Prince of Castelvetrano

 Prince of Castevetrano

The title of Prince of Castelvetrano is a significant Sicilian aristocratic title, first created in 1564 by King Philip II of Spain (as King of Sicily) for Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia, Duke of Terranova and Count of Castelvetrano. This creation elevated the existing County of Castelvetrano to a Principality.

The baronial town of Castevetrano had been in the hands of the Tagliavia family since 1299, when King Frederick III of Sicily gave it to Bartolomeo Tagliavia, chamberlain of Queen Eleonora. The city had become a County with Giovan Vincenzo Tagliavia, by privilege of Emperor Charles V of Habsburg of 1522. 

The title remained primarily within the d'Aragona family, who were a prominent and influential noble house in Sicily. Notable holders include Giovanni Tagliavia d'Aragona, who further consolidated the family's influence.  The Princely title then passed into the Pignatelli family when Giovanna d'Aragona Tagliavia Cortès (1612-1692), 5th princess of Castelvetrano and last of her family, married Ettore Pignatelli of the princes of Noja and dukes of Terranova in 1639. 

Over centuries, through successions and strategic marriages, the title was often intertwined with other leading Sicilian aristocratic families.

The last prince of the feudal age was Diego Pignatelli d'Aragona Piccolomini (1774-1818), 10th prince of Castelvetrano, who had the second of the 124 hereditary seats in the House of Peers of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1812-16.

In 1906, the title of Prince of Castelvetrano was recognised to Giuseppe Pignatelli d'Aragona Fardella, 14th prince of Castelvetrano.

Determining the exact present or most recent holder can be complex due to the intricate nature of succession laws and the various branches of the Aragona and allied families. However, the historical legacy of the Prince of Castelvetrano remains a testament to the enduring aristocratic heritage of Sicily.

Holders

• Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia (1564-1593)

• Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia Marinis (1593-1605)

• Giovanni d'Aragona Tagliavia Pignatelli (1606-1623)

• Diego d'Aragona Tagliavia Pignatelli (1624-1653)

• Giovanna d'Aragona Tagliavia Cortès (1653-1692)

• Giovanna Pignatelli d'Aragona Pimentel (1695-1723)

• Diego Pignatelli d'Aragona Pignatelli (1724-1750)

• Fabrizio Pignatelli d'Aragona Pignatelli (1751-1765)

• Ettore Pignatelli d'Aragona Medici (1766-1800)

• Diego Pignatelli d'Aragona Piccolomini (1801-1812)

• Diego Pignatelli d'Aragona Piccolomini (1812-1818)

• Giuseppe Pignatelli d'Aragona Caracciolo (1819-1859)

• Diego Pignatelli d'Aragona Lucchesi Palli (1859-1880)

• Antonio Pignatelli d'Aragona Lucchesi Palli (1880-1881)

• Giuseppe Pignatelli d'Aragona Fardella (1881-1938)

• Antonio Pignatelli d'Aragona de la Gándara (1938-1946)