Piccolomini Family
Originating from Siena. A Martino di Piccolomo is mentioned in a document from 1900. The Piccolomini enriched themselves in the 13th century through commerce, then invested their wealth in landed estates. As Guelphs, many of them held the highest political offices in Siena.
Piccolomini Family
Funeral monument to Bishop Tommaso Piccolomini. Work by Neroccio di Bartolomeo – Siena, Cathedral.Ambrogio di Nino Piccolomini was one of the three founders of the abbey of Monteoliveto (1313). The family’s fortunes reached their peak when Aeneas SILVIUS was elected pope (see PIO II) and gathered them into a powerful faction. He then received the dignity of Count Palatine from Emperor Frederick III (1458). Pius II was generous to his relatives: his nephew Antonino, castellan of Castel Sant’Angelo (1 Sept. 1458), took part in suppressing the riots in Rome in 1460, in the wars of the Kingdom of Naples in support of King Ferdinand, and was granted the duchies of Sessa and Amalfi and the county of Celano. LAUDOMIA, the pope’s sister and wife of Nanni Tedeschini, was the mother of FRANCESCO Tedeschini Piccolomini, whom his uncle and pope created a cardinal for a few weeks in 1503 (see PIO III). Francesco left his bishopric of Siena to his nephew GIOVANNI Tedeschini Piccolomini, whom Leo X created a cardinal on 1 July 1517; Giovanni also served as administrator of L’Aquila, bishop of Ostia, and died in the Curia on 21 Nov. 1537. A poor memory of himself was left by ALFONSO Piccolomini, duke of Montemarciano, leader of bandits in the Papal State under Gregory XIII, who in 1583 dared to enter Rome to foment disorder and was executed in Florence on 16 March 1591. OTTAVIO Piccolomini (1600–56) served the Empire during the 17th century and was created marshal and prince. The archbishopric of Siena was often held by a Piccolomini. Besides the two popes, the family also included ANTONIO, abbot of Villio from 18 Sept. 1458 to 8 Nov. 1459; in the following century ASCANIO, elected in 1588, died 13 May 1597, and another ASCANIO (8 Sept. 1628–8 March 1671) who gave hospitality to Galileo Galilei after his condemnation. Other members of the family held the bishopric of Pienza: TOMMASO (Testa) Piccolomini (20 Sept. 1480–83), GIROLAMO (10 Dec. 1510–35), a second GIROLAMO (1535–54), FRANCESCO MARIA (1554–99), FRANCESCO (3 July 1741–45). Under Alexander VII, CELIO Piccolomini distinguished himself as secretary of memorable acts, archbishop of Caesarea, papal nuncio to France in 1656 during the Jansenist controversies, and was created cardinal on 14 Jan. 1664, dying in 1681; he had held the archbishopric of Siena from 18 March 1671 onward. The last ecclesiastical dignitary of the Piccolomini house was GIACOMO (b. in Siena in 1795), created a cardinal by Gregory XVI in 1844 and died in 1864. The Piccolomini descended from Pius II divided into several branches, some of which became extinct.