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THE HOUSE OF SPINOLA

We will count the History of the House of Spinola very shortly: The Spinola Family is one of the families of the Old Nobility that dominated the history of the State of Genoa, Italy, during the great period of the City-State, from the centuries X at the XIX inclusive (10 centuries). The Spinola dynasty descends from IDO, the German Viscount that founded the Viscounty Genoese Family, and that Genoa governed in the X century starting from the year 951 in which came from Germany, and Italy conquered with his cousin OTON I, and that he remain there as representative of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Their great-grandchild Güido alias Güidone was the founder of the family, and a brave combatant of the First Crusade, of which came with the nickname or motto of SPINOLA, because he brought with him from Holy Earth a thorn (“spinola” in Latin) of Jesus Christ Crown. This is for what there is a thorn in the family shield. Güido, when creating to their turn, the Sovereign Consulate of Genoa, adopted the name of SPINOLA as his last name.

Güido that was already the Viscount, became a great celebrity in Genoa, where he was chosen “Consul” Sovereign of the City from 1102 up to 1122.

Most of their descendants have been famous and powerful people that made the history of Genoa and Italy in many occasions.

Genoa was a Independent and Sovereign State from 1102 up to 1815.

The Spinola gave 16 Sovereign Consuls to the aristocratic Consular Commune in the centuries XII and XIII. In 1190 his descendant, Güido, commanded a Genoese fleet in the Third Crusade, being chosen Sovereign Consul later repeatedly, and later on, he was Ambassador in several embassies.

Giovanni Spinola was a very brilliant political man, and in 1227 he was elected Sovereign “Podestà” of Savona, as 36 others Spinola they were also Podestá of others City-States from then, and beginning from his son Giacomo in 1258 and Ingo in 1275. Porchetto Spinola, son of Ingo, was Archbishop of Genoa.

Of the Ancestors, more than the Religious (we count 6 Saints, a elected Pope and 22 Cardinals) they were the Sovereigns, the Generals, the Admirals, and the Ambassadors, those that gave fame and prestige to the Spinola family.

One of them was the famous Oberto, Sovereign Consul, and Ambassador to Emperor Frederick I in the years 1158, 1162 and 1166. There is another Oberto that was also Sovereign Consul, and Ambassador to Venice in 1212; Guglielmo, Lord of Savignone that in 1242 was the leader of the Gibelin Party of Genoa; the famous Oberto that took to their family to the summit of the glory, and that it changed the State government: in 1265 he forced the Podestà and the whole Party of the Welphs to leave the Government, and he named Güido Spinola and Niccolò Doria, as “Captains of the People”.

The alliance between the Families of the Spinola and Doria for the Government of Genoa lasted during many centuries, but it is too long to relate all the facts that happened during every year, but whose History stays in the Files of the State of Génova.

During the first half of the XIII century, in a mainly Welphs (pro-Pope) Genoa, the Spinola headed the Gibelins, the party that supported the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick II, in the partisan struggles of that time. Niccolò Spinola (died in 1240) he was Great Admiral of Frederick’s fleet. In 1270 Oberto Spinola and Oberto Doria instituted the second of a series of Governments headed by members of their two families when they took the power as Sovereign Captains of the People. Another Spinola that governed together with a Doria as Captains of the People, was Corrado, son of Oberto Spinola; Opizzino Spinola, was Captain of the People during the invasion of Italy by the Emperor Henry VII; and later, Galeotto Spinola was Captain of the People in 1335. The Government of the two powerful families ended up in a popular revolt and in the setting-up of the first Sovereign “Doge” of Genoa in 1339.

These Captains took to Genoa at most high of their glory. The Spinola gave 19 Sovereign Captains of the People, so much of Génova as of other City-States.

In later periods, under the brief dominances of Genoa for the Visconti and Sforza of Milano, and for Louis XII of France, the Spinola were distinguished as military, prelates, ambassadors, bankers and literary men. Also, frequently they were called as Podestá or Captains of other City-States. Remarkable among the military of the Family was Ambrosio Spinola, General to the service of Spain (1569 - 1630) that it was immortalized by Velázquez in “The Rendition of Breda” or picture of “The Lances”.

When with Andrea Doria’s constitutional reform was reinstall the Dogato (The Doge was Sovereign Duke of Genoa and King of Corsica), John Baptist Spinola was Sovereign Doge of Genoa in 1531, and later on were Luca (1551), Simone (1567), Tommaso (1613), Andrea (1629), Alessandro (1654), Agostino (1679), Luca (1687), Domenico (1732), Nicoló (1740), and Ferdinando (1773). Agostino and Francesco were Regents in 1800. Antonio Spinola was President of Portugal in 1974.

During centuries, the Members of the Family belonged to the Military Orders of more prestige: the Knights of the Golden Fleece, Knights of Santiago, of Calatrava, of the Spur of Gold, of the Order of the Holy Grave, and Knights of the Sovereign Order of Malt.

And also during centuries, the Spinola, besides emitting the State of Genoa currency, emitted also own currency from their Territories outside of the City-State, of which have arrived until our days more than 90 different currencies.

The SPINOLA Family has given 6 Saints to the Catholic Church, 1 Elect Pope, 22 Cardinals (Princes of the Church), and 109 Sovereign Princes.

There are more information about the History of the Spinola Family in the following addresses:

http://casaspinola.iespana.es/

http://casadespinola.iespana.es/

http://genealogiaehistoria.iespana.es/genealogiaehistoria/