ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2586 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2586 ************************************ From: Sara L Friedemann 13 Oct 2002 Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if would be an appropriate name for an Italian women living between 1150 and 1600. Here is the information we have found. We have found one instance of the name in Florence in 1427. [2] It is also the name of the blessed Villana de'Botti, whom we assume is the example of the name that you found; she lived in Florence between 1332-1361. [1] Though the name was rare, it seems a reasonable choice for the 14th or 15th century, particularly since the masculine form is also found in Florence in 1300 and 1411-1443. [3] The surname appears to be Spanish in origin; it was introduced to Italy by a Spanish nobleman and general serving in the Spanish-ruled kingdom of Naples who died in 1525. The only examples of the name that we've found in Italy are members of his family, including a mistress of Giuliano de' Medici, , who was also a friend of Leonardo da Vinci [4]. If you want to use this surname, we strongly recommend that you set your persona well after 1500, and we also recommend the spelling rather than : The preposition is not normally contracted in Italian the way it is in Spanish and French. You may want to reconsider using the surname at all: The family held very high rank, so the use of name may have the effect of implying that you are a fairly high-ranking noblewoman. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter were provided by Arval Benicoeur, Maridonna Benvenuti, Talan Gwynek, Juliana de Luna, and Adelaide de Beaumont. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 13Oct02 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Kohl, Wilhelm, "Villana de'Botti" (WWW: Biographisce- Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon" http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/v/villana_d_b.shtml, accessed 27Sep02. We'd like to note that Villana was never actually made a saint; she was only beatified. The apostrophe in the surname respresents an ellided ; the expanded form would be . [2] Arval Benicoeur, "Feminine Given Names from the Online Catasto of Florence of 1427" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1998) http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/catasto. [3] Herlihy, David, R. Burr Litchfield, Anthony Molho and Roberto Barducci, eds. _Online Tratte of Office Holders 1282-1532_ (WWW: R. Burr Litchfield and Anthony Molho, 2000) http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/tratte/ [4] Ferdinand Francesco d'Avalos, Marchese di Pescara, was a Spanish- Neapolitan general who died in 1525. He was also known as , and was married to the Italian poetess Vittoria Colonna. [5,6,8] [5] "Pescara, Ferdinando Francesco d'Avalos, marchese di" (Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition: 2001). More information about this family can be found at the website in [7]. http://www.bartleby.com/65/pe/PescarF.html, accessed 27Sep02 [6] "Colonna, Vittoria, marchesa di Pescara" (Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition: 2001) http://www.bartleby.com/65/co/ColonnaV.html, accessed 27Sep02 [7] Moody, Ellen. "The biography of Vittoria Colonna", ch. 1 (WWW: Jim Moody, 2002) http://www.jimandellen.org/chapter1.html, accessed 06Oct02 [8] R. Pirri, _ Sicilia sacra _, Panormi, 1733. [9] Codice diplomatico barese (vol. I - XIX). Volume XI is E. Rogadeo, _ Diplomatico aragonese. Re Alfonso I (1435 - 1458) _, Bari, 1935. [10] Caracausi, Girolamo, _Dizionario Onomastico della Sicilia_ (Palermo, 1994) s.n. Avalos, Vol. I, p. 89 --