IACOPI DISCENDENZE E STORIA

Consorteria De' Tornaquinci

Descendant families: 

•  Iacopi de' Tornaquinci
•  Medici Tornaquinci
•  Popoleschi
•  Marabottini
•  Giachinotti
•  Tornabuoni
•  Cardinali
•  Pellegrini

 

 

I A C O P I   D E '  T O R N A Q U I N C I

 

The origin of this other IACOPI family of Florence dates back to 19 February 1379, on the initiative of the "Grande o Magnate" SANDRO di SIMONE di TIERI de' TORNAQUINCI, who in October 1361 had made an embassy to Val di Nievole for the Nurse. (Marchionne di Coppo Stefani, Cronaca Fiorentina, edited by N. Rodolico, vol. 30°. Lapi, Città di Castello, 1903). The possibility of embarking on this path was precisely provided by the promulgation of the Provision of the Major Councils of Florence, dated 11 August 1361, which regulated the passages and transformations of the "status" of families ("In Christi nomine amen. Anno incarnationis eiusdem millesimo trecentesimo sexagesimo primo, indictione quintadecima, die undecima mensis Augusti. Consilio domini Capitanei et populi Fiorentini mandato nobiliorum e potentum virorum dominorum priorum artium ... more usual congregate" it is established that "... omnes et singuli illi de civitate seu comitatu Florentie qui dum essent seu erant de numeros magnatum et potentum civitatis predicte fuerunt seu erunt in futurum assecuti beneficia popolaritatis seu popularem civitatis ejusdem remanentibus eorum coniunctis per lineam masculinam ... "ASF, Consigli Maggiori, Provvisioni, Registri, 49, c, 1r). Sandro di Simone, taking advantage of this law, which allowed the "Grandi" to acquire the popular state and thus to return to the gears of power from which they had been excluded, changed his surname and coat of arms, abandoning the "Consorteria" of his own House, the TORNAQUINCI, in order to present himself as a dynastic entity distinct from the original stock. On page 72 of Vincenzo Borghini's book: "Del modo di fare le genealogies delle famiglie fiorentine", printed in Florence in 1821, we read the following under the heading "TORNAQUINCI":

 

"DIE 19 FEBRUARII 1379. NOBILIS VIR  SANDER QUONDAM SIMONIS DE TORNAQUINCIS ELEGII SIBI PRO NOVIS ARMIS: SCUTUM CUM CAMPO AUREO, SIVE GIALLO, ET IN MEDIO DICTI SCUTI UNUM GIRUM ROTUNDUM PARVUM CUM CAMPO ALBO, ET CRUCE RUBEA, ET CIRCUM CIRCA, DICTI ROTUNDUM PRIMO DE NIGRO, ET POSTEA DE  VIRIDI, ET VELLE SE, ET SUOS, VOCARI DE

 

I A C O P I S   DE   FLORENTIA”.

 

It is appropriate, at this point, to provide some information on the choice of surname and on the Carabinieri adopted by its progenitor SANDRO di SIMONE di TIERI.

First of all, why choose a surname like that of IACOPI, while other branches of the family have changed the original name (Tornabuoni), or have manifested adherence to the popular class (Popoleschi), or have remembered having been the object of political violence (Pellegrini), or have highlighted, with a shell in the coat of arms, the aforementioned condition (Giachinotti) ?

Sandro di Simone, in fact, in assuming a coat of arms practically identical, except for the border, from that of the Marabottini, since he is obliged by the political situation and by the laws in force to change his surname, decides to take on that of the IACOPI, a surname that has practically disappeared from the city panorama of the Grandi, but a famous and important surname in the memory of the Florentines, arousing strong and important memories linked to the glorious tradition of the leaders of the Guelph part of the city. But, according to the anonymous commentator of "Memorie di storia fiorentina" of the Codex Barberiniano Latino 5002-4, there is also another hypothesis for the origin of the surname IACOPI, according to him derived from one of their ancestors named JACOPO de' Tornaquinci.

Moreover, Sandro's branch is the one that, after the Popoleschi, least highlights in the coat of arms the derivation from the Tornaquinci (gold and green colors), keeping gold as a base, but reducing green to a single armilla, as if to underline, as well as with the surname, a certain distancing from his own Consortium.

In fact, from the examination of all the coats of arms reported at the beginning of this work and referring to the IACOPI, it is possible to note the presence of a common factor, almost generalized, of the colors of the Tornaquinci (green and gold) and of the symbol "Silver ball charged with a cross full of red" invariably placed in the abyss (in the center) of the shield.

This heraldic symbol, already found in common in the emblems of the other branches of the Tornaquinci, is typical of the Florentine coats of arms and has always had a very specific meaning throughout the history of the city of the lily.

First of all, the heraldic figure, as a whole, is normally called or referred to as the "Arma del Popolo di Firenze" when it is inserted in a shield, or "Croce del Popolo di Firenze" when it has a silver ball as its base. This symbol, in addition to clearly indicating the condition of citizens of Florence, also highlights, among the different "classes" of the city, the belonging to the "popular" one. These reasons explain, in fact, why many Florentine families, in assuming the popular condition or in acquiring Florentine citizenship, adopted it in their arms (the Agolanti, the Biliotti, the Buondelmonti, the Cambi, the Cardinali, the Cerchi, the Cavalcanti, the Cattani di Diacceto, the Dietaiuti, the de' Medici, the Fabroni, the Fabroni Pelli, the Formigli, the Gherucci, the Goggi, the Lotteringhi della Stufa, the da Magnale, the Marabottini, the Panciatichi, the Pellegrini, the Pieri, the Sassi della Tosa, the Savini, the Tornabuoni, the Ubaldini, the Bongianni of Arezzo, the Gabrielli, etc.) (9).

However, it should not be forgotten that this symbol, as early as 1200, was also used as a trademark, together with the lily, of the Florentine commercial companies. It is possible, therefore, that SANDRO di SIMONE included this heraldic figure in his Carabinieri, as well as to highlight the belonging to the working class, also for the fact that in all probability he exercised the "mercatura".

Another reason for the inclusion of the "People's Cross" in the coat of arms may be, perhaps sought in the fact that the family was enrolled in one of the Guilds and almost certainly many of its members were enrolled in the Guild of Calimala (trade in fine cloths), which had as its symbol a red cross on a silver field. As a purely curiosity, it should also be added that, in 1343, after the expulsion from Florence of the Duke of Athens, Gualtieri di Brienne, the city was divided into 4 districts and this symbol is attributed to the Rione di Santa Croce, which had as its emblem a "Red Cross on a silver field".

With regard to the two circles around the "People's Cross", this can be explained by the fact that almost certainly many of the branches of the magnate family of the Tornaquinci and, in particular, that of SANDRO, were registered in the lists of the Wool or Silk Arts. In Florentine heraldry, in fact, the concentric circles (or armlets), up to a number of three, meant "skeins of wool or silk" (Di Crollalanza and Guelfi - Camajani: in their respective works) and among the Florentine families who adopted this heraldic figure we can remember those of the Albizzi, the Erbolotti, the Lanfredini, the Abbess, of the Ghesi, etc.

Finally, with regard to the helmet, described above, it can be concluded, according to specialized texts, that it is attributable to families of ancient origin and nobility of Tuscany, which for the IACOPI is amply demonstrable.

All the IACOPI, in fact, precisely because they participated in the city magistrates, appear as "Nobles of Florence" in a manuscript of 1438 (vol. 1735, p. 54: volume 1154, p. 1203 ; vol. 1152, p. 417; vol. 1153, p. 1015), while, for the Iacopi descendants of the Tornaquinci family, the title of Nobili de' Baroni Tornaquinci can also be attributed, because they derive from a family of "Magnati".

As for the meanings of the heraldic symbols, as such, we can add that:

• the Svolazzi or Lambrecchini around the helmet, generally of the same color as the enamels of the shield, represent the colored bandages that the knight put around the helmet to protect himself from the sun;
• the gold of the enamels was a symbol of power;
• blue was a sign of greatness of soul;
• the ball was a symbol of the wheel of the inconstancy of life;
• the cross was a symbol of the Church, of the Crusaders and therefore of the Guelphs;
• the Armille or circles represented skeins, symbol of the woollen or silk workers.

Another eschatological interpretation could be the following:

 In the golden field of glory and family tradition, two circles, which recall the activity carried out, with the colors of hope (green) and the inevitability of death (black), around the "Cross of the People of Florence", a ball that symbolizes the inconstancy of luck in life (transience of human things) and a red cross that alludes to sacrifice, purification and faith in redemption (silver of the ball). (fig. 12)

Le genealogical events of the IACOPI de' TORNAQUINCI have been somewhat tormented: if, in fact, the Priorist Mariani has identified in the aforementioned family, one of the dynastic cells detached from the Tornaquinci stock, its reconstruction has undergone partial revisions, both by an anonymous glossator of Piero Monaldi's work, and by the more reliable Vincenzo Borghini. The unknown commentator of Monaldi states: "Some have said that the IACOPI and the PELLEGRINI, are consorts of the Tornaquinci, but now it is not believed to be true, .... “. In any case, the origin of this House is confirmed in their works, both by  the Historical Blasonic Dictionary of Crollalanza (Vol. 1, p. 528), and by Rietstap (Armorial General, Van Goor Zonen, Gouda 1888, p. 1029). The second half of the 1300s was certainly a very hard period for the Florentine magnate class which, fresh from the failed revolts of the Barons (1340) and the Magnates (after 1350), was now reduced to impotence and clearly dominated by the popular class. This situation, further aggravated by the Tumulto dei Ciompi (24 June 1378), led to the disintegration of the old "Consorterie Magnatizie" giving rise to numerous new families who, embracing the popular cause, through the aforementioned law of 1361, could in some way "save what could be saved". This is the case of  the IACOPI de' ROSSI, whose vicissitudes we have already seen above (House of Rosolesi): this is the case of the Bardi, who gave rise to the Ilarioni and the Gualtierotti; it is the case of the Tebaldini of which a branch was called de' Raineri; the case also of the Squarcialupi, of which some branches were called de' Bernardoni and de' Fipopoli; this is the case, finally, of the family of TORNAQUINCI, who for the necessity of survival, were forced to hide under other surnames. Numerous branches took on the surnames of CARDINALI, PELLEGRINI, GIACHINOTTI, MARABOTTINI, TORNABUONI, POPOLESCHI, IN ADDITION TO THE ONE ALREADY mentioned by IACOPI  (vds. Annex A1).

The choice of new onomastic names was inspired by multiple criteria; the reference to the names of the ancestors as in the cases, among others, of the Gherardi or the Donati, the reference to the profession of the family or to the instruments that constituted its essence (e.g. the Martelli, the Rucellai or the Della Robbia), to the geographical area of origin (the Montericordoli and the Squarcialupi), to the political ideals of which one wished to be expressions (Liberals, Courtiers, Buonantichi and Popoleschi).

It should be noted, however, that, after the initial storm, some branches that had previously changed their surname for reasons of expediency, resumed the old name and weapon of the Tornaquinci. This would seem to have been the case of the IACOPI de' TORNAQUINCI, a fact demonstrated by the Florentine land registry of 1427, which does not show any descendants of this family, and also by the historian Ademollo (Marietta de' Ricci, Florence 1845). In practice, the reality of the facts and many other authors confirm

This hypothesis is widely accepted, also since, in addition to the IACOPI de' ROSSI and the IACOPI di Santa CROCE, (extinct in the main branch in Florence at the end of the seventeenth century and emigrated from the city of Giglio between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to other places and to Lucca), there have never existed in Florence other IACOPI families than those mentioned. It is therefore probable that, after the normalization of Florentine political life in 1382, the Iacopi de' Tornaquinci simply resumed the ancient surname of the Tornaquinci, returning to the bosom of their coterie. In any case, on the origin of the IACOPI de' Tornaquinci we are also provided with more precise information from the Barberiniano Latino codex 5002-4, "Memory for Florentine history", preserved in the Vatican Apostolic Library; the anonymous commentator of Florentine memoirs has handed down to us in great detail, the initial phases of the existence of the family, while agreeing with the other genealogical reconstructions in relation to the early extinction of the families in question or on their return to the Tornaquinci. "Sandro by Simone Tornaquinci

... he took the surname of the JACOPI perhaps for the name of messer JACOPO de' Tornaquinci, ancient ancestor and took for arms, shield with a gold field and in the middle a white circle and a red (?) coat of arms and around the white circle first of black and then of green ... and this house must have ended up in him, or he returned to say of the ancient Tornaquinci, because there is neither of Priors nor any of them".

 

Before examining the events of the other  Florentine IACOPI, it seems appropriate to give some historical notes on their stock of origin, the TORNAQUINCI (fig. 13) and on the other branches derived from it.

To this end, we also make use of the information taken from the Book of the aforementioned Ademollo. According to Verino, the very powerful Tornaquinci family derives from Rome. Its origin is lost in time but, leaving aside the probable legends about its origin, we know for sure that in Florence it had vast possessions and that it was the owner of vast lands along the bank of the Arno, on which it had the privilege of making weirs from Emperor Otto I. We have previously emphasized, in the passage taken from Malespini's book, that the Tornaquinci, as well as the Cavalcanti and the Cerchi, were "merchants" and that already at the time of Frederick II they were part of the most important families of the city of Giglio.

When Florence built the second circle of the walls, the gate - later called San Pancrazio or Brancazio - was initially called de Tornaquinci, as well as the small square on whose area the Palazzo degli Strozzi was later built. FIGLIOCARO de' Tornaquinci, in 1166, was consul of the Militi and IACOPO, in 1176, was part of the Council of Elders of the Municipality and in 1237 IACOBUS de' Tornaquinci was among the Consuls of the Florentine Municipality.

The modern palace of the Tornaquinci (formerly Pazzi) is located in Florence in Via de' Giraldi at no. 15 (main façade on Borgo degli Albizi). In ancient times, however, they lived in the so-called "Canto dei Tornaquinci", at the beginning of the current Via degli Strozzi (inscribed on the Leon Bianco banner of the S. Maria Novella district) and the towers, houses and loggia owned by the family, gathered around a square or courtyard, were located in the area on which in the middle of the '400 the great Palazzo Tornabuoni (later Corsi - Salviati) was built (the toponymy recalls their topographical location)

The so-called loggia dei Tornaquinci is now part of the aforementioned palace (now of the Banca Commerciale Italiana), in via Tornabuoni n. 16: the loggia, of ancient origins, was rebuilt to a design by Lodovico Cardi known as Cigoli in 1608 and incorporated into Palazzo Corsi in 1736 (works directed by Ing. Ruggieri); in 1864, as part of the road widening works, the loggia was destroyed and rebuilt identical to the original on the other corner of the façade, towards Piazza degli Antinori. In the frieze, under the terrace of the loggia, the coat of arms of the Tornaquinci, and of the other families of the consortium, is still visible.

The main chapel of the Tornaquinci, later purchased by the Ricci, was located in the church of S. Maria Novella: in it there were also the coats of arms of all the families of the consortium (descendants of the Tornaquinci).

The Tornaquinci, in 1215, sided with the Buondelmonti and therefore with the Guelph party. At the battle of Montaperti, in 1260, we find many characters of the family in the ranks of the Florentine Guelphs:

• - GIANNI,  Captain of the Soldiers of the Sesto di San Pancrazio,
• - BRUNETTO di LOTTIERI,  Stringer of crossbowmen;
• - SINIBALDO, with the office of Podestà, sent to the defense of Poggibonsi.

The outcome of the unfortunate day of Montaperti forced the Tornaquinci into exile and only in 1266 were they able to return to the city. Knights of great courage came out of this family and many of these made great fame during the internal struggles of Florence. These include: 

• - GHERARDO VENTROJA, who played a large part in the victory of Campaldino in 1289 and who bore the royal insignia and his part;
• - Messer CIPRIANO,messer FOGLIA, messer GENTILE, messer CARDINALE and others of the family, were among those who signed the peace of the "parties" of 1280, under the mediation of Cardinal Latino and were admitted to the Magistracies of 1282.

In any case, the Tornaquinci, even if already considered "Grandees or Magnates", had access to civic offices in large numbers and, already in 1284, had obtained the Priory four times in the person of RUGGERO. The period 1282 - 1292 was certainly of great splendour for the Tornaquinci who, together with eight other families, make up 2/3 of all the Priors of the Sesto di S. Pancrazio. In the Council of the Hundred, moreover, especially in the years 1290 - 1292, we often find representatives of the Tornaquinci, together with other characters of the magnate family such as: Sacchetti, Foraboschi, Maineri, Cipriani, Agli, Visdomini, and Sizi. During the Guelph denomination, the family had also made a considerable reputation for the competence of many of its members in the legal field, so much so that the Municipality of Florence very often resorted to their opinion. In fact, in this period, in all political acts of a certain importance, we find consulted many jurists of the families of Ridolfi (Gianni), Agli and Tornaquinci, as "Testis ad hoc specialiter rogatus".

In the institutional reform, Ordinamenti di Giustizia, of the years 1293 - 1294, following the revolt led by Giano della Bella, the Tornaquinci, already included in the list of the great magnates of 1286, were definitively declared "Grandi" and, for this reason, excluded from the government of the City, although there were frequent exceptions to these extraordinary laws. The Tornaquinci remained, in fact, perfectly integrated into the city's economic circuit, both during the 14th century and during the following one. Ultimately, the Tornaquinci, like other magnate families, although formally excluded from the official political circuit, in daily life their diversity gradually diminished. In any case, Mecatti, in his work concerning Florentine families, tells us that the Tornaquinci had 10 Gonfalonieri of Justice in Florence between 1405 and 1530 and as many as 45 Priors from 1282 to 1526. Following the anti-magnate laws and the events of the first half of the 1300s, many branches of the family, for survival needs, were forced to hide - as we will see later - under other surnames. despite the laws, both the Florentine Republic and the other potentates of the time, relied heavily on the most famous men of the family who, therefore, had from their fellow citizens the responsibility of important embassies and missions and, from the others, the appointment to the most prestigious positions in the main Italian cities:

• - Messer CIPRIANO in 1237 was Podestà of the city of Assisi;
• - Messer GHERARDO (already mentioned), after the auspicious day of Campaldino, was called to Podestà of Città di Castello in 1290, to Fano in 1294, and to Asti in 1297. In 1294 he had also been sent ambassador to Rome for Florence at the Court of Pope Celestine V;
• - Messer CARDINALE (already mentioned) of MARABOTTINO was Podestà of Gubbio in 1280.

 

A sign of the "Grandigia" of this family is also found in a document of 1306. As is well known, the Magnates for their haughtiness and power lorded it over city life and represented a constant danger to public order, for their tendency to resolve on their own and by force any dispute that involved them. The document in question bears the date of January 24, 1306 and highlights an act of pacification between some representatives of the Tornaquinci and the Girolami, the most powerful families of the sixth of San Pancrazio. The document, drawn up by the notary Matteo Biliotti, also lists the most conspicuous elements of the city, belonging to the Bilenchi, Ardimanni and Ubertini families, as mallevadori and witnesses. The Tornaquinci were related to the most important families of Florence, including the Guadagni of Porta San Pietro and the rich and powerful Bordoni family who, originally from Pistoia, lived in the Sesto di San Pancrazio. Of the other characters of the family in the following years we mention:

• BIAGIO di BINGERI or Birigeri, Captain of great value who was Lieutenant of the Duke of Calabria in the war against Castruccio Castracani, Lord of Lucca (1325), Captain of the People of Bologna and then Captain General of the Florentines against the Pisans;
• DIEGO di BIAGIO, was a knight of great fame and ambassador in 1362;
• BIAGIO, a descendant of the previous, in 1366 elected Senator of Rome;
• PIETRO, Bishop of Porto, was made cardinal in 1366 and died in 1404 in Avignon;
• NICCOLÒ, Knight of Jerusalem in 1521.

In the fifteenth century the branch of the family that had retained the surname Tornaquinci declined in splendor, especially economically, but it was recovered during the Principality of the Medici, who reentrusted the family with important offices and with a decree of August 30, 1751 obtained registration in the Florentine Patriciate. The family had three senators in this period and in particular:

• MARIO received the Governorship of Livorno from the Medici;
• Abbot GIOVANNI ANTONIO (1680 - 1764), son of Senator GIOVANNI GAETANO and Settimia di Francesco GUICCIARDINI, former Secretary of State to Duke Giangastone dei Medici, was elected in 1737 to be part of the Regency Council for Grand Duke Francesco 2nd Stefano Lotringen (Lorraine);
• LUCA (born 1690), the Bailiff and brother of the previous, died on 19 February 1790 and was the last of his family;
• MARGHERITA (1734 - 1785) di PIERO (1689 - 1756) de' Tornaquinci and di Cassandra di Antonio MORELLI, nephew of the previous, marrying in 1754 the Marquis Francesco Giuseppe di Francesco Medici, became the heir of the family whose assets therefore passed to the Medici of the Castellina This branch of the Medici consequently took the name of MEDICI - TORNAQUINCI and is still flourishing today (1990).

 

 

MEDICI - TORNAQUINCI

   The MEDICI - TORNAQUINCI branch, whose palace is located in what is now Via Tornabuoni and which descends from GIOVENCO de' Medici, brother of CHIARISSIMO (ancestor of Cosimo de' Medici), added the surname of the Tornaquinci in 1785. This branch of the Medici had been granted the title of Marquis of Castellina  in 1628 by Grand Duke Ferdinando 2°. This title was recognized by the Italian state with Ministerial Decree of 12 August 1921. The coat of arms of the Tornaquinci was: "Quartered with gold and green"  (fig. 14a). That of the Medici Tornaquinci is: "Of gold with six balls placed in the edge, that of the head, azure charged with three golden fleurs-de-lis, the others of red". The crest is as follows: "a natural falcon holding in its beak a gold ring with diamonds and in the raised right claw a silver brief with the motto: SEMPER PER ANULO TRAIECTO". The recent genealogy of the Medici-Tornaquinci  family is shown in Annex D.

As previously mentioned, many branches of the Tornaquinci family took advantage of the municipal law of 1361 to assume the condition of the working class. These include:

               

P O P O L E S C H I

 

  They originated from NICOLO' di GHINO TORNAQUINCI, former ambassador for the Dieci di Balia in 1348 and in 1349 in Lucca, in 1364 he took the surname of POPOLESCHI, to which was added, in 1371, TOMMASO di PIERO. They raised as a weapon: "Field of silver scalloped with gold and green charged with a cross of red." Alias: "Field of silver charged with a cross of red; to the crenellated border and composed of gold and green" (fig. 15a). The Popoleschi had men of renown, among whom stands out BARTOLOMEO di PIERO, a famous jurist, who in 1399 was sent orator to Venice to negotiate peace with the Duke of Milan. Later he was sent to Bologna in 1404 to settle the controversy between the Papal Legate and the Marquises d'Este; in 1405 to intercede for peace with the Lord of Padua; in 1406 in Naples to invite King Ladislaus to help Florence against the Pisans; subsequently in France for the same reason; in 1408 he was sent to Siena to Pope Gregory XII to invite him to convene the Council; in 1409 he was Mayor of Pisa for the stipulation of the alliance with the Duke of Anjou (Anjou) and with the Legate of Bologna against King Ladislaus; again at the court of Pope John XXIII to obey him and exhort him to peace. BARTOLOMEO aforesaid, was entrusted with numerous other positions of considerable trust by the city of Florence, so much so that, having died in Naples in 1412, during an embassy of peace between the King and the Pope, the Florentine Commune decreed him a solemn funeral and assigned as a dowry, to each of his daughters, two hundred florins drawn from the public treasury. The Popoleschi opposed the rise of the Medici Lordship over Florence and, in particular, BACCIO di PIERO and PIERO di BARTOLOMEO, after the siege of Florence, were banished from the city. The family, enrolled in the Florentine nobility, had 19 Priors and 4 Gonfalonieri and during the Medici Principality 2 Senators. The last of the family was ALFONSO del Cavalier RIDOLFO who, dying on 13 October 1788, left his sister LUCREZIA, married to the Filicaja, as heir. A branch of the Filicaja later became extinct, with MARIA MADDALENA di PIETRO in 1828, in the Pucci and Niccolini families. To these, in the person of GIOVAMBATTISTA, came the goods of the Popoleschi; The surname of the Filicaja family is still remembered today in the person of Count Antonio Nardi - Dei da Filicaja Dotti. (www.filicaja.it)

 

M A R A B O T T I N I

 

 

 

The case of the Marabottini is rather complex as it appears that three different families, at as many times, decided to break away from the branch of the Tornaquinci, taking the same surname. On 19 February 1379 the "... Nobil homo ZANOBI de MARABOTTINO de' Tornaquinci ... he wanted to name de Marabottini" from his father's name and raised the following coat of arms as a family emblem: "Field of gold bordered with green, charged in the abyss with a silver ball charged with a cross full of red, the said ball in the center two circles, one of black and another of green". As can be seen, the weapon of these Marabottini is almost entirely similar to that of the IACOPI de' Tornaquinci, except for the green borders of the field. This family, which did not have particular fame in Florence, then moved to the area of Prato, where it obtained the nobility of that city.

On 17 January 1383 - according to other sources 1386 - it was the turn of MARABOTTINO di GIOVANNI de' Tornaquinci and, in the autumn of 1393, it was instead that of BERNARDO di BERNARDO di MARABOTTINO de' Tornaquinci, who "said of himself and his family that he wanted to call himself de' Marabottini”. The fact that they were three different families is evidenced by the different heraldic insignia ASF, Manuscripts, 575. Even Scipione Ammirato, in his Istorie Fiorentine, volume 4, book 16, p. 24, Florence, 1848, agrees with other historians in designating BERNARDO di BERNARDO di MARABOTTINO as the true progenitor of the MARABOTTINI.

It should be emphasized, however, that the MARABOTTINI could also derive from the Dominus UGOLINUS de MARABOCTINI de Tornaquinci, a citizen of Florence, mentioned in a document of February 1310 in the Regesto del Liber Censuum Comunis Pistorii (Municipality of Pistoia) of Quinto Santoli of 1915 (no. 690, p. 305), which sees him resolve a dispute with the Municipality of Pistoia for unpaid dues for his period of Podestà in the city.

Currently there is a MARABOTTINI - MARABOTTI family in Tuscany, a nobleman from Prato with the following coat of arms: "Quartered gold and green in the cross of St. Andrew"(fig. 17);

in Attached E is a recent genealogy of the current MARABOTTINI - MARABOTTI family. Just for completeness of information: from the Liber Censuum Communis Pistoriis by Quinto Santoli we read that on 4 January 1310 a certain Ugolino de MARABOTTI de’ TORNAQUINCI was a Witness for the Municipality of Florence

                        

G I A C H I N O T T I

 

 

  CIPRIANO and IACOPO di GIACHINOTTO de' Tornaquinci asked, again in 1379 and through their procurator Jacopo di Ventura BARTOLI, to be called de' GIACHINOTTI and chose as the insignia of their house: "Field of red bordered with silver charged in the abyss of the arms of the People of Florence (silver shield charged with a cross full of red) flanked by four shells of azure placed in a cross". This weapon was later replaced by the following: "Quartered gold and green (Tornaquinci), each quarter of the field loaded with a shell of one in the other" (fig. 18a). Data relating to this family can be found in ASF, Manuscripts 356 and 391, 421 and 575; Carte Dei, filza 25, "Memoirs of different families", ins. 3; Ancisa Papers; Piero di Giovanni Monaldi, "Historia della città di Firenze e della nobiltà de' Fiorentini".

 

• GIACHINOTTO de' Tornaquinci, in 1356, had made an embassy for the Ten of Balia. This branch gave Florence 7 Priors between 1443 and 1529. At the time of the siege of Florence (1530) many of its characters swore among the defenders of the Florentine Republic:
• BERNARDO, who had been imprisoned by the Medici in 1527 for having spoken ill of them, was sent in 1530 as Commissioner to Borgo San Sepolcro;
• GIOVANBATTISTA and GIROLAMO suffered confinement after the siege;
• PIER ODOARDO di GIROLAMO, who had been Commissioner in Livorno, Prato and Pisa, was beheaded in 1530 by the new Commissioner sent by the Medici to replace him.

This branch became extinct in NERI di ALBERTO, who died on 17 May 1634, and in his priest brother, who committed suicide (thrown from a terrace) on 2 December 1697.

                        

T O R N A B U O N I

 

 

They originated from SIMONE di TIERI di RUGGERO de' Tornaquinci, in turn son of Messer RUGGERO, on November 19, 1393. He raised the following Arms: "Quartered in green and gold in the cross of St. Andrew, the field charged with a rampant lion of one in the other, carrying on his shoulders a shield with the Arma del Popolo of Florence, bound in gold". Unlike the other branches that broke away from the Tornaquinci, Simone Tornaquinci decided, instead, to remain linked to the family of origin, limiting himself to changing the second part of his surname, giving it an auspicious accent; the Tornabuoni, in short, had to appear as the virtuous branch, detached from the common magnate stock.

"In the appointments amen. Anno incarnationis domini nostri Iesus Christi millesimo trecentesimo nonagesimo tertio, indictione segunda die decimo nono mensis novembris. Nobilis vir Simon Tieri domini Roggeri de Tornaquincis de Florentia per se et suis filiis et descendentibus per lineam masculinam volens obtemperare provisioni edicte super hac materia de mense augusti anno domini millesimo trecentesimo sexagesimo primo ... comparuit coram magnifico officio dominorum priorum artium et vexillifero iustitie populi et civitatis Florentie ... et voles sibi ... et seus filiis et descendentibus novum nomem sive cognomen vel agnomen et alia arma sive signa omnino diversa ab armis ad armis sive signis sue domus et consorterie eligere ... dixit se et dictos suos filios et descendentes per lineam masculinam velle ... appellari et nominari de TORNABUONIS de Florentia et pro novis armis assumpsit scutum ad quarteria per schisa, et quarteriem de super, et quarteriem de subtus colis aurei, et alia quarteria a lateribus coloris viridis, et leone in dicto scuto rampante, capiente omnia quarteria dicti scuti, et habente colorem viridem in quarteriis viridis, ungulis coloris rubei, scuto campi albi ad collum cruce rubea, et corigia rubea que tenet dictum scutum".

Admitted to the city magistracies and enrolled in the Florentine nobility, the Tornabuoni had

15 Priors and 6 Gonfalonieri of Justice between 1445 and 1530. This family, historically famous, was among the most fanatical supporters of the Medici party, especially when Cosimo the Elder married his son Piero il Gottoso, LUCREZIA di FRANCESCO Tornabuoni. Among the most important figures of this family we remember:

• GIOVANNI, one of the brothers of LUCREZIA, who was treasurer of Pope Sixtus IV. Florence sent it to the same Pontiff to ask for the absolution of the censorships of 1480. In 1484 he was again sent on a mission to Rome, to Pope Innocent VIII, to pay obedience to him;
• GIOVANNI FRANCESCO, Vicar (Judge) and Commissioner at S. Giovanni Valdarno in 1478 -79 ( 19a)
• LORENZO di Giovanni was beheaded, in 1497, along with many other members of the family (many, however, escaped by fleeing) for having participated in a conspiracy aimed at bringing the Medici back to Florence;
• GIULIANO di FILIPPO, in turn brother of LUCREZIO, was ambassador of obedience from Florence to Pope Leo X, his cousin. Later he was appointed Bishop of Saluzzo;
• Simon, brother of the previous one, was elected in 1515 by Pope Leo X, President of Romagna and Pope Clement VII appointed him Senator of Rome in 1524 and 1527. In Rome during the siege of Florence, he returned to the city with the office of Gonfaloniere of Justice. At the end of his mandate, Pope Clement VII had him armed as a Knight and included him in the Senate being established, composed of 48 members;
• GIOVANNI di Lorenzo and his brother LEONARDO, Bishop of San Sepolcro, were among the most bitter enemies of the Florentine republic;
• ALFONSO of SIMONE he was Bishop of Saluzzo and later of Borgo San Sepolcro. Cosimo 1° de' Medici had him very dear and in deep esteem so much so that he sent him on numerous diplomatic missions to Genoa, England, France and Germany: in 1554 he was sent to represent Cosimo to negotiate the surrender of Siena;
• DONATO di Simone was appointed Senator of the Grand Duchy in 1547. He married Lucrezia Valori and had children GIULIANO and COSIMO, both Senators;
• SIMONE di Donato, Knight of Santo Stefano di Toscana, died bravely in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto;
• NICCOLO' di Donato was elected Bishop of Village San Grave the 1560 and later he was sent ambassador to the courts of France and the Pontiff (Sixtus V). To him the Tuscans owe the introduction of tobacco which, in honor of those who had made it known, was initially called "Tornabuona grass".
• GIVEN (DATO) di Cosimo, Niccolò's nephew, had the rank of Colonel in the Army of the Grand Duchy. He died, among the last of the main branch of the family, in 1635;
• LEONETTO, natural son of Leonardo, Bishop of San Sepolcro, was the progenitor of the branch that moved to France and became extinct in the early 1700s.

 

C A R D I N A L I 

 

On 18 December 1393 IACOPO di NICCOLO' del TEGGHIA or TEGLIA de' TORNAQUINCI he asked for the ascription of his family to the working class, assuming the new surname of De' CARDINALI and the following Arms: "Truncated of gold and green to a silver ball, in the abyss, charged with a cross full of red (weapon of the People of Florence)". According to other authors, the adhesion to the popular party of the CARDINALS dates back to March 23, 1371, thanks to GREGORIO and NICCOLO' di PAGNOZZO de' Tornaquinci. More precise information on the origin of the CARDINALS is provided by the Codex Barberiniano Latino 5002-4, in the Vatican Apostolic Library. The anonymous compiler of Florentine memoirs reminds us that GREGORY and NICCOLÒ took the name of Cardinals in memory, probably, of one of their ecclesiastical ancestors. However, we can also hypothesize a reference to CARDINALE de' Tornaquinci, an influential Florentine politician of the late thirteenth century and particularly involved in the pacification practices promoted by Florence to quell the bloody disagreements between Guelphs and Ghibellines. In any case, the aforesaid NICCOLÒ was drawn in the squeak for the Priory, but it does not appear that he then held this position. However, in 1393 a certain JACOPO di NICCOLO' del TEGLIA de' Tornaquinci was known by the surname and heraldic insignia of the Cardinals, JACOPO di NICCOLO' del TEGLIA Tornaquinci disputed the legitimacy of the name Cardinals with GREGORIO and NICCOLO' di PAGNOZZO de' Tornaquinci, since JACOPO, as explained above, had formed a family with that surname in 1393 (ASF, Manuscripts, 575).

In the squeak of the Priory of 1411 the names of GREGORIO and NOFRI di JACOPO Cardinali are found, reimbursed for the Banner of the White Lion. From the Codex Barberiniano Latino 5002-4 it appears that GREGORIO Cardinali, in 1378, was still known as Tornaquinci and that he had paid with his life for connivance with those who, banished from Florence following the Tumulto dei Ciompi (1378), tried to return to the city by force. This is testified by both Giovanni di Pagolo Morelli and Bonaccorso Pitti, who was directly involved in the enterprise of the exiles. Some members of the Cardinali family are however present among the taxpayers of the land registry of 1427, they lived in the district of S. Maria Novella and carried out different trades, although with fairly low taxable incomes. AGOSTINO di GIOVANNI Cardinali declared that he practiced the profession of broker, without any taxable income, while ANTONIO di GIOVANNI, a clothes washer, recorded a taxable amount of 366 florins. The relative GREGORIO di IACOPO, a second-hand dealer, declared 330 florins and NOFRI di IACOPO, the wealthiest reported 1629 florins.

 

P E L L E G R I N I

 

 On December 25, 1393, two other branches of the "populous" Consorteria dei Tornaquinci asked to be enrolled in the Florentine working class. These, represented by TIERI or TAIO di FRANCESCO and ANGELO di NERI de' TORNAQUINCI, decide to take the surname of De' PELLEGRINI as their surname, entrusting the communication to their attorney and relative TAIO FRANCESCO de' Tornaquinci. They decided to raise the following coat of arms as the emblem of the families: "Field of green to a silver ball, in abyss, of a cross full of red, flanked by three gold crowns". This branch of the Tornaquinci - according to Ademollo - soon returned to resume their ancestral surname and they do not appear in the land registry of 1427. This statement is confirmed by the unknown commentator of Monaldi who states "it is very true that one of the Tornaquinci was called de' PELLEGRINI but either he died out, or returned to the Tornaquinci, there is no descent from him (ASF, Manuscripts, 421 - Piero di Giovanni Monaldi, "Historia della città di Firenze e della nobiltà de' Fiorentini"; Borghini Vincenzo, "History of the Florentine Nobility", p. 318).

In conclusion, the IACOPI de' TORNAQUINCI  family was ascribed to the Florentine noble class with the initial dignity of Miles and then of Noble and derived, in turn, from another family, the TORNAQUINCI, certainly of the Barons or Grandees of Florence and belonging to the Magnatizio class, as they were of feudal origin and moved to Florence from the countryside.