County
Dynasties
Important
families started to influence Le Marche around 1300. Their
fate was in fact deeply mingled with the one of Marche county and its
culture and urban outlook.
The
appointment of Francesco della Rovere
as pope Sisto IV brought about important changes in the course of the
dynasty he belonged to. He increased in fact the family artistic
collection sponsoring several artists. But he also favoured the economic
wealth of the family through nepotism. These were just the first steps
the dynasty moved. Giovanni, the Pope’s nephew, gained Senigallia
lordship (it was him who wanted the Senigallia fortress to be built) and
also the vicariate of Moldavio. He then got married with the daughter of
Federico di Montefeltro in
1490. They had a son: Francesco Maria I della Rovere. He inherited the
Duchy of Urbino and as a reward for his help to the Pope he obtained the
city of Pesaro. The city under the guidance of Francesco Maria’s son
Guidobaldo became one of the most artistic and renown city in Marche of
1500. The dynasty lost much of their belongings when the Pope forced
Francesco Maria II to leave his lands to the Papal States and retire
(1625).
Urbino
has seen its name often related with the Montefeltro family. They
governed the city since 1234 first as earls, then as dukes. Guido,
Galasso and Nolfo first managed to enlarge the possessions of the
family. They in fact annexed the city of San Leo. The dynasty sceptre
was handed down from father to son: Federico II, Antonio, Guidantonio
and Oddantonio and Federico III. He was the man to make Urbino a
prestigious city in the cultural and artistic field. His son,
Guidobaldo, followed in his father’s footsteps. He didn’t have heirs
so the continuation of the dynasty passed into the hands of the nephew
of Guidobaldo: Francesco Maria della Rovere, his son Guidobaldo II and
the nephew Francesco Maria II. All the possessions passed then to the
Papal States as seen above.
Malatesta
is the name of the lordship of Rimini. They expanded their possessions
towards Le Marche. Paolo “il bello”, a member of the family left for
us to remember a romantic memory. He was in fact killed together with
his lover Francesca da Rimini by his brother and husband to Francesca
Gianciotto. It is still possible to admire the beautiful Gothic church
doors in San Francesco, San Domenico, and Sant’Agostino paid for by
the Malatesta family.
The
decline of the dynasty in Marche was marked by the handover of the
possessions to the Sforza family that with Francesco I became marquises
of the Ancona district in 1433. Alessandro, Francesco’s brother,
enlarged their ranking also above Pesaro, ranking that lasted until
1519. The power passed in the hands of Costanzo I, Giovanni, Giuseppe
Maria (Costanzo II), and Galeazzo, all belonging to the Sforza
dynasty.