Counts and dukes of Gravina

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The counts of Gravina, later the dukes of Gravina, were medieval rulers of Gravina in Puglia, in the old Kingdom of Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples. The county was settled on various royal favorites, and was held by members of the Neapolitan royal family from about 1300 until 1385. In 1417, it was granted to Francesco Orsini, who was created a duke in 1436; his descendant holds the title today, and represents the remaining branch of the Orsini family. Among the Orsini dukes, Pietro Francesco resigned his temporal dignities in 1667 to become a Dominican, and subsequently ascended the papal throne as Pope Benedict XIII. His nephew, Duke Domenico II, was created cardinal. Francesco (d. 1503) also achieved notoriety by being strangled while a captive of Cesare Borgia.