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  • Caracciolo History

Nobility in Transition: The Caracciolo of Naples and Abruzzo

 

he Caracciolo are one of the most prominent noble families of the Kingdom of Naples, with roots reaching back to the medieval aristocracy of the city itself. They rose to prominence as feudal lords, administrators, and military leaders, and by the Renaissance were closely tied to the royal court in Naples.

While their primary base was Naples, archival evidence demonstrates that branches of the Caracciolo family also extended into Abruzzo. In particular, the notarial records of Claudio Paglione in Gessopalena (1580–1609) and other registers of Villa Santa Maria preserve transactions that involve the Caracciolo name, showing their legal, economic, and land-based presence in this mountainous region..

The Caracciolo Archives in Naples

 The Archivio di Stato di Napoli contains a collection of manuscripts often referred to as the "Caracciolo Archives." These materials reveal not only genealogical and testamentary records but also the family’s wide-reaching network of obligations, debts, inheritances, and ecclesiastical ties. I have personally reviewed selections of these archives, which confirm both the noble stature of the Caracciolo and their integration into Abruzzese society through property and marriage 

A Sample Document (1680s)

 The image below is drawn from the Caracciolo Archives in Naples. It concerns Filippo Caracciolo and his wife Genobia, around the year 1683–1685. The text records family relationships and property entitlements, and even includes a small genealogical sketch. Documents like this are typical of the Caracciolo fonds: they blend private family matters with broader questions of land tenure and obligations under papal and royal jurisdiction.  

Caracciolo in Villa Santa Maria (1580–1609)

In addition to the Neapolitan records, the notarial registers compiled by Claudio Paglione in Gessopalena (Volumes I & II, 1580–1609) preserve a remarkable number of legal acts tied to the Caracciolo family in Villa Santa Maria. These are not high-level court documents, but rather the day-to-day acts of sale, debt, and testament, which reveal how the Caracciolo name intersected with other families in the Abruzzo interior.

Below are some highlights I have extracted directly from the Paglione registers.

Selected Acts (Paglione, Volume I)

  • February 21, 1583 (p. 5)
    Act in the home of Ferdinandi Caracioli.
    Witnesses and parties include Domenico de Feneio (Villa Santa Maria), Nobis and Francesco de Usebio, Bernadino Massaitto (tra Palene e tra Ville), de Virgilio, and Risi de Fanaio. The act concerns a vineale in Ville (vineyard) located in Contrada di Peschio Arcioni, bordering the property of Giovanni Angeli de Hieromino.
     
  • April 24, 1582 (p. 14)
    Act in Villa Santa Maria, in the home of Virgilis de Sciarra.
    Names include Angelo de Colo dell’Gallo (Villa), Marco Finamore, and Jacobi Ciampaglion(i).
     
  • April 25, 1583 (p. 15)
    Testamentary act in Villa Santa Maria, in the domo of Durasantis Columncii.
    Reference to Delestossa, wife of Berardini de Columna.
     
  • August 1, 1583 (p. 20)
    Act in Villa Santa Maria, again in the home of Ferdinandi Caracioli.
    Associated names: Angeluccio de Fosaro and Laurentio Donati Antonius de Saccomando.
     
  • February 24, 1582 (p. 13)
    Act in Villa Santa Maria, in the home of Bernadino Orefice and his son Domenico, located at Contrada dell’Buccello in the ruga Aquariam.
    Associated families: Janni de Manzo, Jacobi Bernardino de Minno, Giovanni de Morgante. The land referenced lies in Contrada delli Vigna.

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