| Princedom of Belmonte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Creation date | 1619 |
| Created by | Philip III 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 |
Prince of Belmonte (Italian: Principe di Belmonte; Spanish: Príncipe de Belmonte) is a noble title created in 1619 by the Spanish crown for the Barons of Badolato and Belmonte. The name of the title is taken from the fortress town of Belmonte in Calabria, historically important for the defence of the Italian coast from Saracen invasion. Belmonte has been known since the Risorgimento as Belmonte Calabro.
In addition to the princely title, the princes were made Grandees of Spain (First Class) in 1712, and in 1726 were granted the rank of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire (‹See Tfd›German: Reichsfürst) with the style of Serene Highness (‹See Tfd›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. The princes are descendants of the Fieschi family of Genoa,[1] who were ennobled[2] 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.