Individual Details
Matteo Rosso Orsini
(1178 - 1246)
According to Wikipedia:
Matteo Rosso Orsini (1178-1246), called the Great, was an Italian politician, the father of Pope Nicholas III. He was named senatore of the City of Rome by Pope Gregory IX in 1241: in this capacity he took a firm stand against the ventures in Italy of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and defeated him in 1243.
He was an effective lord of the Eternal City during sede vacante of 1241 and had a considerable influence on the papal election of that year, when the cardinal electors were confined in the Septizodium by his orders. He extended the territories of the Orsini family. He was also a personal friend of St Francis of Assisi and protector of his order.
External links
The Catholic Encyclopedia: Orsini family
Origins
According to their family legend, the Orsini are descended from the Julio-Claudian dynasty of ancient Rome. The Orsini carried on a political feud with the Colonna family for centuries in Rome,[2] until it was stopped by Papal Bull in 1511. In 1571, the heads of both families married nieces of Pope Sixtus V.
The Orsini were related to the Bobone family existing in Rome in the 11th century. The first members used the surname of Bobone-Orsini. The first known family member is one Bobone, in the early 11th century, father of Pietro, in turn father of Giacinto Bobone (1110-1198), who in 1191 became pope as Celestine III. One of the first great nepotist popes, he made two of his nephews cardinals and allowed his cousin Giovanni Gaetano (Giangaetano, died 1232) to buy the fiefs of Vicovaro, Licenza, Roccagiovine and Nettuno, which formed the nucleus of the future territorial power of the family.
The Bobone surname was lost with his children, who were called de domo filiorum Ursi. Two of them, Napoleone and Matteo Rosso the Great (1178-1246), considerably increased the prestige of the family. The former was the founder of the first southern line, which disappeared with Camillo Pardo in 1553. He obtained the city of Manoppello, later a countship, and was gonfaloniere of the Papal States. Matteo Rosso, called the Great, was the effective lord of Rome from 1241, when he defeated the Imperial troops, to 1243, holding the title of Senator. Two of his sons, and Napoleone, were also Senators. Matteo ousted the traditional rivals, the Colonna family, from Rome and extended the Orsini territories southwards up to Avellino and northwards to Pitigliano. During his life, the family entered firmly in the Guelph party. He had some ten sons, who divided the fiefs after his deaths: Gentile (died 1246) originated the Pitigliano line and the second southern line, Rinaldo that of Monterotondo, Napoleone (died 1267) that of Bracciano, and another Matteo Rosso that of Montegiordano, from the name of the district in Rome housing the family's fortress. The most distinguished of his sons was Giovanni Gaetano (died 1280): elected pope as Nicholas III, he named his nephew Bertoldo (d. 1289) as count of Romagna, and had two nephews and a brother created cardinals.
The second southern line
The rise of the Orsini did not stop after Nicholas' death. Bertoldo's son, Gentile II (1250-1318), was two times Senator of Rome, podestà of Viterbo and, from 1314, Gran Giustiziere ("Great Justicer") of the Kingdom of Naples. He married Clarice Ruffo, daughter of the counts of Catanzaro, forming an alliance of the most powerful Calabrian dynasty. His son Romano (1268-1327), called Romanello, was Royal Vicar of Rome in 1326, and inherited the countship of Soana through his marriage with Anastasia de Montfort, Countess of Nola. Romano's stance was markedly Guelph. After his death, his two sons divided his fiefs, forming the Pitigliano and the second southern lin
Matteo Rosso Orsini (1178-1246), called the Great, was an Italian politician, the father of Pope Nicholas III. He was named senatore of the City of Rome by Pope Gregory IX in 1241: in this capacity he took a firm stand against the ventures in Italy of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and defeated him in 1243.
He was an effective lord of the Eternal City during sede vacante of 1241 and had a considerable influence on the papal election of that year, when the cardinal electors were confined in the Septizodium by his orders. He extended the territories of the Orsini family. He was also a personal friend of St Francis of Assisi and protector of his order.
External links
The Catholic Encyclopedia: Orsini family
Origins
According to their family legend, the Orsini are descended from the Julio-Claudian dynasty of ancient Rome. The Orsini carried on a political feud with the Colonna family for centuries in Rome,[2] until it was stopped by Papal Bull in 1511. In 1571, the heads of both families married nieces of Pope Sixtus V.
The Orsini were related to the Bobone family existing in Rome in the 11th century. The first members used the surname of Bobone-Orsini. The first known family member is one Bobone, in the early 11th century, father of Pietro, in turn father of Giacinto Bobone (1110-1198), who in 1191 became pope as Celestine III. One of the first great nepotist popes, he made two of his nephews cardinals and allowed his cousin Giovanni Gaetano (Giangaetano, died 1232) to buy the fiefs of Vicovaro, Licenza, Roccagiovine and Nettuno, which formed the nucleus of the future territorial power of the family.
The Bobone surname was lost with his children, who were called de domo filiorum Ursi. Two of them, Napoleone and Matteo Rosso the Great (1178-1246), considerably increased the prestige of the family. The former was the founder of the first southern line, which disappeared with Camillo Pardo in 1553. He obtained the city of Manoppello, later a countship, and was gonfaloniere of the Papal States. Matteo Rosso, called the Great, was the effective lord of Rome from 1241, when he defeated the Imperial troops, to 1243, holding the title of Senator. Two of his sons, and Napoleone, were also Senators. Matteo ousted the traditional rivals, the Colonna family, from Rome and extended the Orsini territories southwards up to Avellino and northwards to Pitigliano. During his life, the family entered firmly in the Guelph party. He had some ten sons, who divided the fiefs after his deaths: Gentile (died 1246) originated the Pitigliano line and the second southern line, Rinaldo that of Monterotondo, Napoleone (died 1267) that of Bracciano, and another Matteo Rosso that of Montegiordano, from the name of the district in Rome housing the family's fortress. The most distinguished of his sons was Giovanni Gaetano (died 1280): elected pope as Nicholas III, he named his nephew Bertoldo (d. 1289) as count of Romagna, and had two nephews and a brother created cardinals.
The second southern line
The rise of the Orsini did not stop after Nicholas' death. Bertoldo's son, Gentile II (1250-1318), was two times Senator of Rome, podestà of Viterbo and, from 1314, Gran Giustiziere ("Great Justicer") of the Kingdom of Naples. He married Clarice Ruffo, daughter of the counts of Catanzaro, forming an alliance of the most powerful Calabrian dynasty. His son Romano (1268-1327), called Romanello, was Royal Vicar of Rome in 1326, and inherited the countship of Soana through his marriage with Anastasia de Montfort, Countess of Nola. Romano's stance was markedly Guelph. After his death, his two sons divided his fiefs, forming the Pitigliano and the second southern lin
Events
| Birth | 1178 | ||||
| Death | 1246 |
Families
| Child | Bertoldo Orsini, Count of Romagna ( - 1289) |