Marcantonio Colonna
Marcantonio Colonna | |
|---|---|
 Marcantonio II Colonna, Prince and Duke of Paliano and Tagliacozzo, portrayed by Scipione Pulzone. | |
| Born | Marcantonio Colonna 1535 |
| Died | 1 August 1584 (aged 48–49) |
Burial place | Santa Maria sopra Minerva |
| Title | Captain General of the Church Viceroy of Sicily Duke and Prince of Paliano Duke of Tagliacozzo |
| Spouse | Felicia Orsini |
| Parents |
|
Marcantonio II Colonna (sometimes spelled Marc'Antonio; 1535[1] – 1 August 1584), Duke and Prince of Paliano and Duke of Tagliacozzo, was an Italian aristocrat and military commander who served as Viceroy of Sicily under the Spanish Crown, general of the Spanish forces, and Captain General of the Church.
He is best remembered for his role as admiral of the Papal fleet at the Battle of Lepanto.[2] He was described as "one of the most illustrious land and sea captains of the 16th century."[3]
Biography
[edit]Marcantonio Colonna, born in 1535 at Civita Lavinia,[4] was a member of the noble Colonna family of the Lazio, then one of the most powerful feudal dynasties of the Papal States and the Kingdom of Sicily, which was under Spanish rule. His parents were Ascanio Colonna, Duke of Tagliacozzo, and Giovanna d'Aragona. After his parent's divorce, he supported his mother, leading him to be disinherited by his father.
Italian Wars
[edit]In 1553–1554, during the war against Siena, Colonna was made commander of the Spanish cavalry. Colonna often stayed at Avezzano, 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.[5] In 1556 he was excommunicated by Pope Paul IV for waging war against him as part of the Spanish army.[6]
In 1559, after the Italian Wars, he was reconciled with the church by Pius IV.[6] Three years later 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. He did acquire a squad of seven galleys, which he lent to the Spanish fleet at the conquest of Vélez de la Gomera in 1564.[6]
Holy League
[edit]
With the start of the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1570, Colonna was appointed captain of the Papal fleet by Pope Pius V. The job required urgency, as the Papal fleet had been wiped out in the battle of Djerba and a new fleet had donated to them to by the Republic of Venice.[6] After the creation of the Holy League in 1571, he joined the fleet of the league, where he served under John of Austria.[4] Colonna clashed personally with Giovanni Andrea Doria, who mistrusted the Venetians and was overly cautious to fight.[7]
At the Battle of Lepanto (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.[8]
On his return to Rome the following year, Pope Gregory XIII confirmed Colonna as Captain General of the Church.[4] In June, Colonna headed to Corfu with part of the Spanish and Papal squads, waiting for a planned campaign against the coast of Turkey to start.[9] Commanding the Holy League fleet in absence of John, Colonna found the surviving Ottoman admiral, Occhiali, leading a rebuilt fleet of 200 galleys. Both armadas met near Cerigo, where Colonna arranged his 139 galleys behind a vanguard of six Venetian galleasses and twenty Spanish galleons and carracks, but Occhiali declined to fight despite his bigger numbers, being now wary of their heavy artillery. Colonna sought battle for three days, but Occhiali eventually withdrew.[10] Another uneventful encounter happened in August in Cape Matapan, where Occhiali again withdrew after having his right wing punished.[11]
After John's arrival, Colonna acted with diplomacy, embarking Papal soldiers in the Venetian ships when the Venetians refused to allow Spanish marines aboard.[12] He participated along with the rest of the fleet in the siege of Navarino, which resulted in no gains for the League other than the death of Mahomet Bey, grandson of Hayreddin Barbarossa.[13]
Late cateer
[edit]In 1577, King Philip II appointed him Viceroy of Sicily. He also held the title of Lord of Marino, then a small village a few miles south of Rome, where the inhabitants honoured him with a grand annual celebration. The tradition survives today as the "Sagra dell'Uva". Later in life, he moved to L'Aquila, where he resided in the house now known as the Palazzo Porcinari. He died in 1584 in undisclosed circumstances.
In November 2022, the Italian Navy launched a multipurpose offshore patrol ship named in his honour, the Marcantonio Colonna.[3]
Family and issue
[edit]
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, natural daughter of Pope Julius II. 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.
They had seven children, four sons and three daughters:
- Costanza Colonna (1555 – 1626). 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.
- 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
[edit]- ↑ Leonard, Amy E.; Nelson, Karen L. (2011). Masculinities, Childhood, Violence: Attending to Early Modern Women—and Men. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 353. ISBN 978-1611490183.
- ↑ "Marcantonio Colonna," The British Museum
- 1 2 "The fifth PPA 'Marcantonio Colonna' launched in Riva Trigoso", European Defense Review, November 26, 2022
- 1 2 3 "Marcantonio Colonna", Marina Militare
- ↑ Latini, Marialuce (2000). "Avezzano (AQ), La rocca Orsini". Guida ai Castelli d'Abruzzo (in Italian). Pescara: Carsa Edizioni. p. 82. ISBN 88-85854-87-7.
- 1 2 3 4 Anderson (1952), p. 30.
- ↑ Anderson (1952), p. 30-32.
- ↑ William Oliver Stevens and Allan F. Westcott, A History of Sea Power, 1920, p. 105–106.
- ↑ Fernández Duro (1896), p. 172.
- ↑ Fernández Duro (1896), p. 175.
- ↑ Anderson (1952), p. 51.
- ↑ Fernández Duro (1896), p. 176.
- ↑ Fernández Duro (1896), p. 184.
Bibliography
[edit]- Anderson, Roger Charles (1952). Naval wars in the Levant, 1559-1853. Princeton University Press.
- Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1896). Armada Española, desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón, tomo II. Madrid: Instituto de Historia Naval.
External links
[edit]
- People from Lanuvio
- Colonna family
- 1535 births
- 1584 deaths
- 16th-century Italian nobility
- Viceroys of Sicily
- 16th-century condottieri
- 16th-century Italian military personnel
- 15th-century births
- 16th-century deaths
- Generals of Spain
- Captains General of the Church
- Military leaders of the Italian Wars
- People of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars