Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535 – August 1, 1584), Duke of Tagliacozzo and Duke and Prince of Paliano, was an Italian aristocrat who served as

Viceroy of Sicily A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

in the service of the

Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

, general of the Spanish forces, and Captain General of the Church. He is best remembered for his part as the admiral of the Papal fleet in the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...

. He was "one of the most illustrious land and sea captains of the 16th century.""The fifth PPA “Marcantonio Colonna” launched in Riva Trigoso", ''European Defense Review'', November 26, 2022
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Biography

Marcantonio Colonna, born in 1535 at Civita Lavinia,"Marcantonio Colonna", Marina Militare
/ref> was a member of the noble Colonna family of the

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

, then one of the most powerful feudal dynasties of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

and the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

, which was under Spanish rule. His parents were Ascanio Colonna, Duke of Tagliacozzo, and Giovanna d'Aragona. Due to acts of rebellion, he was disinherited by his father; but in 1562 Colonna was able to regain the family fiefs for himself, largely thanks to the support of Pope Pius IV. However, he had to forfeit several possessions, such as Nemi, Ardea, and Civita Lavinia, due his father, Ascanio, having left little money. In 1553–1554, during the war against

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

, Colonna was made commander of the Spanish cavalry. Colonna often stayed at

Avezzano Avezzano ( ; ) is a city and comune in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in the province and the sixth in the region. It is the main commercial, industrial and agricultural centre of the ...

, where in 1565 he expanded the castle by adding a new floor. He also had a fountain built as well as creating a loggia by the Fucine Lake. The castle was later converted into a fortified palace with a moat and drawbridge. In 1571, Don John of Austria appointed him captain-general of the allied fleet against the Moors. At the

(7 October 1571), he commanded the papal ''Capitana'' (flagship) as part of the Centre division, where he rescued the '' Real'', flagship of commander Don John of Austria. When the ''Real'' was almost taken by the Ottoman janissaries, Colonna came alongside, with the bow of his galley and mounted a counter-attack. With the help of Colonna, the Turks were pushed off the ''Real'' and the Ottoman flagship of Ali Pasha was boarded and swept. The entire crew of Ali Pasha's flagship was killed, including the commander himself. The banner of the Holy League was hoisted on the captured ship, breaking the morale of the Turkish galleys nearby.William Oliver Stevens and Allan F. Westcott, ''A History of Sea Power'', 1920, p. 105–106. On Colonna's return to Rome,

Pope 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 ...

confirmed him as Captain General of the Church. In 1577 King Philip II named Colonna as

. He was also Lord of Marino, then a village a few miles south of Rome, where the inhabitants honoured him with a great annual feast which still takes place today, under the name of " Sagra dell'uva". Later in his life he moved to

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...

, where he lived in the house now called the Palazzo Porcinari. In November 2022, the Italian Navy launched the Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship, ''Marcantonio Colonna''.

Family and issue

On 29 April 1552, at Rome, he married Felicia Orsini, daughter of Girolamo Orsini, Lord of Bracciano, and granddaughter of Gian Giordano Orsini and his second wife

Felice della Rovere Felice della Rovere ( – 27 September 1536), also known as Madonna Felice, was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II. One of the most powerful women of the Italian Renaissance, she was born in Rome around 1483 to Lucrezia Normanni and Ca ...

, natural daughter of

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

. Her mother was Francesca Sforza of Santa Fiora, daughter of Bosio II Sforza, XI Count of Santa Fiora, and his wife Costanza Farnese, Natural daughter of

Pope Paul III Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...

. They had seven children, four sons and three daughters: * Costanza Colonna (1555 - ?). She married Francesco I Sforza di Caravaggio and was the first patroness of painter Michelangelo di Caravaggio. * Fabrizio Colonna (1557 - 1 November 1580). Captain of Spanish army, on 4 December 1565 he married Anna Borromeo and was father of Marcantonio III Colonna and Filippo I Colonna. He died in

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. * Vittoria Colonna (1558 - 1633). On 31 December 1597 she married Luis Enríquez de Cabrera y Mendoza, Spanish nobleman. * Ascanio Colonna (1560 - 1608). Cardinal and viceroy of Aragon, I Duke of Marino. * Prospero Colonna. Soldier in Spanish army. * Federico Colonna. He died in infancy. * Giovanna Colonna. In 1566 she married Antonio Carafa, prince of Stignano.

References

External links

Biography (italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Marcantonio People from Lanuvio Marcantonio II 1535 births 1584 deaths 16th-century Italian nobility Viceroys of Sicily 16th-century condottieri Spanish generals Captains General of the Church Military leaders of the Italian Wars People of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars