The Altoviti are a prominent noble family of Florence, Italy. Since the medieval period they were one of the most distinguished banking and political families appointed to the highest offices of the Republic of Florence, friends and patrons of Galileo Galilei, Vasari, Raphael, and Michelangelo. They had a close personal relationship with the papacy. Through a predominant endogamous marriage policy they established alliances with dynasties of principal and papal nobility as the Medici, Cybo, Rospigliosi, Sacchetti, Corsini, and Aldobrandini.
Three popes have blood relations with the Altoviti; Innocent VIII, Clement IX and Clement XII. Pope Innocent VIII was the uncle of La Papessa Dianora Altoviti Cybo. Her son Bindo Altoviti became one of the most influential papal bankers and patron of the arts of the Renaissance. The Altoviti are still present and descendants continue to be involved in art and culture.
Origins Pope Pius II presumed the family would be of Roman origin as in Fiesole was found a tomb with a Roman inscription quoting Furio Cammillo Altovita grandson of Furio Camillo, general, statesman and one of the most famous heroes of the early Roman Republic, honored with the title of Second Founder of Rome for his victory over the Gauls during the Gallic siege of Rome. According to the family legend, the silver Italian wolf on black background refers to the Roman origin of the family and is the mythical she-wolf Lupa Capitolina Romana who would have protected the founder of the dynasty Furio Camillo by devouring his enemies.
Some believe the Altoviti were of Lombard heritage, descending from Tebalduolo Longobardo, baron and trusted advisor of king Alboin. The family came to Florence in the twelfth century. They engaged in the usual mix of culture, commerce (mainly wool and salt), banking and politics. Many were respected judges and diplomats in royal and papal courts. They belonged to the pro-papal elite of the Guelph faction. With an old military tradition, members of the family were considered supremely valiant captains in numerous decisive battles of the Florentine Republic. Therefore, scholars believe the heraldic wolf was granted by Emperor Frederick II as an award for brave captains.Archivio della famiglia Altoviti
History, art, and culture
In 1300 Rinaldo Altoviti was chosen with Dante Alighieri as chief of the Priors and possessed the supreme authority in the state. They were sent as ambassador to Boniface VIII to negotiate a truce between the rival Guelph factions cementing their position in the center of power of the Republic. Bartolomea Altoviti was the wife of Salvestro de' Medici, Gonfalonier of Justice and cousin of Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, who established the Medicean domination in the affairs of Florence. Giovanna Altoviti married the rich merchant Benci Aldobrandini and became known as Madonna Aldobrandini. After her husband's death, she married the influential politician Giovanni Panciatichi. One of their descendants was Giulio Rospigliosi, later Pope Clement IX. Still in 14th century, the family allied with the Salviati, Gucci, Pucci, Sacchetti and Bardi and became strong supporters of the war against Pope Gregory XI. The War of the Eight Saints contributed to the end of the Avignon Papacy, while Bardo Altoviti was one of the Eight Saints. In 1432 Oddo Altoviti married Giovanna Gherardini and their niece was Lisa Gherardini, identified as the model for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Oddo was named in the same year Gonfaloniere of Justice. He becomes an ally of Tommaso Soderini, father of Piero Soderini. Together with Luca Pitti, they use their influence to lift the ban of Cosimo de' Medici the Elder. They established personal relationships and profitable links with the Papal Curia.
Antonio Altoviti married his cousin Dianora Altoviti Cybo. Known as La Papessa due to the influence she held over her uncle Giambattista Cybo, Pope Innocent VIII, Antonio was made papal Master of the Mint. Like other Florentines banking families who provided loans to the popes in exchange for the rights to papal revenues, the Florentine, and Roman branch of the Altoviti prospected. The family supported the construction of the church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini and was a driving force behind the Compagnia della Misericordia. Some of the most famous members were Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
As the Altoviti had family relationships with Cybo and Medici, and alliances with the della Rovere, Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere) became a mentor to Antonio's son Bindo, as he was to his later papal successors Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici) and Clemente VII (Giulio de' Medici). Bindo was a close ally of his cousin Innocenzo Cybo, son of Maddalena de' Medici, the daughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and included among the young noblemen educated at the papal court, where he was in attendance of the hostage Federico Gonzaga, the son of Isabella d’Este and future duke of Mantua. During those years, he was introduced to Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
Bindo Altoviti's career flourished under the pontificate of Leo X and Clement VII. He was appointed as Depository General, the leading banker of the Papal States and chief commissioner for collecting taxes, mainly allocated for the reconstruction of the St. Peter's Basilica. After the death of Agostino Chigi and the sack of Rome in 1527, only a few wealthy banks had the capital to prevent economic chaos. Competing with fierce Genoese bankers and the Germans Fugger and Welser; the Strozzi, Salviati and Altoviti became the leading Florentine and curial bankers, given the chance to participate in massive credit transactions, controlling an enlarging sphere of papal finance. Bindo's son Giovanni Battista Altoviti married Clarice Ridolfi, daughter of Lorenzo Ridolfi, grandson of Lorenzo il Magnifico de' Medici and Clarice Orsini, tighten the bond between the Altoviti and the houses of Medici and Strozzi.Bindo Altoviti gradually expanded and diversified his financial activities, established dependences of the Altoviti Bank in foreign money markets as France, Netherlands, and England. Among his clients were duke Charles III of Savoy or king Henry II of France, and by shrewd political as well financial acumen he amassed one of the largest private fortunes in Italy. After the death of Clement VII and duke Alessandro de' Medici, the Altoviti sided with Catherine de' Medici and Pope Paul III, getting into an open confrontation with Cosimo I de' Medici.
One of Bindo's nieces became maid of honor of Catherine de' Medici. Before her marriage she was the mistress of the Duke of Anjou and future king Henri III of France. Another niece was one of the richest inhabitants of Marseille and mistress of Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, governor of Provence. Her brother became the governor of Belle Ile and his godfather was Philippe Emmanuel of Lorraine, Duke of Mercœur, brother of the later Queen of France Louise of Lorraine, consolidating for the relationship with the royal court of France.
Bindo's son, Antonio was initiated to the ecclesiastical career, under the protection of one of the most authoritative Florentine prelates of the early sixteenth century, Cardinal Niccolò Ridolfi. Pope Paul III appointed Antonio Altoviti, as Archbishop of Florence. Furious by this open affront, Cosimo I retaliated by banning the new archbishop from setting foot in the city and even seized all the income and assets of the diocese. After the death of Paul III (1549) Cosimo I lost no time in asking his successors to deliver the rebellious archbishop to him, but all refused. Nevertheless, within the next years, Cosimo I manifested a policy of rapprochement with the popes in anticipation of his request to obtain the title of Grand Duke. In 1564 Pope Pius IV, Giovanni Angelo de' Medici, asked Cosimo I to enforce the decree of the Council of Trent. Cosimo I responded to the plea by granting forgiveness to the Altoviti and writing to Antonio Altoviti, urging him to return to Florence to take command of his diocese and begin a process of reformation.
Antonio Altoviti finally took possession of the archdiocese in 1567. He entered the Florence with so much pomp, solemnity, and court of nobles, that Cosimo I was so irritated, understanding this triumphal event as a humiliation of his sovereign authority. Though in the same year Antonio Altoviti ordinated Cosimo's nephew Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici and became his mentor. Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici succeeded Antonio Altoviti as archbishop and became Pope Leo XI. The friendship between Antonio Altoviti and Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici, continued the reconciliation between the Altoviti and the new ducal branch of the Medici. In 1569, Pius V finally conferred the title of grand duke of Tuscany on Cosimo I.
Bindo enjoyed the financial resources to undertake extensive renovations to the properties he inherited from his father including is suburban villa on the Tiber to indulge a growing passion for art. Known and endowed with a strong taste for art, he became a patron of the arts and friend to Vasari, Cellini, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
Vasari frescoed the Triumph of Ceres in the main hall of the Villa Altoviti now shown in the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia. For Bindo's suburban villa he also frescoed a vast loggia called the Vineyard decorated with statues and burial marbles from emperor Hadrian's Villa Adriana as he had bought most of the estate. Andrea Sansovino also gave Bindo as a gift a terra-cotta model of the statue of St. Giovanni he sculptured for the Duomo in Florence.
Immortalized by Raphael and Cellini, Bindo harbored Michelangelo when he fled from Florence to Rome. Michelangelo had such a high esteem for him (while he despised his rival Agostino Chigi) that he gave him as a gift the cartoon of Noah's Blessing, used in the vault of the Sistine Chapel (lost) as well as a design of a Venus (lost) colored then by Vasari.
In Florence on Piazza del Limbo they had a palazzo with a large family coat of arms on the façade and detained the patronage of the church Santi Apostoli. It was also Michelangelo who convinced Bindo, not to rebuild, but to preserve the church. Vasari painted the Allegory of the Immaculate Conception for the family chapel. Bindo was buried in the church of Santa Trinità dei Monte in Rome and Giovanni Battista Naldini was commissioned to paint the cycle of frescoes concerning St. Giovanni the Baptist.
With the death of the childless son of Bindo Altoviti, the Altoviti-Cybo line became extinct towards the end of the 16th century. Alessandro Altoviti became the designated head of the Altoviti Bank in Rome. His brother-in-law was Giovanni Bonsi, Prime Minister of Ferdinando I de' Medici and created cardinal by Pope Paul V. The alliance with the Bonsi continued to stabilize the relationship between the Altoviti and the Medici and establishing a new alliance with the Borghese. Cardinal Bonsi also became a mentor to Iacopo Altoviti, who was later appointed Archbishop of Athens and Patriarch of Antioch by his close friend Pope Alexander VII.