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Duke or Duchess of Acerenza

Principate of Belmonte
Arms of the Prince of Belmonte
Creation date 1619
Monarch Philip II of Spain
Peerage Spanish Kingdom of Naples
First holder Orazio Giovan Battista Ravaschieri Fieschi, 1st Prince of Belmonte
Present holder Angelo Gennaro Granito Pignatelli, 13th Prince of Belmonte
Remainder to Male-preference primogeniture
Subsidiary titles Duke of Acerenza, Marquess of Galatone, Marquess of Castellabate, Count of Copertino

The Prince of Belmonte (Spanish: Principe di Belmonte) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte.

In addition to the princely title, the Princes were made Grandees First Class in 1712, and in 1726 were granted the rank of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (German: Reichsfürst) with the style of Serene Highness (German: Durchlaucht). The Princes hold a number of subsidiary titles, including Duke of Acerenza (1593), Marquess of Galatone (1562) and Count of Copertino (1562).

The seat of the princes is Palazzo Belmonte, on the Bay of Salerno and south of Amalfi, although the name of the senior title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte, historically important for the defence of the Italian coast from Saracen invasion. Belmonte has been known since the Risorgimento as Belmonte Calabro.

The princes are descendants of the Fieschi family of Genoa, who were ennobled as Counts Palatine in the year 1010 by Henry the Holy, King of Italy and later Holy Roman Emperor. The Emperor created the title of Count of Lavagna and appointed the Fieschi as Imperial Vice Regents of all Tuscany and of the coast of Genoa.


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