Jacopo (or Iacopo) Inghirami (July 1565 – 3 January 1624) was admiral of the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

and marquis of Montevitozzo.

Career

Born to an influential family in Volterra in July 1565, Jacopo was orphaned as a teenager. He was educated at the Palazzo della Carovana in Pisa and in 1581 joined the navy of the Knights of Saint Stephen - a militia created by

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. ...

to fight the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Inghirami served on the order's

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

for some years before taking his first command. In the 1590s, he left the navy temporarily to fight for Philippe Emmanuel de Lorraine of the Catholic League during the religious wars in France. Upon his return to Tuscany, Inghirami rejoined the Tuscan navy, undertaking both military engagements and diplomatic missions for the Grand Duchy (such as that in 1600 when commanding the galley transporting the Grand Duke's daughter, Marie de' Medici, to marry Henry IV of France). Galei of galjas van de Orde van Sint-Stephanus

Galei of galjas van de Orde van Sint-Stephanus

In 1602, during the " Long War", he led a successful operation which resulted in a large number of Ottoman prisoners and the liberation of Christian captives. Following this action, he was appointed admiral of the fleet in 1603 by Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. For the coming decade, the Tuscan fleet (under Inghirami) engaged Ottoman shipping and Berber pirates in the Mediterranean, with several successes – including the taking in 1607 of Bona ( Annaba) in modern-day

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. As admiral, Inghirami also liaised with the Catholic allies of the Grand Duchy in the Mediterranean (including representatives of the fleets of France and later Spain), and also with the Medici family's North African allies. (Including emir Fakhr-al-Din II, whom Inghirmani carried to

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

during the emir's exile from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

). In 1616 Cosimo II de' Medici awarded Inghirami the title of Marquis, and later appointed him Governor of

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

. He remained governor until 1621 when he assumed command of the fleet again. He held this position until his death in Volterra on 3 January 1624. He is buried in the Chapel of St. Paul in the Cathedral of Volterra (the chapel had been commissioned by Inghirami himself in 1605).

Patronage

When not at sea, Inghirami maintained the family seat at the Palazzo Inghirami in Volterra, the façade of which was designed by Gherardo Silvani. Inghirami also commissioned a villa by Silvani on Inghirami lands outside Volterra at Ulignano. One of Inghirami's larger commissions was the Inghirami family chapel in the Duomo (cathedral) of Volterra. This chapel (dedicated to Saint Paul) was designed by Alessandro Pieroni and includes frescos by Giovanni da San Giovanni. Giambologna and Pietro Tacca's equestrian statue of Ferdinando I de' Medici (in the Piazza Santissima Annunziata in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

) is made from the recast bronze of cannon captured by Inghirami's galleons.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inghirami, Jacopo 1565 births 1624 deaths People from Volterra Italian admirals Grand Duchy of Tuscany people