The Pamphili (often with the final long i orthography, Pamphilj) are one of the papal families deeply entrenched in Roman Catholic Church, Roman and Italian politics of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Later, the Pamphili family line merged with the Doria and Landi family lines to form the Doria-Pamphili-Landi family line.
The Pamphili surname originated in Gubbio and went to Rome under the pontificate of Pope Innocent VIII (1484–1492).
The peak of Pamphili power came with the election of Giovanni Battista Pamphili as Pope Innocent X, who reigned from 1644–1655. Like the reign of his predecessor Pope Urban VIII (of the equally papal Barberini family), Innocent X's rule was littered with examples of nepotism. Members of the Pamphili family members did exceptionally well from the Innocent X papacy.
The following family members were created cardinals:
Like other Italian noble families, the Pamphili bought property (palazzo or "palaces" and other estates) and created self-styled principalities. Family members regularly had princely titles bestowed upon them by family patriarchs or matriarchs. Olimpia Maidalchini received the honorific title of Princess of San Martino, effectively turning the small enclave of San Martino into a principality in its own right. After he left the cardinalate to marry, Camillo Pamphili was given the titles Prince of San Martino and Prince of Valmontone (he bought the Valmontone comune in 1634 from the Barberini family).
Pamphili family tree from 1574 to 1760:
Between 1639 and 1649, the Pamphili fought the Wars of Castro alongside the Barberini against the Farnese dukes of Parma who controlled Castro and its surrounding territories. The conflict raged first under Barberini Pope Urban VIII and later under Pamphili Pope Innocent X.