseto . They had their origin in Antonio († 1477), son of Antonio di Mulazzo. They died out after two generations, the Margraviate Cariseto then passed to the Fieschi and then to the Doria .
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Malaspina di Santo Stefano . They go back to Ghisello I († 1475), son of Antonio di Mulazzo. As early as 1495 they sold the margravate Santo Stefano to the Fieschi, but kept Godano and Bolano (located between the Lunigiana and the Trebbia valley). They died out in the 18th century and their fiefs passed to the main line of Mulazzo.
- Malaspina di Edifici . Descended from Pietro, son of Ghisello I of Santo Stefano. Extinct in the 17th century.
- Malaspina di Casanova . Descended from Antonio, probably a son of Barnabò di Mulazzo. Extinct in the 18th century.
- Malaspina di Fabbrica . Descended from Moroello, son of Barnabò or Galeazzo di Mulazzo. Still existing today.
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Malaspina di Ottone . Descended from Giovanni, son of Barnabò or Galeazzo di Mulazzo, extinct at the beginning of the 19th century.
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Malaspina di Orezzoli . They descend from Galeazzo, son of Giovanni di Ottone. They split into myriad lines and still exist today. One of these lines, which was based in Bobbio, was adopted by the line Malaspina-Della Chiesa, Marquis of Volpedo and Carbonara .
- Malaspina di Frassi . Descended from Giovanni, son of Galeazzo di Orezzoli. Still existing today in several lines.
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Malaspina di Orezzoli . They descend from Galeazzo, son of Giovanni di Ottone. They split into myriad lines and still exist today. One of these lines, which was based in Bobbio, was adopted by the line Malaspina-Della Chiesa, Marquis of Volpedo and Carbonara .
Malaspina di Giovagallo
They are descended from Manfredo, a son of Corrado "the old man". They owned the Giovagallo castle in Lunigiana with the surrounding area. They died out in the middle of the 14th century, their fiefs passed to the line of Malaspina di Villafranca (see below).
Malaspina di Villafranca
The Malaspina di Villafranca trace their origins back to Federico, a son of Corrado “the old”. They owned the castle of Villafranca in Lunigiana with the surrounding lands. Branched into several lines, still existing today in several lines.
- Malaspina di Cremolino . They descend from Tommaso I, a son of Federico di Villafranca and Agnese del Bosco. Extinct in the 16th century.
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Malaspina di Lusuolo . Descended from Azzone († 1364), son of Opizzino di Villafranca. After the Malaspina di Giovagallo became extinct, they inherited their fiefdoms (see above). After their fiefs were sold to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany , they died out in the 17th century.
- Malaspina di Tresana . They descend from Opizzino, son of Giovanni Jacopo di Lusuolo, and died out in the 17th century.
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Malaspina di Licciana . Descended from Gian Spinetta, son of Giovanni Spinetta di Villafranca. Extinct in the 18th century, shortly before the abolition of feudalism.
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Malaspina di Bastia . They descend from Fioramonte, a son of Gian Spinetta di Licciana, and died out in the 18th century. Their fiefs went to the Malaspina di Ponte Bosio.
- Malaspina di Terrarossa . Their ancestry goes back to Fabrizio, son of Fioramonte di Bastia. Fabrizio sold his fiefdom to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and died out after two generations.
- Malaspina di Ponte Bosio . They go back to Ludovico, a nephew of Fioramonte di Bastia. Extinct in the 19th century.
- Malaspina di Monti . They descended from Moroello, son of Gian Spinetta di Licciana, but died out after two generations.
- Malaspina di Suvero . Descended from Rinaldo, son of Gian Spinettas di Licciana. Still existing today.
- Malaspina di Podenzana . Descended from Leonardo, a son of Gian Spinettas di Licciana. In 1714 they also became Margraves of Aulla and died out at the end of the 18th century, almost simultaneously with the abolition of feudal rule.
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Malaspina di Bastia . They descend from Fioramonte, a son of Gian Spinetta di Licciana, and died out in the 18th century. Their fiefs went to the Malaspina di Ponte Bosio.
Malaspina di Pregòla
The Malaspina di Pregòla descend from Alberto († 1298), a son of Corrado “the old”. They owned the Pregola fief, with a large area in the Trebbia Valley, above Bobbio . In 1304 Corradino conquered Malaspina, supported by the Visconte Pallavicino and the abbot of Bobbio Guido Bobbio and converted it into a lordship. In 1341 the Visconti from Milan incorporated Bobbio into their possession. In 1361 the Malaspina had to cede the fiefdom to the Visconti, in 1436 it passed to the Dal Verme .
The four quartieri of the Margraviate of Pregòla were created through a division in 1453, each of which belonged to a different branch. In 1516 the Grand Margraviate Bobbio was formed under the Dal Verme, to which the Malaspina rulers also belonged. In 1743 the Grand Margraviate was transformed into the Province of Bobbio.
The following branches belong to the Malaspina di Pregòla:
- Malaspina di Vezimo . Extinct at the end of the 16th century.
- Malaspina di Pei e Isola . Extinct in the 17th century (there may still be descendants of this branch among the Malaspina of the area, whose genealogy is still unknown).
- Malaspina di Alpe e Artana . Extinct in the 17th century.
- Malaspina di Pregòla, Campi e Zerba . Extinct in the 17th century.
Malaspina dello Spino Fiorito
The Obizzinos line was divided into four lines in 1275:
Malaspina di Varzi
They go back to Azzolino, a nephew of Obizzino and son of Isnardo, who had died before the division in 1275. With the formation of the Bobbio province under the Savoy (1743), the Bobbio territories were incorporated. The Margraviate of Varzi was divided between the three sons of Azzolinos. The Isnardos line, which belonged to Menconico, died out in the 15th century, the other two still exist today.
- Malaspina di Fabbrica . Descending from Obizzo, son of Azzolino. Extinct at the end of the 19th century.
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Malaspina di Varzi (firstborn line). Extinct in the 19th century after branching out widely and gradually losing control of the margravate. Perhaps they still survived among the many malaspinas that still exist in the valley of the Staffora.
- Malaspina di Santa Margherita . Descended from Cristoforo († after 1420), extinct in 1821.
- Malaspina di Casanova . Descended from Baldassare, son of Bernabò di Varzi, extinct in the 17th century.
- Malaspina di Bagnaria . Descended from Bernabò, son of Bernabò di Varzi, extinct in the 17th century.
Malaspina di Fivizzano
The progenitor of Malaspina di Fivizzano is Gabriele, nephew of Obizzino and son of Isnoardo, who died before the division of 1275. Of the three sons of Gabrieles, Isnoardo founded a line that died out in the 15th century, so that Fivizzano came to the Republic of Florence , with which they were allied. So began the Florentine and later Tuscan presence in the Lunigiana (the so-called Grand Ducal Lunigiana - Lunigiana Granducale - in contrast to the Malaspinian, later Modenese Lunigiana). The second son Spinetta entered the service of Verona and his line died out with his sons. Azzolino finally got Fosdinovo and founded the line of Malaspina di Fosdinovo , the most important of the house.
Marquis of Massa and Carrara (later Cybo-Malaspina House)
Azzolino's nephew was Spinetta, called the Great († 1398), who held important positions in various Italian states. Antonio Alberico di Fosdinovo, descendant of Galeotto di Fosdinovo, became lord of Massa in 1441 . The Marquis of Massa were Giacomo I , Antonio Alberico II , and finally Ricciarda I , who married Lorenzo Cibo . From these descended the Cybo-Malaspina , margraves, princes and lastly dukes in the Duchy of Massa and Carrara , that of Maria Teresa Cibo-Malaspina (1731-1790), married to Ercole III. d'Este , passed on to her daughter Maria Beatrice d'Este (1750–1829) , who was married to an Austrian archduke.
Tomb of Spinetta Malaspina (around 1430)
Rocca Malaspina in Massa
Ducal palace of Cybo-Malaspina in Massa
Palazzo Cybo-Malaspina in Carrara
Maria Teresa Cibo-Malaspina (1731–1790), Duchess of Modena, Massa and Carrara
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More branches
The Fivizzano branch split into several branches, including:
- Malaspina di Sannazzaro . Descending from Francesco. This was a son of Giacomo I of Massa, who was invested in Sannazzaro de 'Burgondi (near Pavia ) in 1466 . Extinct in 1835 with Luigi Malaspina di Sannazaro . Luigi was a citizen of Pavia and played an important political and cultural role there.
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Malaspina di Fosdinovo . The line comes from Galeotto († 1367), a son of Azzolino. Gabriele, a son of Antonio Alberico I di Fosdinovo, got the Fosdinovo fief , his brothers the other possessions. Due to the marriage of Cristina Malaspina with the Marchese Filippo Torrigiani , who came from an old Florentine patrician family, the castle of Fosdinovo is now owned by the Marchese Torrigiani-Malaspina.
- Malaspina di Olivola . Her progenitor is Lazzaro, a son of Giovanni Battista di Fosdinovo and nephew of Gabriele, who had Olivola after the extinction of the first line Malaspina di Olivola. Extinct in the 19th century.
- Malaspina di Verona . The progenitor is Spinetta, son of Antonio Alberico I. di Fosdinovo. He renounced the fiefdom, but had large private estates in and around Verona . Extinct in the 20th century.
- Malaspina di Gragnola . Descended from Leonardo, brother of Spinetta the Great. Extinct after two generations. The title passed by inheritance to a branch of the Margraves of Fosdinovo, which also soon died out.
Malaspina di Olivola
Its origins go back to Francesco, a son of Bernabò and nephew of Obizzino. In the partition of 1275 he had lands in the Lunigiana (especially around the castle of Olivola ), but also in Lombardy. All descendants were murdered in Olivola Castle in 1413. Their fiefs were divided between the Fosdinovo and Godiasco branches of the family.
Malaspina di Godiasco
The Malaspina di Godiasco descend from Alberto, son of Obizzino. In the division of 1275, he and his nephews were given fiefs in the Lunigiana and Lombardy around the castles of Filattiera and Oramala. Soon Godiasco became the center of the family. In 1743 these fiefs were also struck to the province of Bobbio under Savoy rule. From Nicolò, called Marchesotto, a son of Alberto, and his five sons go out from the following five branches of the family, which owned both in Lunigiana and in the Margraviate of Godiasco in Oltrepò Pavese (Lombardy).
- Malaspina di Castiglione e Casalasco . They come from Franceschino ("the soldier"), a son of the "Marchesotto". Extinct after three generations. Castiglione came to Florence , Casalasco to the Malaspina di Oramala.
- Malaspina di Bagnone e Valverde . They are descended from Antonio, another of the “Marchesotto”. Antonio's sons divided the property: Riccardo got Bagnone, whose nephews sold it to Florence and whose male line died out in 1987. Valverde, however, came to his brother Antonio, whose line may still exist today in Oltrepò.
- Malaspina di Treschietto e Piumesana . Her progenitor is Giovanni, son of Nicolò "Marchesotto". In 1716 they sold Treschietto to the Grand Duke of Tuscany , their Piumesana rule and their stake in Godiasco also decreased considerably over time. Extinct in the 19th century.
- Malaspina di Filattiera e Cella . They go back to Obizzino, a fourth son of the "Marchesotto". In 1514 Bernabò was imprisoned in Voghera because of a rebellion against the Sforza . His fiefdom cella was confiscated. Bernabò's son Manfredi sold Filattiera to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The line died out in the 18th century.
- Malaspina di Malgrate e Oramala . The progenitor is Bernabò, the last son of the “Marchesotto”. The lineage was one of the few branches of the family (with the Malaspina di Fosdinovo) that did not reduce their ownership, but in the course of time actually practically all of the margravates of Godiasco, Pozzol Groppo and Fortunago , as well as shares in the properties of other branches of Malaspina in Oltrepò, took hold. They were therefore called Malaspina di Godiasco, Pozzol Groppo e Fortunago . The line was divided into the Godiasco-Pozzol Groppo branch and the Fortunago branch. These died out in the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively.
- Malaspina di Sagliano . It originated with Azzo, son of Nicolò di Oramala e Malgrate. Extinct in the 18th century.
Other lines
Malaspina di Ascoli Piceno
- Malaspina di Ascoli Piceno . They owned Ascoli Piceno in the Marche . The feud passed first to the Malatesta over, but the Sforza restituted the Malaspina until 1502 the Papal States came.
- Malaspina di Grondona . They only owned Grondona until the end of feudal rule.
Other bearers of the name Malaspina
The following personalities also bore the name Malaspina, but are not related to the known branches of the Malaspina family:
- Ricordano Malaspina (or Malespini), Florentine historiographer (* around 1200, † 1281). Wrote a story of his city ("Istoria fiorentina") in Italian, which was continued by his nephew Giaccotto. After the battle of Montaperti (1260) he went into exile in Rome . He returned to Florence after the battle of Benevento in 1266 .
- Giacotto Malaspina , continued the history of his uncle Ricordano until 1286.
- Saba Malaspina , Secretary to Pope John XXI. , Bishop of Mileto in Calabria , wrote a history of Sicily ("Rerum sicularum", 1250–1276) from a Guelfean point of view.
- Luciano Malaspina (1922–1979), Italian journalist and documentary filmmaker
- Michele Malaspina (1908–1979), Italian actor
- Romano Malaspina (* 1939), Italian actor and voice actor
literature
- Giorgio Fiori: I Malaspina. Castelli e Feudi nell'Oltrepo Piacentino, Pavese, Tortonese. Tip.Le.Co, Piacenza 1995.
