Duke of Vallombrosa () was a title created for the House of Manca. The present holder is disputed.

History

The Dukes of Vallombrosa trace their origins back to Jayme Manca (d. 1300), an ally of

James II of Aragon James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Aragonese: ''Chaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just, was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He was also the King of Sicily (as James I) f ...

; they were made lords of the Morès and the Montemaggiore in the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

in 1450. His descendants continued to distinguish themselves, including against the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

, and were honored by King

Ferdinand Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...

and Queen

Isabella of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon from 1479 until her deat ...

Marquessates

In 1614, the

Marquessate A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

of Morès in the

was created for Caterina Manca. The Marquis of Morès was an upgrading of the ancient title, '' Count of Morès''. Vincenzo Amat, 9th Marquess of San Felipe (editor), ''Origen del caballerato y de la nobleza de varias familias del Reyno de Cerdeña''.''Elenco nobiliare sardo''. In 1652, the Marquessate of Montemaggiore ("Monte Mayor") in the

was created for Pedro Ravaneda. The Marquis of Montemaggiore was an upgrading of the ancient title, '' Lord of Thiesi''.

Dukedoms

In a span of approximately three decades, Don Antonio Manca, later the 5th Marquis of Morès, consolidated the various feudal possessions and relatively large inheritances from his extended family. In 1759, he inherited the

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s of the Manca branch of the Barons of

Usini Usini is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. References

Cities and towns in Sardinia {{Sardinia-geo-stub ...

(later Counts of San Giorgio) and, in 1774, he purchased

Sarroch Sarroch () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Cagliari in the Italian region of Sardinia, located about southwest of Cagliari. It has 4,970 inhabitants. Sarroch borders the following municipalities: Assemini, Capoterra, ...

"Vigna di Orri". In 1775, he was given the fief of the island of

Asinara Asinara is an Italian island of in area. The name is Italian for "donkey-inhabited", but it is thought to derive from the Latin "sinuaria", and meaning sinus-shaped. The island is virtually uninhabited. The census of population of 2001 lists o ...

and the title Duke of

, after which the Marquis of Morès title could be used by the Duke's first son and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

. In 1817, the Dukedom of

Vallombrosa Vallombrosa is a toponym which indicates both a forest and a ''frazione'', located within this forest, in the territory of the Reggello, Commune of Reggello, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. The villag ...

was conferred on his grandson, Vincenzo. The 1st Duke of Vallombrosa, was first gentleman of the Court of King

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel I (; 24 July 1759 – 10 January 1824) was the Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 4 June 1802 until his reign ended in 1821 upon abdication due to a liberal revolution. Shortly thereafter, hi ...

. When an anti-feudal revolt took place against the Duke of

, who had refused to conform to the regulations of the

Viceroy of Sardinia This is a list of viceroys of Sardinia. Aragonese Viceroys From 1418 to 1516 Sardinia was ruled by viceroys from the Crown of Aragon, which merged into the Monarchy of Spain in 1516. * Lluís de Pontons (1418-1419) * Joan de Corbera (1419-1420) ...

, Charles Felix (later

King of Sardinia Sardinia is traditionally known to have been initially ruled by the Nuragic civilization, which was followed by Greek colonization, conquest by the Carthagians, Carthaginians, and occupied by the Ancient Rome, Romans for around a thousand years, ...

) decided to punish both the duke, who was stripped of his property, as well as the revolutionaries, leading the Duke and his family to relocate permanently to Paris. At the redemption of the fiefs, and elimination of

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

, by the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

(King Charles Albert) between 1838 and 1840, the

s of Morès and Montemaggiore were both held by Vincenzo Manca.

Dukes of Vallombrosa and Asinara

* Giacomo Manca Ledà, 1st Marquis of Morès (d. 1667) m. Caterina Ledà Virde, Countess of

Bonorva Bonorva () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southeast of Sassari Sassari ( ; ; ; ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in ...

* Antonio Manca Gaya, 2nd Marquis of Morès (d. 1728) m. Giuseppa Carnicer * Giacomo Manca Carnicer, 3rd Marquis of Morès (b. 1672) m. Stefania Pilo Manca * Stefano Manca Pilo, 4th Marquis of Morès (1699–1764) m. Anna Maria Amat Tola * Antonio Manca-Amat, 1st Duke of Asinara (1729–1805) m. Giovanna Amat * Giacomo Manca-Amat, 2nd Duke of Asinara (born 1754) m. Rosina "Rosa" Amat Malliano ** Anna Maria Manca-Amat (b. 1779) m. Stefano Manca, Marquis of Villahermosa e Santa Croce (b. 1767). * Vincenzo "Vincent" Maria Giuseppe Manca-Amat, 1st Duke of Vallombrosa and 3rd Duke of Asinara (1785–1850) m. 1831 Claire Galard de Béarn * Riccardo "Richard" Giovanni Maria Stefano Manca-Amat, 2nd Duke of Vallombrosa and 4th Duke of Asinara (1834–1903) m. 1857 Geneviève de Pérusse des Cars ** ''Antoine'' Amédée-Marie-Vincent Manca-Amat, Marquis de Morès (1858–1896) m. 1882 Medora von Hoffman ** Louise ''Claire'' Isabelle Manca de Vallombrosa, Countess Lafond (1868–1918) m. 1888 Christian Charles Louis, Count Lafond (1853–1934) ** ''Amédée'' Joseph Gabriel Marie Manca-Amat, Comte de Vallombrosa (1879–1968) m. 1906 Adrienne Lannes de Montebello * Louis Richard Manca-Amat, 3rd Duke of Vallombrosa and 5th Duke of Asinara (1885–1959) m. 1917 Marie-Thérèse du Bourg de Bozas * Antoine "Tony" Manca-Amat, 4th Duke of Vallombrosa and 6th Duke of Asinara (1919–1982)

Ducal residences

On 25 April 1861, the 4th Duke purchased the

Château des Tours A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...

, also known as the Villa Sainte-Ursule, in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

for 180,000 francs from the

Marquess Conyngham Marquess Conyngham, of the County of Donegal, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. The title was created in 1816 for Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham. He was the great-nephew of another Henry Conyngham, 1st Earl Conyngham, a member of a fa ...

. The

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

villa, later known as the

Château Vallombrosa The Château Vallombrosa, also known as the Hôtel du Parc, is a historic residential building in Cannes. History It was built as a hotel for Sir Thomas-Robinson Woolfield from 1852 to 1856 on behalf of Albert Denison, 1st Baron Londesborough, Lor ...

, was built by Sir Thomas Robinson Woolfield on behalf of Lord Londesborough between 1852 and 1856. The Duke added a chapel, decorated the hall, and enlarged the park. After the Duchesses death on 17 October 1887 at the

Château d'Abondant Château d'Abondant is a château in Abondant, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built in the mid 17th century and significantly remodelled and enlarged in the 1750s under the direction of Jean Mansart de Jouy. The Château was ...

Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.Prince of Wagram Prince of Wagram (; ) was a title of French nobility that was granted to Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier in 1809. It was created as a victory title by Emperor Napoleon I after the Battle of Wagram. Berthier had previously been granted the title of ...

and his wife, Berthe von Rothschild. On 6 May 1890, in order to pay the debts accumulated by his adventurer son, Antoine, Marquis of Morès, the Château was sold to the wealthy German hotelier Henri-Martin Ellmer for 410,000 francs and another 30,000 francs for the furniture. Ellmer hired Laurent Vianay to expand and transform the villa into the Hôtel du Parc, which opened in 1893. In 1893, the family had estates in Paris, in

Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is located in the region of Centre-Val de Loire. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.Château d'Abondant Château d'Abondant is a château in Abondant, in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France, built in the mid 17th century and significantly remodelled and enlarged in the 1750s under the direction of Jean Mansart de Jouy. The Château was ...

), and in

Sassari Sassari ( ; ; ; ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 120,497 inhabitants as of 2025, and a functional urban area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, it contains ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

(the

Ducal Palace Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke. Notable palaces with the name include: France *Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon *Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy *Pa ...

, built between 1775 and 1806 as the family seat of the Dukes of Asinara). In 1899, the 4th Duke also sold the Ducal Palace to the Municipality of Sassari, which uses the palace as its Town Hall.

References

;Notes ;Sources

External links

Louis, Duke de Vallombrosa portrait
at the

State Historical Society of North Dakota The State Historical Society of North Dakota is an agency that preserves and presents history through museums and historic sites in the state of North Dakota. The agency operates the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, which serves as a hi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallombrosa, Duke of * * Vallombrosa e Asinara * * Margraves in Italy