Grimaldi, Pierfranco

Born in Genoa in 1715. Doge's son Giambattista Grimaldi , cousin of the Doge Giovanni Giacomo Grimaldi . It was inscribed in the Golden Book of the Genoese nobility on March 28, 1735 .

Initially devoted himself to a military career. At 35, he became an inspector of a battalion in Corsica, where he commanded 667 soldiers. In the events of 1746 , during the Balilla uprising, he confronted the Austrians as commissar general Riviera di Levante, together with his brother Francesco Grimaldi.

In 1756 he was elected one of the five members of the magistrate of war, and in 1772 he was elected an inquisitor of the state.

Board and recent years

After the doge was abdicated, Ferdinando Spinola Grimaldi was elected a new doge on January 26, 1773, with 174 votes out of 324, 173rd in the history of the republic.

Shortly before his election, a Senate decree limited election costs and the coronation of the Doge, given the decline in republic revenue. The historian Achinelli reports that the time for coronation and reception was reduced, and the time of celebrations was limited to eight days. The Doge swore an oath in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the ceremony was conducted by the Jesuit and Cardinal, Archbishop Girolamo Durazzo. The banquet was modest; only 17 senators and another 19 guests were invited to it. In addition, instead of the traditional fifty cannon shots, only thirty were fired.

The Doge for a long time resisted the secularization of the income of the Jesuit Order , which was then proclaimed by the Church: the Jesuits supported the Doge and the Genoese aristocracy. Genoa was the last city in Italy to pass a law on secularization of Jesuit income.

With papal permission, the right to inviolability of churches for criminals was limited, which now operated only within two churches - St. Stephen and St. Mary in the port of San Tommaso.

By the end of the mandate, Grimaldi fell ill, was on the verge of death, but got better. He asked for permission to move to Xerbino, the palace of Francesco Maria Balbi , where the air was cleaner. According to Genoese laws, the doge was not supposed to leave the Doge's Palace, but the Senate still granted the request of Grimaldi to move to Xerbino. He lived there for about a month. The doge recovered, but still suffered from gout , nevertheless returned to the capital on August 5 .

His mandate ended on January 26, 1775 , after which he continued his public career. In 1776, Pierre Francesco was the dean of the magistrate of war. Later, he worked for many years on the fleet council and was dean of the magistrate of justice, was in charge of tax collection. In the last years of his life, he was appointed a member of the Council for Religious Affairs and served as an inquisitor.

He died in Genoa in 1791 . He was buried in the church of St. Ambrose, in a family crypt.

Personal life

He was married to Julia Durazzo, daughter of Giuseppe Durazzo, from whom he had four children: Lille, who married Giorgio Doria; Giuseppe, who married Clelia Durazzo, a relative of her mother; Giovanni Battista, married Lille Grimaldo; Teresa, who married Giacomo Spinola.

• Sergio Buonadonna, Mario Mercenaro, Rosso doge. I dogi della Repubblica di Genova dal 1339 al 1797, Genova, De Ferrari Editori, 2007.