The Frangipani family was a powerful Roman patrician clan in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. The family was firmly

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

in sympathy. The name has many spellings, which include Frangipane, Freiapane, Fricapane and Fresapane. In his '' Trattatello in laude di Dante'', Boccaccio traces the descent of

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

from the family.

History

The family claimed descent from the Roman

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the gro ...

family of Anicii; however, the first mention of the family dates only from 1014, in a document relating to the Abbazia di Farfa. A

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

diploma of Otto I in the Frangipani archive at Castello di Porpetto, in

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

, is dated 10 January 973. They played a significant part in the struggle between Pope Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, and briefly governed Rome from 1107 to 1108. In the feud between the Orsini and Colonna families, they supported the Orsini. Their power was at its greatest when they achieved the election of Pope Honorius II in 1124. From no later than 1130 the Frangipani held the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an Ellipse, elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphi ...

of Rome, which they had fortified and which gave them strategic control of the approaches to the

Lateran Palace The Apostolic Palace of the Lateran (; ), informally the Lateran Palace (), is an ancient palace of the Roman Empire and later the main pope, papal residence in Rome. Located on Saint John's Square in Lateran on the Caelian Hill, the palace is ...

, the papal residence, from the north and west; the family lost control of the Colosseum to the Annibaldi in the mid-thirteenth century. In 1268 Giovanni Frangipane, lord of Astura, betrayed

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (, ), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke of Swabia (1254–1268) and nominal King ...

, the teenage Duke of Swabia and last of the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

dynasty, who took refuge with him after his defeat at the Battle of Tagliacozzo. Frangipane arrested him and handed him over to Charles of Anjou, who beheaded him. The family had feuds in the Campagna south of Rome, among them Astura, Cisterna, Marino, Ninfa and

Terracina Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...

, and later

Nemi Nemi is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome (central Italy), in the Alban Hills overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake. It is northwest of Velletri and about southeast of Rome. The town's name derives from the Lati ...

. The Roman branch of the family was extinguished in 1654 with the death of Mario Frangipane, marquis of Nemi. Two presumed branches continued, one in

and one in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

. The former had estates at Tarcento and Porpetto, and received patrician status in Rome. The latter descended from the lords of the island of Veglia (now

Krk Krk (; ; ; ; archaic German: ''Vegl'', ; ) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar county. Krk is tied with Cres as the largest Adriatic island, depending o ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

), who in the fifteenth century claimed to be related to the Roman family, took the name Frangipani (

Frankopan The House of Frankopan (, , , ) was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary. The Frankopans, along with the Zrinskis, are among the mos ...

or Frankapan) on the basis of documents provided by

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the We ...

, and from about 1530 used the Frangipane

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

; Croatian historians dispute the historicity of this connection. The Frangipani had the right of burial at the church of

San Marcello al Corso San Marcello al Corso, is an ancient titular and conventual church in Rome, Italy. It has been served by friars of the Servite Order since c. 1375 and is the headquarters of their General Curia. The cardinal-protector of the church is norma ...

in Rome; their chapel – the Frangipani Chapel – in that church is dedicated to

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

. From 1558 or 1559 until his death in 1566,

Taddeo Zuccari Taddeo Zuccaro (or Zuccari) (1 September 15292 September 1566) was an Italian painter, one of the most popular members of the Roman mannerist school. Biography Zuccaro was born in Sant'Angelo in Vado, near Urbino, the son of Ottaviano Zuccaro, ...

worked there on a cycle of

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es of the life of the saint; the paintings were completed by his brother

Federico Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick (given name), Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian. People with the given name Federico Ar ...

Members of the family

* Cencio I Frangipane * Cencio II Frangipane * Oddone Frangipane * Ottone Frangipane; monk, later

canonised Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sai ...

. * Aldruda Frangipane

References

{{reflist, 45em, refs= David Lee Bomgardner (2000)
''The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre''
London: Routledge. {{ISBN, 9780415165938. Francesco Frascarelli (1970)
Frangipani
(in Italian). ''Enciclopedia Dantesca''. Archived 17 December 2013. Giovanni Frangipane
(in Italian). ''Enciclopedie on line''. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed April 2015. Frangipane
(in Italian). ''Enciclopedie on line''. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed May 2015. Eugenio Dupré Theseider (1932)
Frangipane
(in Italian). ''Enciclopedia Italiana''. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Accessed May 2015. Frankapan
(in Croatian). ''Hrvatska enciklopedija''. Accessed February 2019. Giuseppe Mazzatinti. (1988 899–1900
''Gli Archivi della Storia d'Ítalia''
(facsimile, in Italian). Hildesheim; New York: Georg Olms Verlag. {{ISBN, 3487090449. 10 - Cappella di San Paolo
(in Italian). Rome: Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo; Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico-Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della Città di Roma. Accessed June 2017. Medieval Rome Families of post-ancient Rome