Ottaviano de' Medici (born 1957)

Prince Ottaviano de' Medici di Toscana di Ottajano (b. 1957) is an Italian noble and member of the Ottajano branch of the House of Medici. He is the president of the Associazione Internationale Medicae (International Medici Association) and one of the founders of Save Florence, an initiative to conserve the cultural heritage of the city of Florence.

Modern Claims and the Grand Ducal Succession

Following the extinction of the main Grand Ducal line of the Medici family in 1737 with the death of Grand Duke Gian Gastone de’ Medici, the question of legitimate succession to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was settled by the Treaty of Vienna (1738) and recognized by the principal powers of Europe. Sovereignty and dynastic rights over the Grand Duchy were transferred to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, whose descendants remain the only internationally and officially recognized heirs to the Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany. This recognition is enshrined in Italian law (see Legge n. 159 del 7 giugno 1946, “Abolizione della Monarchia e proclamazione della Repubblica”) and is affirmed by other reigning royal houses and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.¹²³ Today, two Medici branches survive: the Medici Tornaquinci (Marchesi della Castellina) and the Medici di Ottajano (Princes of Ottajano). However, neither branch descends from the Grand Ducal line of Cosimo the Elder or his direct male descendants. Instead, both are descended from collateral branches of the Medici family dating to the late Middle Ages. Of the two, the Medici Tornaquinci branch is the most senior by agnatic (male-line) primogeniture, as it descends from the eldest son of Giovenco de’ Medici. The Ottajano branch, while historically significant, descends from a younger son and is considered junior in genealogical seniority. In recent years, Ottaviano de’ Medici of Florence has promoted himself as a claimant to the Medici legacy. However, he is neither the genealogically senior member of the House of Medici, nor the head of the Ottajano branch, which remains under the recognized leadership of Don Giuliano de’ Medici di Ottajano. Importantly, neither Ottaviano nor any member of either the Tornaquinci or Ottajano branches is recognized as holding dynastic rights to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by the Italian State or any international authority. ^[1][2][3][4]

Family origins

Ottaviano's branch of the House of Medici is descended from Ottaviano de' Medici (Gonfaloniere di Giustizia) and his wife Francesca Salviati, parents of Pope Leo XI. ^{[5] [6]}

Marriage and issue

• Cosimo Maria de' Medici - born in 1991;
• Guglielmo de' Medici - born in 1992;
• Lorenzo de' Medici - born in 2009.

Published works

• Ottaviano de' Medici di Toscana di Ottajano, Storia della mia dinastia, Polistampa 2001.

See also

• Princes of Ottajano
• Ottaviano de' Medici
• Genealogical tables of the House of Medici
• History of Florence