Draft:House of Casati

The Casati are a Lombard family attested since the 11th century. In 1277 they were ascribed in the matriculation of the two hundred patrician Milanese families published by Ottone Visconti.

Their ascertained origin is from the progenitor Pietro Casati, who lived during the first half of the 11th century. He had numerous children by an unknown wife, of whom only two are mentioned in documents of the time, Eribert, a priest, who founded the churches of St. Peter and St. Paul in Brugora (Besana in Brianza) in 1102 and Giovanni, dead at the beginning of the 12th century.

The latter had three sons by an unknown wife. The second son, Peter was the only one to have descendants. His great-grandson Giordano (died in the second half of the 13th century) had four sons, Ottone, who gave rise to a branch of the family that became extinct in males after 1561 with Filippo, Allegranza, Count (died in Rome on April 8, 1287), cardinal of the title of St. Peter and Marcellinus from March 23, 1281, archdeacon of Milan Cathedral from 1270, and Manfredo, who died in the second half of the 13th century.

From his descendants (in this case, from his grandson Philip, Manfredo's second-born son), would originate the comital branches that would gain luster and prestige in Milano and in medieval and Renaissance Lombardy, extending into the modern age in the city of Milan. The landed estates of the very numerous members of the Casati family were scattered in many parts of the city of Milan and in many localities of its territory. Some documents make it possible to identify them more precisely, as well as to catch a glimpse of the different professions that were practiced within the families and thus better assess their social and economic weight. In addition to the properties in Casate Vecchio, Casate Nuovo, Monticello, Robecco and Arcore, already mentioned, let us recall the stores in the city, attested in 1406, the houses in which the various strains lived, and which were scattered throughout, or almost all, the city neighborhoods, the land already mentioned in Porta Romana and Porta Vercellina (1398), the large property in Lambrate, in the locality of Mulini della Trinità, attested in 1405, the properties in the territory of Locate (1369),in Gorgonzola, of whose church Giovanni Casati is benefactor in 1405, those in Bruzzano (1369),in Albignano, pieve di Corneliano (1396), in Biassono (1406); in the parish of Corbetta (1420), and in many other localities, besides Casate Nuovo, in the parish of Missaglia, in the territory of Bernate, pieve of Vimercate (1397).

Albert's fourth son, Guglielmo, would give rise to the comital branch of the Casati di Fabbrica.

Count Casati would give rise to the comital branches of the Casati di Spino, the Casati di Borgolavezzaro, and the Casati Stampa di Soncino.

Coat of arms
Coat of Arms: Argent to the tower gules covered within two braids gules folded in a circle; with the points decussate below; with the chief grant, azure to FERT, gilt in Gothic characters, approached by two roses gules: the one on the right buttoned in silver, the one on the left buttoned in gules. Alias: Argent, to the keep gules, open of field, embattled in the Guelph manner of eight pieces, the whole enclosed between two braids of hair gules, passing in St. Andrew's cross at the tip of the shield and with the tips matching at the top.

Crest: an eagle of black rising, rostrate in gold and tongued in gules.