Search results for " Marriage diplomacy"

I CHIAROMONTE TRA VENTIMIGLIA E PALIZZI: DIPLOMAZIA MATRIMONIALE E STRATEGIE DINASTICHE NELLA SICILIA DEL TRECENTO

2022

The essay investigates the marriage diplomacy of Chiaromonte family by a detailed analysis of their ties with Ventimiglia and Palizzi, in the context of their relations with the kings of Sicily, the Angevins, the Aragonese, and the papacy. We deduce that the marriage strategies of comital families influenced the island’s politics. The genealogical construction rooted families in the past, so preserving the good reputation of the ancestors was essential. A fair number of sons, able to pass on the family surname and to maintain comital feuds, ensured dynastic continuity and projected towards the future. Blood and personal skills were more important than legal rules, so illegitimacy was not an…