Marcantonio I Colonna (1478 –

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, 1522) was an Italian

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

from the

Colonna family The House of Colonna is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It played a pivotal role in Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin V, Martin V), 23 cardinals and many ot ...

. He was the son of Pietro Antonio, prince of

Paliano Paliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of central Italy. History Paliano was the seat of a branch of the powerful Colonna family whose head was Lord, then Duke, then Prince of Paliano. Their fortres ...

, and started his military career at the age of 24. He became a renowned

, since 1502 in the service of

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flor ...

, and later 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 ...

.
He married Lucrezia della Rovere (1485–1552), the Pope's niece, receiving as dowry the castle of

Frascati Frascati () is a city and in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, ...

, where Colonna gave Frascati in 1515 its first statute, Statuti e Capituli del Castello di Frascati. The previous year he had also given to

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 "Statuti e Capituli del Castello di Nemi", the first city statute with rules and regulations to observe. Later he distinguished himself fighting for

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

and then served the King of France, fighting his former employer, the Pope. In 1522 he organized the defense of Milan against the Spanish, but while inspecting the front lines along with Camillo Trivulzio, was hit by a cannon shot and fell mortally wounded. There are few depictions of Marcantonio Colonna in historical sources, but a picture of him can be found in a book of Philadelphus Mugnos.

Depictions in fiction

Marcantonio Colonna was a minor character in the 2011 television series '' The Borgias''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Colonna, Marcantonio I 1478 births 1522 deaths 16th-century condottieri 16th-century Italian nobility Marcantonio I