The Roman aristocrats who once slapped a Pope and crowned an Emperor themselves
In short: The Colonna family shaped medieval Rome through centuries of brutal power struggles. From their origins as counts of Tusculum to their role in the infamous Outrage of Anagni, these nobles wielded influence that rivaled the papacy itself, even daring to crown a Holy Roman Emperor in defiance of the Church.
The Colonna family emerged from the 10th-century counts of Tusculum, establishing their prominence in the Roman landscape. The name itself was adopted by Piero, son of Gregorio, who received the castle of Colonna around 1064. Over the following centuries, the family became a fixture of Roman nobility, frequently clashing with the Orsini family for control of the city. This rivalry often mirrored broader political fractures, with the Colonna frequently aligning with the Ghibelline faction against the pro-papal Guelph interests.
Tensions reached a breaking point in 1297 when Cardinal Jacopo Colonna refused to surrender family strongholds to Pope Boniface VIII. The resulting conflict led to the destruction of their lands and the family's exile. In 1303, Sciarra Colonna participated in the Outrage of Anagni, where he and his allies briefly seized Boniface VIII. This event, marked by the physical striking of the Pope, signaled the decline of papal authority in Italy and paved the way for the Avignon papacy.
The family's influence extended beyond mere conflict. In 1328, when Pope John XXII refused to crown Louis IV of Germany as Holy Roman Emperor, the Roman aristocracy stepped in. Sciarra Colonna performed the coronation, a symbolic act that earned the family the right to display the imperial pointed crown on their coat of arms. By the 14th century, the family remained central to Roman life, sponsoring major church decorations and navigating the complex political shifts that defined the late Middle Ages, eventually seeing one of their own, Martin V, elected as pope in 1417.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Colonna Family | Roman Aristocrats & Papal Supporters | Britannica
- Also: Colonna family
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