Acciaioli family facts for kids
The Acciaioli family was a very important and powerful family from Florence, a famous city in Italy. You might also see their name spelled as Acciaiuoli, Accioly, or Acioli.
The Acciaioli family name can be found in different spellings, like Acciaioli, Acciainoli, or Accioly. Branches of this family also live in Portugal and Brazil. Their family history goes back a long way, to a person named Gugliarello Acciaioli in the 1100s. Family stories say that Gugliarello moved from a city called Brescia to Florence around 1160. They were part of a group called the Guelphs, and they had to leave because of an invasion by Barbarossa in Northern Italy.
In the 1200s, the Acciaioli family started a very strong bank. It was called the Compagna di Ser Leone degli Acciaioli e de' suoi consorti. This bank had branches in many places, from Greece all the way to Western Europe. However, like many businesses, their bank eventually faced problems and collapsed in 1345.
The Acciaioli family also played a role in politics. A man named Bishop Angiolo Acciaioli briefly led Florence in the mid-1300s after a previous ruler, Gauthier de Brienne, was removed. Later, the Acciaioli family formed alliances with other powerful families in Florence, first with the Albizzi family and then with the older branch of the Medici family in the 1400s.
From about 1390 to 1460, members of the Acciaioli family ruled the Duchy of Athens, which was a territory in Greece. They also stayed close with the younger branch of the Medici family. This was partly because Laudomia Acciaioli married Pierfrancesco de' Medici. From this marriage came the later Grand Dukes of Tuscany and even members of several royal families. In Florence today, there's a street called the Lungarno degli Acciaioli. It runs along the Arno River between two famous bridges, the Ponte Vecchio and the Ponte Santa Trinita.
Before 1512, a family member named Simone di Zanobi Acciaioli moved to the island of Madeira. He went there to manage the family's business interests. The Accioly, Accioli, or Acioli families in Portugal and Brazil are descended from him.
Important Family Members
- Angelo Acciaioli I (1298–1357), a bishop
- Angelo Acciaioli II (1349–1408), a cardinal (a high-ranking church official)
- Angelo Acciaioli di Cassano (died 1467), a diplomat (someone who represents their country)
- Antonio I Acciaioli (died 1435), Duke of Athens
- Antonio II Acciaioli (died 1445), Duke of Athens
- Donato Acciaioli (1428–1478), a scholar (a person who studies a lot)
- Francesco I Acciaioli (active 1451–1453), Duke of Athens
- Francesco II Acciaioli (died 1460), the last Duke of Athens
- Giovanni Acciaioli (active 1422), archbishop of Thebes (another high-ranking church official)
- Nerio I Acciaioli (died 1394), the first Acciaioli Duke of Athens
- Nerio II Acciaioli (1416–1451), who was Duke of Athens twice
- Niccolò Acciaioli (1310–1365), a soldier and statesman (a skilled political leader)
- Zanobi Acciaioli (1461–1519), a Dominican friar (a type of monk) and scholar
See Also
In Spanish: Familia Acciaioli para niños
- Gran Tavola
- Bardi family
- Peruzzi
- House of Medici
Images for kids
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The Acciaioli family's coat of arms, found in Santa Maria Novella.
