Non-Sovereign Princely and Ducal Houses

The princes Torlonia are an Italian noble family from Rome, who acquired a huge fortune in the 18th and 19th centuries through administering the finances of the Vatican. The first influential member of the Torlonia family was Marino Torlonia (Tourlonias; 1725 - March 21, 1785), who rose from humble origins in the Auvergne region of France to become a very rich businessman and banker in Rome.

Marino was born with the French name of Marin Torlonias, the son of Antoine Torlonias, a merchant and laborer. Marin's great-uncle was the parish priest of Augerolles, who procured for him a position as aide to an influential abbot. Marin eventually settled in Rome, where he became a cloth merchant and money lender near the Piazza Trinità dei Monti. This became the foundation of the family bank established by his son, Giovanni Torlonia.

Giovanni, in return for his able administration of the Vatican finances, was created duke of Bracciano and count of Pisciarelli by Pope Pius VI in 1794. In 1803, Pius VII made him marquess of Romavecchia e Turrita and the first prince of Civitella Cesi. He was made, among other titles, a Roman Patrician in 1809, with confirmation from the Pope on January 19, 1813, and the duke of Poli e Guadagnolo in 1820. He was the builder of the Villa Torlonia in Rome, among other Palazzo Torlonia villas. He married Anna Maria Chiaveri née Schulteiss, a widow who came from a family of southern German merchants from the city of Donaueschingen. Leopoldo Torlonia, a grandson of Giovanni, was the Mayor of Rome from May 1882 to May 1887.

In 1907, his great-grandson, Marino Torlonia succeeded to the title as 4th prínce of Civitella-Cesi, a title he inherited from his older brother, Augusto, in 1926. The title had been passed to Augusto from their paternal great-uncle, Alessandro, younger brother of Augusto's and Marino's grandfather, Giulio. Marino married the rich American Mary Elsie Moore; they were the parents of Don Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince di Civitella-Cesi, who married the Infanta Beatriz of Spain, the daughter of King Alfonso XIII- and of Donna Marina Torlonia di Civitella-Cesi, the wife of American tennis player Francis Xavier Shields and grandmother of the American actress Brooke Shields.

In Rome, the Torlonia properties comprise: Palazzo Torlonia-Giraud in Via della Conciliazione (rione of Borgo), Palazzo Núñez-Torlonia in Via Condotti, near the Spanish Steps, Palazzo Torlonia in Via della Lungara (rione of Trastevere) and Villa Torlonia (Villa Albani) outside Porta Salaria. They also owned the now demolished Palazzo Torlonia-Bolognetti near Piazza Venezia.

The Torlonia family is one of the few Italian aristocratic families to have survived the reconstruction of the Papal Court in 1969 by the motu proprio Pontificalis Domus. Today the only hereditary honours still in use at the Vatican are that of hereditary Prince Assistants to the Papal Throne. This honour is today held by Alessandro Torlonia and Marcantonio Colonna, Prince and Duke of Paliano. The Torlonia family was appointed in 1958 (its title dates from 1854 also), in succession to the Prince Orsini, who had been Prince Assistant from circa 1735 to 1958.

Don Giovanni Raimundo Torlonia, cr 1814 Principe di Civtella-Cesi (Siena May 1754-Rome 25 Feb 1829); m.Rome Sep 1793 Anna Maria Schultheiss (Donaueschingen 23 Aug 1760-Rome 4 Nov 1840)

2a) Marino, cr 1847 Duca di Poli e di Guadagnolo (Rome 6 Sep 1796-Rome 30 Sep 1860); m.7 Oct 1821 Donna Anna Sforza-Cesarini (Rome 8 Jun 1803-Rome 13 Feb 1874)

1b) Giulio, 2nd Duca di Poli e di Guadagolo (Rome 15 Apr 1824-Rome 22 Jun 1871); m.Rome 16 Jun 1850 Donna Teresa dei Principi Chigi-Albani (Rome 2 May 1831-Rome 8 Dec 1884)

2c) Leopoldo, 3rd Duca di Poli e di Guadagnolo (Rome 25 Jul 1853-Frascati 23 Oct 1918); m.1st Rome 5 Jun 1886 Donna Eleonora Monroy dei Principi di Pandolfina (Palermo 8 Nov 1862-St.Moritz 9 Jan 1891); m.2d Naples 24 Feb 1892 Donna Amalia Colonna dei Principi di Stigliano (Naples 20 Mar 1860- Rome 29 Dec 1953)

1d) Teresa (Rome 30 Dec 1887-Barabarasano di Salò 8 Nov 1968); m.1st Rome 22 Nov 1913 Cte Giuliano Terzi (Brescia 2 Jan 1874-Graglia 4 Aug 1927); m.2d Rome 24 Jan 1929 Italo Bonardi (Brescia 5 Apr 1878-19__)

2d) Giulio, 4th Duca di Poli e di Guadagnolo (Frascati 30 Oct 1889-Milan 23 May 1919)

4d) Anna Maria (Frascati 15 Oct 1894-Rome 17 Dec 1960); m.Rome 28 Jan 1925 Francesco Pr Chigi della Rovere (Rome 4 Apr 1881-Rome 2 Jul 1953)

5d) Maria Concetta (Frascati 15 Oct 1895-Castel Fusano 5 Dec 1923); m.Frascati 10 Feb 1919 Francesco Pr Chigi della Rovere (Rome 4 Apr 1881-Rome 2 Jul 1953)

6d) Andrea, 5th Duca di Poli e di Guadagnolo (Frascati 4 Sep 1899-Rome 2 Feb 1973); m.Genoa 18 Apr 1920 Emanuela dei Marchesi Spinola

1e) Leopoldo (Genoa 18 Jan 1921-k.a.1945)

2e) Augusto, Duca di Poli e di Guadagnolo (Rome 13 Apr 1924-Rome 22 Apr 1995); m.Genoa 23 Apr 1960 Federica Schiaffino (d.Rome 14/15 Nov 2003)

1f) Giulio, Duca di Poli e di Guadagnolo (b.Rome 14 Nov 1962); m.Rome 1 Dec 1990 Emmanuela Dottorini

3e) Paolo (Rome 5 Oct 1926-Rome 9 Jun 1967); m.Rome 7 Apr 1951 Françoise Roger (18 Apr 1927-3 Aug 1996)

1f) Emanuela (b.Rome 22 Jan 1952); m.Duccio Bartalucci

2f) Leopoldo (b.Rome 14 Jan 1953); m.Torre in Pietra 25 Apr 1981 Cinzia dei Conti di Campello (b.Lausanne 10 Sep 1956)

4e) Emanuele (Rome 21 Feb 1929-Rome Nov 1994); m.2 Oct 1954 Gioja Missiroli (b.2 Jul 1928)

5e) Giovanni (Courmayeur 21 Sep 1931-1981); m.Rome 27 Oct 1960 Agnese Theodoli dei Marchesi di San Vito e Pisoniano (b.Merano 21 Aug 1941)

1f) Andrea (b.Rome 6 Sep 1961); m.Rome Nov 1988 Donna Sania Imperiali dei Principi di Francavilla

2f) Guido Alberto (b.Rome 7 Sep 1963)

3c) Augusto, 3rd Pr di Civitella Cesi (Rome 20 Jan 1855-Borgo San Donnino 17 Apr 1926)

5c) Flaminia (Florence 20 Aug 1860-Rome 1 Jan 1918); m.Rome 23 Jan 1885 Francesco Marignoli, Marchese di Montecorona (Spoleto 4 Apr 1861-Montecorona 23 Nov 1909)

6c) Marino, 4th Pr di Civitella Cesi (Poli 29 Jul 1861-Rome 5 Mar 1933); m.Greenwich 15 Aug 1907 Elsie Moore (New York 22 Oct 1889-Rome 21 Dec 1941)

1d) Olimpia (Rome 2 Apr 1909-Rome 5 Nov 1924)

2d) Alessandro, 5th Pr di Civitella Cesi (Rome 7 Dec 1911-Rome 11 May 1986); m.Rome 14 Jan 1935 Infanta Beatriz of Spain (San Ildefonso 22 Jun 1909-Rome 22 Nov 2002)

1e) Sandra Vittoria (b.Rome 14 Feb 1936); m.Rome 18 Jun 1958 Cte Clemente Lequio di Assaba (Paris 9 Dec 1925-committed suicide at Turin 28 Jun 1971)

2e) Marco, 6th Pr di Civitelli Cesi (b.Rome 2 Jul 1937); m.1st Piacenza 6 Sep 1960 Orsetta Caracciolo di Castegneto (Rome 17 Mar 1940-Rome 10 Mar 1968); m.2d Rome 9 Nov 1968 (div 1985) Philippa Catherine Blanche McDonald (b.Sydney, Australia 3 Jun 1942); m.3d Rome 11 Nov 1985 Blazena Anna Helena Svitakova (b.Prague 16 Oct 1940)

1f) Giovanni (b.Rome 18 Apr 1962); m.Palazzo Torlonia, Rome 9 Jun 2001 Carla DeStefanis (b.Rome 23 Nov 1966)

2f) Vittoria Eugenia Carolina Honor Paola Alexandra Maria (b.Rome 8 May 1971); m.nr Yass, New South Wales 20 Dec 1997 Kenneth Lindsay (b.Dundee, Scotland 1 Nov 1970)

3f) Caterina Agnese Torlonia (b.Rome 14 Jun 1974); m.Panarea 28 Jul 2000 Cte Stefano d'Albora (b.Naples 22 Nov 1966)

4e) Olympia Emmanuela Enrichetta Maria (b.Lausanne 27 Dec 1943); m.Rome 26 Jun 1965 Paul-Annik Weiller (Paris 28 Jul 1933-Geneva 2 Nov 1998)

4d) Donna Marina Torlonia dei Principi di Civitella-Cesi (Rome 22 Oct 1916-Rome 15 Sep 1960); m.1st Francis Xavier Shields, married on 13 June 1940, in North Conway, New Hampshire, and divorced in 1950 (born New York 18 Nov 1909 -19 Aug 1975) son of 1st marriage Francis Xavier Alexander Shields (May 16, 1941 - April 27, 2003) who has four daughters: Brooke Shields - international actress and model, Marina Shields, Olympia Shields, Christina Shields. daughter of 1st marriage Marina Shields. m.2nd Edward W. Slater married on 29 December 1950, son of second marriage Edward Torlonia Slater (born 1955)

7c) Guido (Rome 26 Jan 1865-San Remo 23 Mar 1929); m.Rome, Giuseppina Lanzani

1d) Emma (d.Milan 21 Jun 1965); m.Rome 30 Aug 1914 Francesco Monticelli dei Marchesi Monticelli Obizzi (Milan 25 Apr 1892-Milan 29 Jan 1984)

2b) Giovanni (22 Feb 1831-9 Nov 1858); m.Rome 21 Feb 1852 Donna Francesca dei Principi Ruspoli (31 May 1830-Florence 14 Nov 1902)

1c) Clemente (15 Nov 1852-15 Jan 1899); m.Paris 27 Dec 1888 Tereza de Heredia (Madrid 22 Dec 1868- )

4a) Alessandro, 2nd Pr di Civitella-Cesi, cr Duca di Ceri, Pr di Fucino, etc (Rome 1 Jan 1800-Rome 7 Feb 1886); m.Rome 16 Jul 1840 Donna Teresa Colonna-Doria (Rome 22 Jul 1823-Rome 17 Mar 1875)

1b) Anna Maria (Rome 8 Mar 1855-Rome 18 Sep 1901); m.Rome 24 Oct 1872 Don Giulio Borghese, 2nd Pr di Fucino, took surname Torlonia (Rome 19 Dec 1847-Branca Umbra 15 Jul 1914)

1c) Giovanni Raimondo Luigi Marcantonio Alessandro Maria Carlo Francesco Paolo Filippo Pr Torlonia, etc (Rome 10 Oct 1873-Rome 8 Apr 1938)

2c) Carlo Pr Torlonia, etc, Pr di Canino e Musignano (Rome 19 Dec 1874-Rome 12 Mar 1947); m.1st Rome 20 Nov 1907 (div 1920) Angela Benfenati; m.2d Rome 23 Apr 1922 Paolina Pignolini (Ascoli 27 Jun 1887-Rome 12 Dec 1925)

1d) Anna Maria Elvira Carla Paola Giulia Augusta (Rome 16 Nov 1923-Rome 7 Nov 2000)

2d) Giulia Elvira Annamaria Paola Carla Augusta (b.Rome 30 Dec 1924); m.Rome 28 Jul 1949 Don Virginio Fernando Seyfull Dorian Maria Borghese (above)

3d) Alessandro Carlo Paolo Giulio Augusto Francesco Romano Pr Torlonia, etc (b.Rome 28 Nov 1925); m.Rome 12 Apr 1950 Donna Anna Maria del Drago (Rome 10 Sep 1930-29 Jun 2009)

3c) Teresa (Rome 22 May 1876-Florence 30 Nov 1947); m.Rome 28 Apr 1895 Gerino Marchese Gerini (Florence 10 Sep 1871-Florence 13 Jun 1927)

4c) Maria (Rome 12 Feb 1878-Rome 3 Oct 1959); m.Rome 2 Jun 1897 Don Lorenzo Duca Sforza-Cesarini, Pr di Genzano (Rome 14 Sep 1868-Rome 14 May 1939)

5a) Maria Luisa (4 Jan 1804-21 Dec 1883); m.6 Feb 1823 Don Domenico Pr Orsini (23 Nov 1790-18 Apr 1874)