Florence
Original title: Florença
Entry on the Florença surname in Madeira, descended from João Salviati, a Florentine noble who fled persecution by the Medici in the fifteenth century and received land grants on the island.
This surname descends from João Salviati, a native of Florence who, with several members of his family and other compatriots, joined in defending his homeland against the oppression and tyranny of the Medici around the middle of the 15th century. When they failed, some of them were hanged, while others had to seek safe refuge in exile and flight from the persecution of the Medici’s supporters. An archbishop, João Salviati’s uncle, was hanged from one of the battlements of his palace, while João Salviati found asylum in Madeira from the persecution directed against him. Here he was received with distinction, in recognition of the noble cause he had defended and of his aristocratic descent, and he retained the privileges of nobility he had enjoyed in his homeland. He held lands as a sesmaria (royal land grant to settlers on condition of cultivation) on the bank of the Ribeira dos Socorridos, in the parish (freguesia) of Câmara de Lobos (‘seals’ den’), where he settled, and also in the parish of Arco da Calheta (‘arc of Calheta’), in the locality (sítio) that still bears the name Florenças today. There one of his descendants, named João Homem de El-Rei, founded an entailed estate (morgadio).
In this article
Place
Places mentioned · 05
Abroad
- Arco da Calheta
Calheta. Parish where Salviati also held land.
Arco da Calheta is a parish in the municipality of Calheta, created in 1572 around the chapel of São Brás, whose church holds sixteenth-century paintings. The Elucidário covers its early settlers such as the Andrades, sugar estates, chapels, entails, unrest in 1834 and 1887, and irrigation by the Rabaçal and Pico da Urze levadas.
- Câmara de Lobos
Parish where Salviati settled.
Parish west of Funchal. The Elucidário traces its name to Zarco's discovery voyage and describes its churches, chapels and collegiate chapter, early settlers, fishing community and renowned vineyards. It also records the parish's localities, boundaries, levadas and population.
- Florenças
Calheta. Locality named after the family, site of a morgadio.
Florenças is a picturesque, populated sítio named after the Florença family and the site of their entailed estate. It has chapels of Nossa Senhora das Mercês and of the Magdalene, the latter founded in 1684, and Lombo das Mercês is incorporated into it.
- Florence
Italy. Italian city of origin of João Salviati and source of the surname.
Florença (Florence) is the Italian city of origin of the Acciaioli family, who came to Madeira, and the birthplace of Simão Acciaioly. It was also the birthplace of João Salviati and the source of the surname, and the birthplace and place of publication of Giuseppe Raddi.
- Ribeira dos Socorridos
Câmara de Lobos · Funchal. Salviati held sesmaria lands and settled on its bank.
One of Madeira's main streams, rising at the Torrinhas and dividing several parishes west of Funchal. Its name recalls Zargo's rescue of companions nearly swept away at its mouth. It feeds the Piornais levada, and a masonry road bridge over it was begun in 1848.
People
People mentioned · 02-
Descendant of João Salviati who instituted an entailed estate at Florenças in Arco da Calheta.
-
Florentine noble who opposed the Medici, found refuge in Madeira and founded the Florença family there.