The surname Boccanegra originated in northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

during the

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCI) through December 31, 1300 (MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched ...

. The Boccanegra family produced the first

Capitano del popolo Captain of the people () was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian city-states.Najemy, John M. 2006. ''A History of Florence 1 ...

and the first

Doge Doge, DoGE or DOGE may refer to: Internet culture * Doge (meme), an Internet meme primarily associated with the Shiba Inu dog breed ** Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency named after the meme ** Kabosu (dog), the dog portrayed in the original Doge image ...

of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

History

The Boccanegra family rose to power in Genoa.

Guglielmo Boccanegra Guglielmo Boccanegra was a Genoese statesman, the first ''capitano del popolo'' of the Republic of Genoa, from 1257 to 1262, exercising a real lordship, assisted in the government by a council of 32 elders. Biography Origin and early years T ...

was " Captain of the People" and virtual dictator in 1257–1262, and his nephew Simone Boccanegra, who died in 1363, was the first

doge of Genoa The Doge of Genoa ( ) was the head of state of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a Maritime republics, maritime republic, from 1339 until the state's extinction in 1797. Originally elected for life, after 1528 the Doge (ti ...

. Boccanegra was forced to resign his office at a public meeting he had called in December 1344. He regained power as doge in 1356 and ruled until he was fatally poisoned in 1363. Simone's brother Egidio Boccanegra led the Genoese fleet in the

Battle of Sluys The Battle of Sluys ( , ), also called the Battle of l'Écluse, was a naval battle fought on 24 June 1340 between Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France. It took place in the roadstead of the port of Sluis, Sluys (French ''É ...

, while Egidio's son Ambrosio Boccanegra was an admiral in Castilian employ in the Battle of La Rochelle.

People with the surname

* Ambrosio Boccanegra (died 1373), Castilian sailor of Genoese origin * Egidio Boccanegra (died 1363), Genoese admiral *

(died 1273), Genoese statesman * Simone Boccanegra (died 1363), first doge of Genoa

Fictional characters

* the title character of ''

Simon Boccanegra ''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had bee ...

'', an 1847 opera by Giuseppe Verdi about Simone Boccanegra; also the character's granddaughter, Maria Boccanegra

References

* {{surname Boccanegra family Republic of Genoa families

History

People with the surname

Fictional characters

See also

References