) , type= Noble house , country=

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

, estates= Castel Sismondo (

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

)
Rocca Malatestiana (

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and '' comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. History Cesena was ...

) , titles=, founded=, founder= Malatesta da Verucchio, final ruler= Pandolfo IV Malatesta, deposition=, dissolution= The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over

from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and towns in

Romagna Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to th ...

and holding high positions in the government of cities in present day

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

and

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

. The dynasty is considered among the most important and influential of the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...

. In the period of maximum influence, they extended their domains along the

coast, up to

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of Ascoli Piceno, province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city h ...

, Senigallia, Sansepolcro and

Citerna Citerna is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 50 km northwest of Perugia. It has recently been noted for its beauty, as one of the winning villages in the 'Borghi più Belli d ...

, and to the north, on the territories of

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Com ...

and

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and '' comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...

History

The family's progenitor is said to be Rodolfo of

Carpegna Carpegna is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. Carpegna borders the following municipalities: Belforte all'Isauro, Borgo P ...

whose fighting spirit yielded him the sobriquet ''mala testa'' ("bad head"). From 1004 on he built a castle on the rock of

Pennabilli Pennabilli ( rgn, La Pénna) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. In 2019, the podcast '' This is Love'' spoke with Anna Bo ...

. In the 11th century the family had possessions in the region of

Gabicce Mare Gabicce Mare, also named Gabicce (Romagnol dialect, Romagnol: ''Gabéc''), is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, in Italy, region Marche. It is located about northwest of Ancona, north of Pesaro, and is close ...

Gatteo Gatteo ( rgn, Gatì) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southeast of Forlì. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,252 an ...

and

Poggio Berni Poggio Berni (''E Pôz'' or ''E Puz'' in Romagnolo dialect) is a frazione and former commune of the Province of Rimini, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Wine and oil are its leading products – with the DOC " Colli di Rimini" wines and an olive. Pogg ...

. Giovanni Malatesta (d. 1150) owned some land between rivers

Marecchia The Marecchia () is a river in eastern Italy. In ancient times it was known as the ''Ariminus'' which was from the Greek ''Aríminos'' (, which is also the ancient name of Rimini). The source of the river is near Monte dei Frati which is east of ...

and

Rubicon The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini. It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius Ca ...

, and was the first to settle down in Rimini. His son married into the

Traversari The Traversari (or ''domus Traversariorum'', according to medieval chroniclers) are a noble Italian family. The dynasty's history was mostly connected to Ravenna, which it ruled between the 12th and 13th centuries. St. Romuald was the son of Duke ...

family who were lords of

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the c ...

and Rimini during the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1186 the Malatesta became lords of

Torriana Torriana is a frazione and former '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,312 a ...

. Giovanni's grandsons Giovanni and Malatesta I Malatesta (1183–1248) founded the branches of the Counts of

Sogliano al Rubicone Sogliano al Rubicone ( rgn, Sujén) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southeast of Forlì. Sogliano al Rubicone is renowned for th ...

(extinguished in 1640) and "della Penna" of Pennabilli and

Verucchio Verucchio ( rgn, Vròcc) is a '' comune ''in the province of Rimini, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It has a population of about 9,300 and is from Rimini, on a spur overlooking the valley of the Marecchia river. History Traces of a 12th-9t ...

(until 1462). In 1216 they became citizens of Rimini. File:Mura Malatestiane o Castello di Penna.jpg,

File:Rocca di Torriana (maggio 2011).jpg,

File:Panorama Verucchio.jpg,

Malatesta I became ''

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

'' (chief magistrate) of Pistoia in 1228 and of Rimini in 1239 and 1247. During the struggles between papal and imperial followers (

Guelphs and Ghibellines The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, r ...

), he supported emperor Frederick II. His son however, Malatesta da Verucchio (d. 1312), switched sides after the emperor's defeat near Parma in 1248, and became leader of the Guelphs while Guido I. of

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in Marche, which was historically part of Romagna. It gave its name to the Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Regions of Italy Overview Monte ...

took the lead of the Ghibellines in the

and

regions. Malatesta da Verucchio made himself sole master of the city ("

signore A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from ''signore'' , or "lord"; an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government; governing authority; ...

") after the expulsion of the family's Ghibelline rivals, the Parcitadi, in 1295. His hunchback son

Giovanni Malatesta Giovanni Malatesta (died 1304), known, from his lameness, as Gianciotto, or Giovanni, lo Sciancato, was the eldest son of Malatesta da Verucchio of Rimini. From 1275 onwards he played an active part in the Romagnole Wars and factions. He is chie ...

is chiefly famous because he murdered his wife

Francesca da Polenta Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died between 1283 and 1286) was a medieval noblewoman of Ravenna, who was murdered by her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, upon his discovery of her affair with his brother, Paolo Malatesta. She was a c ...

and his younger brother Paolo in 1285, having discovered them in adultery, and the murder is recorded in

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ' ...

's Inferno as well as in a story by

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was som ...

. Malatestino I, Giovanni's brother, became ''capitano'' of the Guelphs of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

in 1296 and of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

in 1303. In 1312 he destroyed his Ghibelline cousins' castle at Sogliano, and in 1312 followed his father as lord of Rimini. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the Malatestas ruled over a number of cities in the Romagna and the Marche, including

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche ...

Fano Fano is a town and '' comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the '' Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by ...

Fossombrone Fossombrone is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche, central Italy. History The ancient Roman colony of ''Forum Sempronii'' took its name from Gaius Sempronius Gracchus. Near the Furlo Pass, during the Gothic War ...

and

Cervia Cervia ( rgn, Zirvia) is a seaside resort town in the province of Ravenna, located in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Cervia is a major seaside resort in Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Its population was 28,700 at the 2018 census. ...

. Several Malatestas were

condottieri ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...

at the service of various Italian states.

Malatesta Novello Domenico Malatesta, best known as Malatesta Novello (5 August 1418 – 20 November 1465) was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Malatesta family. Biography He was born at Brescia, the son of Pandolfo III Malatesta and Antonia da Barignano. ...

built the Malatestiana Library at Cesena from 1447 to 1452. Piero, ritratto di sigismondo malatesta

The most famous was

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (19 June 1417 – 7 October 1468) was an Italian condottiero and nobleman, a member of the House of Malatesta and lord of Rimini and Fano from 1432. He was widely considered by his contemporaries as one of the mo ...

, who was engaged in conflict with the papacy over territorial claims, as well as with his rival

Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...

. In the end, he lost almost all of his territories, except for Rimini that he held with the support of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

. He had however built the cathedral of Rimini, the

Tempio Malatestiano The Tempio Malatestiano ( it, Malatesta Temple) is the unfinished cathedral church of Rimini, Italy. Officially named for St. Francis, it takes the popular name from Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who commissioned its reconstruction by the fa ...

, from 1450. His grandson Pandolfo was eventually expelled from Rimini in 1500 by

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex-cardinal and ''condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major i ...

and the city was finally incorporated in the Papal States in 1528, after the last failed attempt of Pandolfo's son,

Sigismondo ''Sigismondo'' is an operatic 'dramma' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa. The opera was not a success and Rossini later re-used some of its music in ''Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra'', ''The Barbe ...

. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the family still provided a number of condottieri, the Sogliano branch extinguished in 1640, the last of the Rimini branch was the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Roberto Malatesta (d. 1708), the Ghiaggiolo branch extinguished with Lamberto in 1757. File:Wikilovesmonuments2016 - palazzo dell'arengo.jpg, ''Palazzo dell'Arengo'', Rimini File:Tempio malatestiano, esterno 03.JPG,

, Rimini File:La rocca malatestiana di Cesena.jpg, Malatesta Castle at

File:17 settembre 2016-IMG 0338-2.jpg, Malatestiana Library at Cesena

Malatesta Family Members

*(1) Malatesta dalla Penna (d.1248) *(2) Malatesta da Verucchio (d.1312) (son of 1.) - Lord of

, 1295 1st generation: *(3) Malatestino 'dell'Occhio' (d.1316) (son of 2) - Lord of

, 1312 *(4) Paolo 'il Bello' (d.1285) (son of 2) - murdered by 5 *(5) Giovanni 'Gianciotto' (d.1304) (son of 2) *(6) Pandolfo I (d.1326) (son of 2) - Lord of

, 1317 2nd generation:
''di Malatestino'': *(7) Ferrantino (d.1353) (son of 3) - Lord of

, 1326, deposed & imprisoned by 11, 1334 ''di Paolo'': *(9) Ramberto (d.1330) (son of 4) - murdered by 14 *(10) Guido the Archpriest (d.1334?) (son of 4) ''di Gianciotto'' *(8) Uberto, Count of Giaggolo (d.1323) (son of 5) - murdered by 9 ''di Pandolfo'': *(11) Malatesta II 'Guastafamiglia' (d.1364) (son of 6) - Lord of

, 1326; and

, 1334 *(12) Galeotto I (d.1385) (son of 6) - Lord of Rimini,&c. 3rd generation:
''di Ferrantino'': *(13) Pandolfino (d.?) (son of 7) *(14) Malatestino Novello (d.1335) (son of 7) - imprisoned & prob. murdered by 11. ''di Malatesta'': *(15) Malatesta 'Ungaro' (d. 1364) (son of 11) - Lord of

Jesi Jesi, also spelled Iesi (), is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriatic ...

*(16) Pandolfo II (d.1373) (son of 11) - Lord of

''di Galeotto'': *(17) Carlo of Rimini (son of 12) - Lord of

*(18) Pandolfo III of Fano (d.1427) (son of 12) - Lord of

*(19) Andrea of Cesena (son of 12) (d.1416) - Lord of

*(20) Galeotto II of Cervia (son of 12) (d.) - Lord of

4th generation ''di Pandolfino'': *(21) Ferrantino Novello (d.1352) (son of 13) *(22) Guido (d.1334) (son of 13) - imprisoned & probably murdered by 11

Family tree of Malatesta

References

Sources

* J. Larner (1965) ''The Lords of Romagna: Romagnol society and the origins of the Signorie'', Ithaca: Cornell University Press, p. 243 *P. H. Wicksteed and E.G. Gardner, (1902) ''Dante and Giovanni del Virgilio'', Westminster: Archibald Constable, p. 249, 336

External links