Chapter II

Historical Family Document

Storia del Cognome Patarino

Did our family descend from a noble? Egidio Antonio Patarino (1908–1979) (See Chapter V) passed on to his son and grandchildren a copy of a Historical Family Document (see below) that was obtained by his Aunt Maria when she was on a trip to Italy to visit their native town of Castellaneta. The document includes a family history typewritten in Italian and a heraldic banner displaying a stemmi or coat-of-arms with the surname Patarino written on it. We believe this document was copied from the original document that was written in Old Italian from a local archive in Castellaneta. Because we don’t have the original, we should assume this document may include mistakes in dates, spelling and grammar. The following is Egidio’s copy of the Document:

FAMIGLIA DISCENDENTI PALATINO

O R I G I N A R IA Questa famiglia e originaria Romana ove figura scritta al Patriziato fin dal 1500 un Giudo, Crociato fu inviato in terra Santa da Federico 2° D’Aracona da cui fu investito dal titolo di Cavaliere Aurato, nel 1600 la famiglia fu aggregata al Consolari nel 1660, al Consiglio degli - anziani. Si sparse in Pistoia, Perugia e nelle Marche, un al dosio Vescovo di Ferrara. 1672. Giovanni e Bernardo – valorosi guerrieri presero parte alla Guerra di Ciprio. Bernardo per il suo valore ottenne il titolo di Conte Palatino.

The following is a careful translation of the Historical Family Document:

FAMILY DESCENDENT PALATINO

O R I G I N A L

The family was established in writing by an original Roman Patrician as early as 1500, a Judas Crusader was sent to the Holy Land by Federico II of D’Aracona from which he was invested with the title Gilded Knight, in 1600 the family was elevated to Consul, and in 1660 to the Council of Elders. Spread in Pistoia, Perugia, in the Marches and to the dosio Bishop of Ferrara in 1572. Giovanni and Bernardo were valiant warriors who took part in the War of Cyprus. Bernardo for his value earned the title of Conte Palatino.

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Let’s put this document into context Each sentence of the Historical Family Document’s translation is copied below, analyzed and put into context with the history at the time. I have tried, where possible, to make logical assumptions to help fill in details that may help explain the Document’s context.

Assumption. The sentences of the Historical Family Document do not seem to follow an organized historical timeline. After one reads the next several pages, the corrected timeline would seem to be as follows:

1500 +/- A Patrician establishes in writing the Patarino family as nobility. 1500 + A crusader is sent to the Holy Land by Federico II and is then invested as a

Gilded Knight. 1572 Giovanni and Bernardo are valiant warriors in the War of Cyprus (1570 -

1573); Bernardo earns the title of a Count Palatino.

1600 The family is elevated to the town Consul.

1660 The family is elevated to the town Council of Elders.

Assumption. Chapter III describes a Patarino family who lived during the 16th and 17th Centuries in northern Italy and it is uncanny how this Patarino family appears to have the same official offices during the same timeline as described in our Historical Family Document. Is it possible these Patarino’s are the same people as mentioned in our Historical Family Document? Is our Castellaneta Patarino family related to these northern Italy Patarino’s? For analysis, I have listed the northern Italy Patarino names and relevant information where appropriate.

“FAMILY DESCENDENT PALATINO” “O R I G I N A L”

• The words, “Family Descendent Palatino” do NOT mean the Patarino family was descended from a family named Palatino. It means that the Patarino family was descended from a person who was a Conte Palatino or Count Palatine. A Conte Palatino was an Italian nobleman who exercised certain royal powers within his own domain (www.answers.com). The title could be awarded by any number of royal persons in a domain having sovereign powers including the Pope. A feudal Conte owned territory and a feudal Conte Palatino was usually a court officer who lacked a territorial designation attached to his title (“Italian Titles of Nobility and Genealogical Research”, by L. Mendola; aragon10.freeonline.co.uk /italiangenealogy.com). The word, “Original” means this was an original archived document.

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“The family was established in writing by an original Roman Patrician as early as 1500.”

• In the Middle Ages, a “Patrician” was a person who belonged to the aristocracy in the Holy Roman Empire. Patricianship, the quality of belonging to a patriciate, began in the ancient world, where cities such as Ancient Rome had a class of patrician families whose members were the only people allowed to exercise political power. With the establishment of the medieval Italian republics, the patriciate was a formally defined class of governing elites found within metropolitan areas. The term patrician was also used broadly in a number of European countries to refer to a social class until the late 19th Century, namely those families whose prominence was based on economic activity over many generations. (Wikipedia.net)

• In heraldry, a “proof of nobility” is required before a family can claim a noble status. For the Patarino family, the proof of nobility was established by a Patrician in writing. Before the 16th Century, it was customary to establish a family’s nobility by an affirmed oath by another noble since it was not yet common or widespread to maintain civil or church documents. In general, a claim of nobility always requires more than circumstantial proof. It requires demonstrable facts that are either sanctioned (included in official civil or church records) or are established by genealogically (demonstrated generation-to-generation lineage). It is impossible to establish a nobility claim on whimsical fancy or in the absence of such factual information.

Assumption. In Chapter III, Cesare and Giovanni Andrea Patarino in northern Italy had a proof of nobility established in the Il Consegnamento D’Arme Del 1687-88, which states 15 Lire was paid to establish the applicant and his sons and their descendants as legitimate nobility with their privilege painted in the coat of arms book, 1613 edition (Vivant.it). Could this proof of nobility have any links to the proof of nobility referenced in our Historical Family Document?

“a Judas Crusader was sent to the Holy Land by Federico II of D’Aracona from which he

was invested with the title Gilded Knight”

• The words, “un Giudo” are translated as “a Judas”. When you insert the word, “Giudo”

into most Internet language translators, it translates as “Guido”, switching the letters “i” and “u”, which is a person’s name. But when you insert the words, “un Giudo” it translates as “a Judas”, which is probably accurate. According to thefreedictionary.com, a “Judas” is defined as a person who betrays another under the guise of friendship. This definition is based upon the life of Judas Iscariot, the disciple and betrayer of Jesus. This translation does not make sense in our family context. A more accurate use of the Middle Ages’ term, “a Judas” may be found in the deeds of Judas Maccabeus, a Jewish priest who lived during the 1st Century BCE. Judas led

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the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire (167–160 BCE) and is acclaimed as one of the greatest warriors in Jewish history alongside Joshua, Gideon and David. Judah received the surname Maccabee, which means "hammer" or "sledgehammer" in recognition of his ferocity in battle. Judas made the first recorded agreement between the Jewish people and the Romans which led to Jerusalem’s liberation and ultimately to its independence (Wikipedia.org). During the Middle Ages, the warrior and liberator Judah Maccabee inspired many writers, artists, composers, and church homilies. Crusaders in the Middle Ages, taking up the cross to restore Christian control of the Holy Land, were encouraged by the Church to follow a “Just War” doctrine that called upon soldiers to follow a “God of War” in lieu of a “Christ of Peace”, which required direct, physical and violent revenge rather than martyrdom. Judas Maccabeus was frequently cited by the Church as a familiar “crusader prototype”. Therefore, “a Judas” in regards to a crusader was an aggressive soldier of God whose blood thirsty crusade was as an honorable way to earn heavenly salvation. (England and the Crusades, by Christopher Tyerman, 1988)

• The reference to “Federico II of D’Aracona” is most likely referring to Ferdinando II il Cattolico d’Aragona (1452-1516). Ferdinand II of Aragon was King of Castile (Spain), Aragon, Sicily, Naples, and Vacencia. In 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella, as monarchs, commissioned Christopher Columbus to find a westward route to Asia and also oversaw the conquest of the Moorish Kingdom of Granada, the last Islamic entity on the Iberian Peninsula, known as the Reconquista. In his later years, he was largely taken up in disputes over the control of Italy in the so-called Italian Wars. In 1504, he finally succeeded in taking Naples and the regions of Calabria and Puglia (including our native town of Castellaneta) in southern Italy from the French. (Wikipedia.org)

Assumption. The reference to a “Judas Crusader sent to the Holy Land” is not a reference to the Medieval Crusades which ended in the 13th Century. This may be a reference to a warrior being sent to fight in the Iberian peninsula during the Reconquista, which was a fight by the whole of Christendom and considered a religiously “Just War” of liberation. The Papacy encouraged Christian knights to seek armed confrontation with Moorish “infidels” and granted indulgences and titles for those who did, such as, Gilded Knight.

• A Gilded Knight or Cavaliere Aurota is a medieval chivalric title bestowed upon elite

warriors who were adept at war and sworn to uphold the values of faith, loyalty, courage and honor. Only those men who were officially “knighted” were entitled to wear gilded or golden armor whereas others wore ordinary armor. A number of different orders during the Middle Ages conferred golden knighthood and were invested directly by the Emperor, the Pope, Kings or by other important nobles. (Wikipedia.org)

“in 1600 the family was elevated to Consul, and in 1660 to the Council of Elders.”

• A Consul or Consolari was a town magistrate in the Middle Ages who was appointed by the “consiglio” or the town legislative council. A Consul administered the towns and

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cities and generally remained in office for a limited time. They were invested with executive powers, had military command in case of war or internal strife, and in some cases had judicial powers. Consuls were usually among the wealthiest people in the town and the position was dominated by feudal nobles. The position was similar to a modern day mayor or “sindaco”.

Assumption. In Chapter III, a person or persons named Giovanni Andrea Patarino held the position of Sindaco in the Commune of Carignano (Torino, Piedmont) in 1602, 1617 and 1621. Based on the similarity of dates, could this have been the same Patarino described in our Historical Family Document?

• A Council of Elders or Consiglio degli Anziani was a higher legislative town council

similar in nature to a republican type Senate, which consisted of fewer people who took care of the most important issues in the town. The Council of Elders might work in conjunction with a Consiglio degli Cinquecento, which was a co-legislative council similar to a Council of Deputies with more representatives. Both councils worked with the Consul or Sindaco of the town.

Assumption. In Chapter III, Conte Cesare Patarino in 1646 was an “ordinary Senator of Piemonte” and a town Councilman. In 1654, his son, Giovanni Andrea Patarino, was a Vice General Magistrate of War, Councilman of State, and a Referendaro of the Signatura of S.A.R. Based on the similarity of dates, could either of these Patarino’s have been the same Patarino described in our Historical Family Document.

Note the Commune of Ceresole d’Alba, where Cesare Patarino’s family owned part of the feudal Castle of Ceresole, has a Commune Council (Consiglio Comunale) with Elder Advisors (Consigliere Anziano) who chair the Council. One of the political bodies mentioned above could have been considered the “Council of Elders in 1660” as mentioned in our Historical Family Document. This Patarino family was important in the Duchy of Savory and the Principality of Carignano since the family was elevated as leaders of the community.

”Spread in Pistoia, Perugia, in the Marches and to the dosio Bishop of Ferrara in 1572.”

• Lo Stato della Chiesa, the States of the Church, was known as the

Papal States from 754 to 1870 and was comprised of territories under the direct sovereign rule of the Roman Catholic Church. At one time, it included 16,000 square miles and incorporated the present Italian regions of Latium, Umbria, Marche, and eastern Emilia-Romagna. The communes of Pistoia, Perugia, Ferrara and the Marche region (originally called the Marche di Ancona) were all located within the Papal States.

Papal States*

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Assumption: It is assumed that it was the crushing navel victory of the Battle of Lepanto during the War of Cyprus which was spread throughout the Papal States since the Papacy was a member of the Holy League that defeated the Ottomans in late 1571. Such a victory would have been spread widely in 1572 (see below).

• The word “dosio” has not been translated. Could this word be misspelled?

“Giovanni and Bernardo were valiant warriors who took part in the War of Cyprus. Bernardo for his value earned the title of Conte Palatino.”

• Should “Giovanni e Bernardo” be translated as “Giovanni and Bernardo” or “Giovanni Bernardo”? Was this one person or two persons? If two, were they brothers? Father and son? Cousins? Did they both use the surname Patarino or were they not even related? Could the “e” in our Document be a mistake? We need further answers to these questions to enable us to translate our Historical Family Document with more accuracy.

• The word, “Ciprio” is translated as the Isola di Ciprio, which is the island of Cyprus

(www.etimo.it).

• The year 1672 in the Historical Family Document must be an incorrect date since the War of Cyprus was fought in 1570 to 1573. This date in my translation has been changed to 1572 (see section above).

• War of Cyprus (1570 - 1573). During the War of Cyprus, on October 7, 1571, the naval sea Battle of Lepanto was waged against the Ottoman Empire by the Holy League (Papal States, Spain, Naples, Sicily, Republic of Venice, Republic of Genoa, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Duchies of Savoy, Parma, Urbino, and the Knights of Malta). The Holy League won a crushing victory in a five hour battle off the western Greek coast. The Holy League was assembled to aid the Venetian defenders in Cyprus against the hostilities of the Ottoman Empire. The Battle of Lepanto was the last major naval battle to be fought solely between rowing vessels and included a Christian fleet of 200 galleys and 50,000 men commanded by Giovanni Andrea Doria, a Genoese admiral. It was one of history’s most decisive battles, since it was a turning point in the continuing conflict between the Middle East and Europe. The cultural

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domination of the Ottomans and Muslims in parts of Eastern Europe was over and a “new world” was born. Some Western historians have held it to be the most decisive naval battle anywhere on the globe since the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. At the time, the War of Cyprus was considered in the nature of a Crusade. (Wikipedia.org) (The first painting is of the Battle of Lepanto by H. Letter in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London and the second is a fresco of the Battle of Lepanto in the Vatican Museum, Hall of Maps.)

• Emanuele Filberto of Savoia (1528-1580), known as Testaferro or Iron Head because of

his military career, was Duke of Savoy from 1553 to 1580 and laid claim to the Kingdoms of Cyprus and Jerusalem. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Lepanto during the War of Cyprus.

Assumption: The Patarino families in Chapter III were from Carignano and Ceresole, a few miles from Torino, which was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy. Since Emanuele Filberto joined the Holy League during the War of Cyprus, he would have traveled with other Knights (and doctors) from his Duchy. Is it possible that Giovanni Andrea Patarino (see Chapter III, 1567) who was a doctor of Carginano, was the same Giovanni referenced in our Historical Family Document who fought in the War of Cyprus? Did he have a brother or other family member named Bernardo? Assumption: In Chapter III, the Patarino men from Ceresole, starting in 1600, are named “Giovanni Andrea”. Could they have been named after Giovanni Andrea Doria the commander of the Holy League naval fleet that crushed the Ottomans in the Battle of Lepanto? If this Patarino family was involved in the War of Cyprus, it would make sense for them to name their children after a famous warrior.

Patarino Heraldic Banner and Coat of Arms

A family heraldic banner, also called a banner of arms, displays the basic family coat of arms. The design usually displays only the shield and omits the helmet, cornet, mantling, supporters, motto or any other element associated with a full heraldic coat of arms design (see example to the left). A heraldic banner is usually square or rectangular and is usually attached to a pike. Note heraldry or araldica refers to the study of coats of arms. In many countries, including Italy, a coat of arms is usually an indication of a family’s nobility but it must be demonstrated with genealogical research showing precise generation-by-generation lineage. Since such insignia and titles are the incorporeal property of

particular noble families, any unrelated families which share a surname by mere coincidence, cannot make a claim to a coat of arms or title of nobility as their own. The majority of Italians who believe themselves entitled to coats of arms may not know that fewer than one out of a hundred Italian families can legitimately claim a coat of arms (regalis.com).

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In heraldry, a coat of arms includes a blazon or blasone, which is a detailed description of a coat-of-arms that describes the field, or background, the “charges” (symbols) and the “ordinaries” (geographic designs). The shape of the “shield” is almost always immaterial. Full blazon descriptions range in complexity, from a single word to a convoluted series of words. The proportion, positions, and scales of items in the coat of arms are governed by precise rules.

Patarino Family Coat of Arms

The heraldic banner included in our Historical Family Document displays a basic coat of arms for our Patarino family. No colors are indicated on our copy. No blazon or formal detailed description is included to reconstruct the appropriate image and to explain its representations or meaning.

Without a blazon, what heraldic conclusions can we make regarding this Patarino Coat of Arms? For the research below, I used Wikipedia.org\heraldry and internationalheraldry.com.

Pearls set upon a crown?

Crown?

Line of Partition

Shield

Field

Charges

Colors?

Basic Coat of Arms

Shield. In Heraldry, a shield is also called an escutcheon, or scutchen. The shape of the shield in our coat of arms is a not a classical shape. Shapes were usually determined by the time period and geographic region. Italian shields were characterized by uniquely shaped shields. The shape of the shield is not actually part of an official blazon description and modern heraldry artists usually choose shield shapes that suit the overall design (Wikipedia.org). The shape of our coat of arms shield would be considered a unique shape.

Crown with Pearls. Could the curved shape on top of our coat of arms shield be considered a simply drawn crown? Crowns located above a shield indicate the family’s degree of nobility. If considered a crown, there are five “pearls” on top, which may indicate a noble family.

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Note in this historic coat of arms there is a simply drawn crown on top of a shield (Perieghesis.it). This coat of arms was used by a family in the province of Taranto, the same area as our direct Castellaneta ancestors (see Chapter IV). Our coat of arms’ crown is similar in design.

Note that sometimes a wreath of twisted cloth was used as a coronet or crown. Notice this shape is similar to our coat of arms. (Wikipeddia.org)

Note that our coat of arms has five pearls setting upon a crown. A crown of a noble was a jeweled circlet of gold surmounted by five pearls, supported by stems or set directly upon the rim (Wikipedia.org).

A rank of Noble (Nobili) is a minor title of nobility (such as Patrician, Nobleman, Count Palatino, Knight) and denotes some, but not all, Italian aristocrat families that lack a major title of nobility (such as Prince, Duke, Marquess, Count, Viscount, Baron). (Wikipedia.org)

Line of Partition. The simple horizontal serrated line dividing the top of the shield in our coat of arms is considered an “ordinary indented partition line”, which is said to symbolize fire. Lines of partition are used to divide and vary fields within the shield. Lines by default are usually straight but may have different shapes. An “ordinary indented line” is bounded by small zigzags like a triangle wave with peaks on one side matching peaks on the other side. The indented line of partition in our coat of arms is an ordinary one and would be stated in a blazon as “per fess indented”. (Wikipedia.org)

Charges. A charge is any object or figure placed in a heraldic shield. Any object found in nature may appear as a charge, such as animals, objects, or geometric shapes. In our coat of arms, the three charges appear to be smaller shields, each with a crown and three pearls on stems. Three pearls, when part of a crown, indicates a hereditary knight. When there is more than one charge in the shield, it is known in heraldry as being “charged”. A shield used as a charge is said to symbolize “a defender” (digiserve.com). In our coat of arms, the three charges may indicate three family knight defenders or maybe three sons of a noble.

Escutcheon. An escutcheon is a shield which is used as a charge and is customarily the same shape as the shield. A small escutcheon charge usually has some particular significance. An escutcheon may be used to bear another person’s arms over one’s own, to bear one’s own personal arms over the territorial arms, as an augmentation of honor, or just as a simple design. Escutcheons may be placed in the field of a shield as a choice of heraldic styles. Our blazon would read as “two over one”. (Wikipedia.org)

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Assumption. Could the shield charges in our Patarino coat of arms be a simple diagram of a castle with three merlons similar to the Commune of Castellaneta’s coat of arms? Since Castellaneta was our family’s native town for hundreds of years, it might make sense that our family’s coat of arms included some of the same elements.

Colors. Since no colors are indicated in our coat of arms, we should be careful not to speculate on the colors since every color has a specific heraldic meaning. In Italian heraldry, the majority of the field in shields are usually the colors gules (red) or azure (blue) (regals.com). Gules symbolizes a warrior, martyr or military strength. Azure symbolizes strength or loyalty. If the object on the top of our shield is a crown, it would probably be the color oro (gold) symbolizing generosity. Note the color sable (black) symbolizes constancy or grief.

After Maria Patarino visited Castellaneta and retrieved a copy of our Historical Family Document with its banner and coat of arms, her nephew Vincent Victor Patarino, in the early 1970’s, had an artist at Colorado Magazine create and print a version of the coat of arms with assumed colors. He then framed the coat of arms and gave the print to his father, Egidio Antoino Patarino. Egidio hung the family coat of arms on the wall of his home in Brooklyn, New York (the picture to the left was taken in the mid 1970’s by Egidio’s grandson, Giles Michael Patarino). Since the shield design is not critical to an official coat of arms, the print is a fair representation of the Patarino coat of arms as indicated in our Historical Family Document.

Blazon. Since we do not have a written blazon for our coat of arms and we do not know the colors, a possible blazon based on the copy above might read as follows:

Patarino (from Castellaneta). Escutcheon per fess indented in black over red; charged escutcheons, two over one in gold, each crowned with three pearls supported by stems; escutcheon crowned with five pearls set upon the rim in gold.

Castellaneta Coat of Arms

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Chapter End Notes

Assumption: If we place the timeline of events from our Historical Family Document into a matrix with information and events from the northern Italy Patarino family in Chapter III, we see many patterns emerge (see the matrix at the end of Chapter III). Could these Patarino’s be the same family from our Historical Family Document? The similarity in dates and offices is uncanny.

Trying to track down “Giovanni e Bernardo” from our Historical Family Document may be impossible without a trip to Italy to research original Italian records. There is an interesting coincidence regarding the Patarino family mentioned in Chapter III. Consider the following:

1. A Patarino family lived in the northern Italy Commune of Ceresole for severalgenerations;

2. The Commune of Ceresole has two churches, Chiesa dei Disciplinanti di SanBerdardino and Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Giovanni Battista (note that Italianfamilies often named their children after the patron saints of their commune);

3. This Patarino family had several generations of men named Giovanni after the patronsaint of their commune.

4. This Patarino family had the title of Conte; and

5. We are looking for a Giovanni and Bernardo or a Giovanni Bernardo.

Is this just a coincidence? I have not been able to determine if one of these Giovanni Patarino’s in Ceresole had a brother or son named Bernardo or if one of them used Bernardo as a second name but I would not be surprised based on this information and analysis. Have we found the Patarino family in our Historical Family Document? See Chapter III for more detail.

In 2012, there were only a couple hundred people in the world with the surname Patarino. Based on this very low number of people, how many people could have been living with the surname Patarino in the 16th and 17th Century? Mathematically, it could have been only a few families, which could make it likely that our Castellaneta Patarino family is somehow connected to this northern Italy Patarino family.

Research. Before we can factually make such connections and assumptions, we are going to need more research and we need to find a direct generation-to-generation family link. This is definitely going to require a research trip to Italy to review local archives in both southern and northern Italy.

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