Duke of San Donato

The 19th century Gennaro Sambiase Sanseverino, "Duke of San Donato" and Mayor of Naples, who held the ducal title by permission of his brother, Giuseppe, Prince of Bonifati. Sanseverino was politician and supporter of the Risorgimento and the most notable family member.[1]

Duke or Duchess San Donato (Italian: Duca o Duchessa di San Donato) was a noble title, first created in 1602 by the Spanish King Philip III for the House of Sanseverino. The duchy was traditionally based on estates and territories held in San Donato di Ninea, Calabria. The first creation, however, lasted only 52 years. In 1668, the title was recreated for a wealthy merchant, Antonio Amitrano, who had some years earlier bought the feudal rights over the former dukes' territories. Descendants of the Ametrano family held the duchy, as one several titles, until it became extinct in the 1970s.[2] There have been successive claims over the centuries by distant kinsmen of the first holders to claim the duchy; these remain unverified.

  1. ^ The Nobility of Naples (Italian). Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  2. ^ Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà Italiana, ediz. XX, vol. XXII, 1990-1994, p. 538