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Gualterio family facts for kids

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Coa fam ITA gualterio
Coat of arms of Gualterio family
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Gualterio
Country  Papal States
 Italy
 Italy
Titles
  • Cardinal (non-hereditary)
  • Patrizio of Orvieto
  • Patrizio Romano
  • Noble of Viterbo
  • Noble of Loreto
  • Earl of Dundee (Jacobite Peerage)
  • Marquis of Corgnolo

The House of Gualterio is an old Italian noble family. They have been around since the 1100s! This family also has connections to France and the Stuarts, who were a royal family. Over time, members of the Gualterio family earned important titles. These include the Marquis of Corgnolo and, through the Jacobite peerage, the Earl of Dundee.

Family History

The Gualterio family was first known as Gualterini or Gualcherini. Around the year 975, a powerful ruler named Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor chose them. He picked them to be among the "consul" families. These families helped govern the city of Orvieto in Italy.

The Gualterio family became very important in Orvieto. Many family members held big jobs there. They were leaders like "gonfaloniere" (a chief magistrate) and "governatore" (governor). Over the centuries, the family also gained noble status in other Italian cities. These included Rome, Viterbo, and Loreto.

Important Family Members

Many Gualterio family members achieved great things. Here are some of them:

Early Members

  • Agnese Gualterio (1300s): In 1325, she helped set up a special right for her family. This right was to support a chapel in the church of St. Biagio in Orvieto.
  • Raffaele Gualterio (known as "il Moro"): He was a citizen of the Roman Senate in 1529. He also served as an ambassador for Pope Julius III to the King of Portugal. A famous tower in Orvieto, the Torre del Moro, is named after him!
  • Sebastiano Gualterio (1513–1566): He became a Bishop in Viterbo. He also worked as a "Nuncio" (a special ambassador for the Pope) in France.

Cardinals and Knights

  • Cardinal Carlo Gualterio (1613–1673): He was an important leader in the Catholic Church.
  • Cardinal Filippo Antonio Gualterio (1660–1728): He was also a Nuncio in France. Later, he became a "Cardinal Protector" for Scotland and England. This meant he looked after the interests of those countries in the Catholic Church. He was also an advisor to James Francis Edward Stuart, who was a claimant to the British throne. He loved books and old artifacts.
  • Sebastiano Giulio Gualterio (born 1667): He became a Knight of the Order of Santiago.
  • Innocenzo Felice Raimondo Gualterio (born 1670): He became a Knight of the Order of Calatrava.
  • Raffaele Benedetto Gualterio: He became a Knight of the Order of Saint Stephen.

Titled Nobles

  • Giovanni Battista (1668–1740): In 1723, he was made the Marquis of Corgnolo by Pope Innocent XIII. He also became the Duke of Cumia. Under the Jacobite peerage (titles given by the exiled Stuart kings), he was made the Earl of Dundee. He was also a Knight of Saint Andrew and the Order of the Thistle.
  • Cardinal Luigi Gualterio (1706–1761): Like his relatives, he served as a Nuncio in France.
  • Senator Filippo Antonio Gualterio (1819–1874): He was an important senator in Italy.

Family Buildings

The Gualterio family owned impressive buildings. The Palazzo Gualterio in Orvieto is one example. It was designed by a famous architect named Antonio da Sangallo. The family also has a special chapel inside the beautiful Orvieto Cathedral. Many Gualterio family members are buried there.

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