The House of Boncompagni is a princely family of the

Italian nobility The Italian nobility ( Italian: ''Nobiltà italiana'') comprised individuals and their families of the Italian Peninsula, and the islands linked with it, recognized by the sovereigns of the Italian city-states since the Middle Ages, and by the k ...

which settled in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

in around the

14th century The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Euro ...

, but was probably originally from

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

. In 1572 Ugo Boncompagni was elected pope, taking the name

Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII (, , born Ugo Boncompagni; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake ...

, and the family prospered. In 1579, the pope bought the

Duchy of Sora The Duchy of Sora was a Historical states of Italy, semi-independent state in Italy, created in 1443 by King Alfonso V of Aragon, Alfonso I of Naples and dissolved in 1796. It occupied the south-eastern part of what is today Lazio, bordering what i ...

from the

Della rovere family The House of Della Rovere (; literally "of the oak tree") was a powerful Italian noble family. It had humble origins in Savona, in Liguria, and acquired power and influence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere p ...

for his son

Giacomo Giacomo () is an Italian given name corresponding to English James (name), James. It is the Italian version of the Hebrew name Jacob (name), Jacob. People bearing the name include: *Giacomo Acerbo (1888–1969), Italian economi ...

, whose descendants reigned there as dukes until 1796. Later they also obtained the

Principality of Piombino The Lordship of Piombino (''Signoria di Piombino''), and after 1594 the Principality of Piombino (''Principato di Piombino''), was a small state on the Italian peninsula centered on the town of Piombino and including part of the island of Elba. ...

, following the marriage of

Gregorio II Boncompagni Gregorio II Boncompagni (7 July 1642 – 1 January 1707) was an Italian nobleman and the 5th Duke of Sora. He was the great-grandson of Pope Gregory XIII Biography He was the eldest son of Ugo, 4th Duke of Sora and Duchess Maria Ruffo di Bagna ...

with

Ippolita Ludovisi Ippolita I Ludovisi (Cagliari, 24 December 1663 – Rome, 29 December 1733) was the Princess of Piombino, Marchioness of Populonia, Princess of Venosa and Countess of Conza, Lady di Scarlino, Populonia, Vignale, Abbadia del Fango, Suvereto, Buria ...

, princess of Piombino and last of her dynasty. They reigned over Piombino as Boncompagni-Ludovisi, until Antonio II Boncompagni Ludovisi was deposed as Prince of Piombino in 1801; the heads of the family, though no longer reigning, continued to be known as "Prince orenamesBoncompagni Ludovisi" as of 2023.

History

The Bolognese family, perhaps originally from Umbria, rose socially with the marriage of Cristoforo Boncompagni (1470 - 1546) to the noble Angela Marescalchi. In 1572 Ugo Boncompagni, son of Cristoforo and Angela, was elected Pope Gregory XIII, the 226th pope of the Catholic Church, followed by increased power and prestige of the family. Many family members obtained important positions in the Church; five were created cardinals: Filippo (1548 - 1586), Francesco (1592 - 1641), Girolamo (1622 - 1684), Giacomo (1652 - 1731), Ignazio Gaetano (1743 - 1790); of these, among other posts, one was

Archbishop of Naples The Archdiocese of Naples () is a Latin Catholic archdiocese in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded there in the 1st century AD and the diocese of Naples was raised to the level of an Archdiocese in the 10 ...

and two were Archbishops of Bologna, while another was also Secretary of State of the Holy See.

was

lord of Piombino The Lordship of Piombino (''Signoria di Piombino''), and after 1594 the Principality of Piombino (''Principato di Piombino''), was a small state on the Italian peninsula centered on the town of Piombino and including part of the island of Elba ...

from 1706 to 1707. The family later merged with the

Ludovisi family The House of Ludovisi was an Italian noble family, originating from Bologna. They had close ties with the Papacy and were influential in the Papal States. Alessandro Ludovisi became a cardinal and later Pope Gregory XV. His cardinal-nephew was ...

. The princes Boncompagni-Ludovisi inherited a large (30 hectare) estate in Rome with vast collections of art; in 1883 they subdivided it and sold most of it, retaining and living in what became known as the

Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi is a historical building in Ludovisi (rione of Rome), Rione Ludovisi, Rome, Italy. The building is located in the former domain Villa Ludovisi. The building is often referred to as Villa Aurora or Casino del ...

or Villa Aurora, which remained in the family until 2023, when it was put up for auction. The 19th century mathematician

Baldassarre Boncompagni Prince Baldassarre Boncompagni-Ludovisi (10 May 1821 – 13 April 1894), was an Italian historian of mathematics and aristocrat. Biography Boncompagni was born in Rome, into an ancient noble and wealthy Roman family, the Ludovisi- Boncompag ...

-Ludovisi was a member of the family. Prince

Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi ''Don (honorific), Don'' Francesco Antonio Maria, Prince Boncompagni-Ludovisi (20 October 1886 – 7 June 1955), Prince of Piombino (heir of a former Sovereign Italian State), Duke of Sora, etc, was an Italians, Italian politician. Early life ...

(1886-1955) was Governor of Rome from 1928 to 1935. Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi died in 2018, leaving three sons.

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Duchy of Sora Italian noble families Papal families