The Bentivoglio family (Latin: Bentivoius) was an Italian noble family that became the de facto rulers of Bologna and responsible for giving the city its political autonomy during the Renaissance, although their rule did not survive a century.
History
The presence in Bologna of the Bentivoglio family is first recorded in 1323. Originally from the castle of that name in the neighborhood of Bologna, the family claimed descent from Enzio, King of Sardinia, an illegitimate son of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
During the fourteenth century, the family, belonging to one of the worker's guilds at Bologna,
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| colspan=5 bgcolor=#DDD | 14021403: integrated to Duchy of Milan.
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| colspan=5 bgcolor=#DDD | 14031416: Signoria of Cardinal Baldassarre Cossa.
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| Anton Galeazzo Bentivoglio
| 3 March 1416
| 23 December 1435
| Restored signore after led a rebellion against Cardinal Cossa. Murdered by assassins hired by Bishop Daniele Scotto.
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| colspan=5 bgcolor=#DDD | 14351443: Signoria of Niccolò Piccinino.
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| Annibale I Bentivoglio
| 14 August 1443
| 24 June 1445
| Overthrown pro-Milan signoria of Piccinino. Elected head of the 16 Reformers (Bologna's ruling body) in 1445. Murdered in the same year by seditious nobles.
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| Sante Bentivoglio
| 24 June 1445
| 1 October 1463
| Grew up in Cosimo de' Medici's house. Cousin of Annibale I and regent for his nephew Giovanni II. Died of natural causes in 1463.
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| Giovanni II Bentivoglio
| 1 October 1463
| 2 November 1506
| Son of Annibale I. He tried to maintain peace with ambitious neighbourhoods Medici, Sforza and the Holy See. Became a vassal of Cesare Borgia in 1501. After internal turmoils, he fled from Bologna in 1506, who was conquered by Pope Julius II. Died in Milan two years later.
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| Annibale II Bentivoglio
| May 1511
| May 1512
| Son of Giovanni II. Restored by French forces during the League of Cambrai. Exiled again after French defeat. Came to agreement with Papacy in 1529, he obtained family's properties return and retired any claim over Bologna. Died in 1540 in Ferrara.
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Other notable family members
Ercole Bentivoglio, the putative father of Sante I who lived in exile in Florence and Ferrara, wrote a long poem on dietetic, greatly extolling the medical properties of cheese. He also wrote satirical works.
The Bentivoglio Family, expelled from Bologna in 1506, established themselves in Ferrara, where they produced some important prelates, such as:
- Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio (1579–1644), though a disciple of Galileo, was one of the Inquisitors-General who signed his condemnation. Papal diplomat and historian of the Flanders War in his work Della Guerra di Fiandra.
- Cardinal Cornelio Bentivoglio (1668–1732).
The third son of Giovanni II, Alessandro Bentivoglio, who had married Ippolita Sforza, became a counselor of the last duke of Milan and later governor of the town (1525), giving origin to a lombard branch of the family.
A notable recent member of the family is Galeazzo Benti, originally Galeazzo Bentivoglio, 20th century actor.
Power base
The Church of San Giacomo Maggiore, originally built in the mid-13th century, was adopted in the 15th century by the Bentivoglio family as the center of their power base in the surrounding neighborhood, and they embellished the church accordingly. It included the tomb of Anton Galeazzo Bentivoglio by Jacopo della Quercia and the Bentivoglio family's own private chapel, the altar of which has some striking artwork by Lorenzo Costa depicting family victories over other Bolognese dynasties.
Further reading
- Ady, Cecilia M. (1934). "Materials for the History of the Bentivoglio Signoria in Bologna". Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 17: 49–67.