Onorato I. Caetani

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Onorato I. Caetani (* around 1336 - † April 20, 1400 ) was an Italian nobleman. He was Count of Fondi and, among others, Lord of Sermoneta and Bassiano .

Life

Onorato I. Caetani was the eldest son of Nicola I. Caetani and Giacoma Orsini. After the death of his father in 1348, he succeeded him as Count von Fondi and was confirmed in this position by Queen Joan I of Naples in 1352 . He operated a ruthless expansion policy in the Kingdom of Naples and in the southern Papal States and in 1356 took Anagni and Sezze . He also based his power on family relationships. He married Caterina del Balzo in 1359, and one of his sisters married Stefanello Colonna .

In addition to the generally confused political situation, Onorato's striving for territorial expansion also made it difficult for Pope Urban V to return from Avignon to Rome . When Onorato besieged Ferentino in 1367 , he was excommunicated by the Holy Father, and was confronted with his army had to retreat.

With the new Pope Gregory XI , who has been in office since 1370 . Onorato, however, had better relationships. During the War of the Eight Saints , which broke out in 1375 and was waged by this Pope against a coalition of Italian city-states, Onorato stood loyally on the side of the Pontifex Maximus . He was appointed rector of Campagna-Marittima , one of the seven provinces of the Papal States, and escorted Gregory XI. in January 1377 when he returned to Rome. But Gregory XI's tough approach. and some high prelates against opposing parties led to a severe loss of prestige for the Holy See. The Pope soon had to flee Rome again and in May 1377 was accepted by Onorato, who let him reside in Anagni.

After the death of Gregory XI. (March 27, 1378) Onorato warned cardinals who wanted to go to the conclave to stay in Rome, because then they would have to vote according to the good will of the Romans; on the other hand, if they moved to the Campagna, he could protect them there and guarantee them a free choice. After this statement became known, Onorato had to leave the city on pain of death. The Pope Urban VI elected in that conclave . refused to repay a loan of 20,000 gold guilders that the Count of Fondi had given his predecessor and also deprived him of the rectorate of Campagna-Marittima to give it to his enemy, Tommaso Sanseverino. As a revenge, Onorato agreed with Queen Joan of Naples, who in the promotion of her rebellious Sanseverino a manifestation of the Pope in favor of her rival for the crown, Charles III. from Durazzo . Assured of this powerful assistance, Onorato worked on the ultramontane French cardinals who were associated with Urban VI. had fallen apart and turned to Anagni. He gained such influence over the dissatisfied prelates that on September 20, 1378, under his patronage, they set up an antipope in Fondi in the person of Cardinal Robert of Geneva, who took the name of Clement VII . This is how the Western Schism that lasted until 1417 began . In contrast to Onorato, his brother Giacomo took the side of Urban VI, which ended the unity of the two brothers that had existed until then.

Clement VII reappointed Onorato Rector of Campagna-Marittima and gave him the fiefs of Sermoneta and Bassiano . In the winter of 1378/79 Onorato took part in the attempt of Clement's followers to conquer Rome and, despite the failure of this mission in May 1379, received about 2000 florins from the antipope . When Clemens went to Avignon , Onorato stayed in contact with him. In July 1380, the Count of Fondi, who was at his peak at that time, defeated his hostile cousins, the Urban VI, near Ninfa. supported, and built the fortress Castellonorato around 1380 near Formia .

Onorato's power began to crumble when Charles III. von Durazzo successfully invaded the Kingdom of Naples in 1381. Karl took Balthasar von Braunschweig-Grubenhagen , the husband of Onorato's heir-daughter Giacobella, prisoner and had him blinded; Balthasar died in 1385. Onorato's brother Giacomo was also to conquer Fondi on behalf of Charles von Durazzo, and Velletri drove out the Breton mercenaries from Onorato at the end of 1381, who was nevertheless able to hold his own. As a result, Onorato supported Duke Louis I of Anjou, who had been adopted by Queen Johanna, in his unsuccessful attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Naples. Shortly before Ludwig died in September 1384, he appointed Onorato as one of his executors.

After Pope Urban VI. was different on October 15, 1389, the Count of Fondi concluded in 1390 with the new Pope Boniface IX. signed an armistice, but remained loyal to Clement VII and his successor Benedict XIII. From 1395 Onorato began with invasions into the Roman Campagna and tried by intrigues to force the Pope to flee, but failed twice. Boniface IX excommunicated him thereupon on May 2, 1399 and carried out together with King Ladislaus of Naples an attack declared as a crusade against him. After the loss of Anagni, Sezze and Cisterna , Onorato launched a failed attack on Rome on January 15, 1400 and finally had to bow to the coalition of Ladislaus and the Pope. Shortly afterwards, on April 20, 1400, he died of a stroke .

literature

personal data
SURNAME Caetani, Onorato I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH around 1336
DATE OF DEATH April 20, 1400