Colonna family

Encyclopedia : C : CO : COL : Colonna family

for the town in the province of Rome, see Colonna, Italy.

for the rione of Rome, see Colonna (rione of Rome).

Crest of the Colonna family.

The Colonna family was a powerful noble family in medieval and renaissance Rome, supplying one pope and many other leaders, and fighting with their rivals the Orsini family for influence. Oddone Colonna ended the Western Schism as Pope Martin V.

According to their family tradition, the Colonna are a branch of the counts of Tusculum. The first cardinal from the family was appointed in 1192 when Giovanni Colonna was made Cardinal Priest of Santa Prisca.

In 1297 Cardinal Jacopo disinherited his brothers Ottone, Matteo, and Landolfo of their lands. The latter three appealed Pope Boniface VIII, who ordered Jacopo to return the land, and furthermore hand over the family's strongholds of Colonna, Palestrina, and other towns to the Papacy. Jacopo refused; in May Boniface removed him from the College of Cardinals and excommunicated him and his followers for four generations. The Colonna family (aside from the three brothers allied with the Pope) declared that Boniface had been elected illegally after the unprecedented abdication of Pope Celestine V three years previously. The dispute lead to open warfare, and in September Boniface appointed Landolfo to the command of his army, to put down the revolt of Landolfo's own relatives. This he did, and by the end of 1298 Colonna, Palestrina, and other towns had been captured and razed to the ground. The family's lands were distributed among Landolfo and his loyal brothers; the rest of the family fled Italy.

In 1728, the family added the name Barberini to its family name when Giulio Cesare Colonna di Sciarra married Cornelia Barberini, daughter of the last male Barberini to hold the name, Taddeo Barberini.

The Colonna family have been Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne since 1710, though their papal princely title only dates from 1854.

Notable members

Vittoria Colonna, friend of Michelangelo.
Sciarra Colonna, who participated in the Outrage of Anagni against Pope Boniface VIII.
Stefano Colonna, an influential noble in Medieval Rome an Imperial vicar in the early 14th century.
Pope Martin V
Fabrizio Colonna, who was the father of Vittoria Colonna, and a general in the Holy League.
Prospero Colonna, who fought alongside his cousin Fabrizio.
Pompeo Colonna, cardinal.
Marcantonio Colonna, also successful condottiero of the late 16th century.
Pirro Colonna, 16th century captain under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Colonna family

Notable members

See also