[1] This fief was originally a detached offshoot of the main family's possessions, but it was then granted by the Marquis Cerbone, regent of Monte Santa Maria, to his brother Lodovico (1394-1441) who established his residence there, becoming the first lord of Sorbello.

The works for this umpteenth transformation proceeded slowly, but succeeded in partly demolishing the western bastion around the castle with the idea of creating in its place a series of descending terraces to be arranged as a garden, a project that never came to fruition: the Marquis Regent Lodovico V (1679-1748) instead chose to build a villa for the members of his family on the hills surrounding Lake Trasimeno, a more favorable location mainly because of its milder climate.

Lastly, in the early 19th century, the extremely profitable marriage of Giuseppe II di Sorbello with Altavilla Oddi brought in a large estate near San Martino in Colle, in the Perugia area, as a dowry.

[12][13] Insofar as it took place largely outside the sphere of the remaining feudal privileges, the rise in the possessions and holdings of the Sorbello family still required an updated system of protections and guarantees, in which the institution of the fideicommissum, or deed of trust, served as a fundamental support.

Several protectorate treaties were stipulated with the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and often renewed over time, aimed at creating a sort of federation-alliance that gave the Sorbello family special status, protecting them from complete annexation as well as from claims by other neighboring territories (such as the Papal States).

The relations, however, were often conflicting: the Medicean feudal lords tried to maintain as many privileges and immunities as possible, while the Grand Duke tried to limit them, at the same time strengthening his authority, especially over the enfeoffed communities.

For a long time the marquisate of Sorbello struggled back and forth between the power of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and that of the Holy Roman Empire, from which it obtained the investitures and privileges with which the family was endowed and that for a long time put it in a particular position with regard to the Grand Duchy, even though this political-institutional combination between subjection to the Grand Dukes and loyalty to the Empire was reflected contradictorily in the managing of the rule of the marquisate, especially with regard to the application of justice, subject to a multiplicity of controls and conditions[15] In 1699 the marquises were granted a new imperial investiture from the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I,[16] obtaining with it the confirmation of all the imperial diplomas granted by Charlemagne onwards and the legitimate right to use the surname Bourbon.

These measures were inspired not so much by an anti-noble philosophy, but rather with the intention to centralize and modernize; in confirming them, there was the wish to regulate autonomies and privileges, which also risked questioning not only sovereign authority, but also public finances.

This probably stems in part from the fact that the throughout the 18th century the marquises found it much more advantageous to cultivate close fiduciary and diplomatic relations with another important European court: that of the House of Savoy in Piedmont.

From the late 17th and throughout the 18th century it was a regular practice to send the Sorbello youths to Turin, where they followed a course of study at the Royal Academy, obtaining high military offices and very often becoming part of the entourage of the Savoy court.

[19] Assigned to the regiment of the Dragoons as lieutenant, he was killed in August 1706 defending the city against the French troops in a battle won thanks to the intervention of the anti-French coalition commanded by Eugene of Savoy.

Giuseppe I Bourbon di Sorbello remained for a long time in Turin, undertaking a lengthy and fruitful military and diplomatic career, taking on positions of prestige.

In 1720 he was invested with the title of second squire of the Prince of Piedmont and Gentleman of the King's Mouth, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant of the Cavalry in the following year, while also obtaining important diplomatic posts.

Giuseppe's luck improved even more following the accession to the throne of Charles Emmanuel III, son of Amadeus II of Savoy and Anna of Bourbon: he received an annual annuity of 1,200 Piedmontese liras.

[24] His son, the Marquis Carlo Emanuele II of Sorbello was appointed a Professed Knight of Justice of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus by King Charles Albert of Savoy in 1847.

The Sorbello marquises, who had already been registered among the aristocracy of Perugia and obtained citizenship in 1558, would take on a preeminent role among the ranks of this Perugian oligarchy, gradually strengthening their position from the late 17th through the 18th century.

However, this attempt at safeguarding the fief was rendered useless by the Jacobin republican government: by means of a letter from Annibale Mariotti, Consular Prefect with the administration of the Trasimeno Department, it reaffirmed its wish to abolish the feudal rights enjoyed by the marquises.

[31] Article 100 stated: [...] The State of the Presidi, the part of the island of Elba and its possessions that were owned by the King of Naples and Sicily before 1801, the principality of Piombino and the abolished fiefs of Montauto, Vernio and Monte Santa Maria will be reunited with the said Grand Duchy […] The marquises of Monte Santa Maria and Sorbello did not have a representative at the Congress of Vienna, and limited themselves to sending a long memorial to declare the validity of the imperial diplomas.

However, past disagreements with the Habsburg-Lorraine grand dukes that took place for a good part of the 18th century weighed heavily: especially those regarding the prerogative of the two marquisate fiefs to be able to offer asylum to any political exile or common delinquent, making them a haven for criminals of all kinds, causing endless troubles and controversies.

[36] The death of Pius VII was followed by a period of strong reactions and continual centralizing interference by the Papal States, which led to a gradual "divorce" between the local elites and ecclesiastic political representatives.

During the tragic events of June 1859, when the repression of the Papal Swiss Guard came down upon the Perugian patriots, forcing them to flee, Carlo Emanuele gave refuge to their leaders in Sorbello castle (now part of Tuscany).

It was she who decided to have her three daughters educated by one of the best-known governesses in the cultural circles of Perugia: Assunta Pieralli, renowned also as a poet for her Unification lyric poetry, which would make her one of the voices of the Umbrian Risorgimento.

The eldest son of Giuseppe I Bourbon di Sorbello and Marianna Arrigucci, Uguccione III first studied at the Collegio dei Nobili in Urbino[40] and then at the Royal Academy in Turin, which he entered in 1756 at the age of 19, remaining there for three years.

He had the building remodeled to suit his personal tastes, arranging, among other things, a room on the ground floor to be dedicated exclusively to the family library, of which he was the first true cataloger and librarian.

Diomede is considered one of the most brilliant men of culture in the family: along with his important diplomatic-military career at the Savoy court in Turin, he was a scholar, bibliophile, man of society and writer.

An exceptionally brilliant scholar, he was the only one among the seven sons of Giuseppe I to obtain the prestigious title of Baccalauro,[46] devoting himself also to the study of the violin thanks to a benefice given to him by his uncle Tancredi IV.

Diomede stayed at the Savoy court for 33 years, where he had a rising and prestigious military career, beginning on March 3, 1766 as an ensign in the King's Guards, and ending as captain of a regiment of Dragoons.

He then moved to a residence in Florence located near Ponte Santa Trinita, maintaining various contacts, however, with the Perugian cultural circles, and particularly with the scholar Giovan Battista Vermiglioli.

Romeyne was a very talented woman and was interested in social issues: she founded a Montessori school at the Pischiello family estate in order to improve the living conditions of the boys in the Lake Trasimeno area,[52] and a successful embroidery school-workshop.

[57] He obtained the rank of captain, and then major, in the service of the IS9 intelligence corps (also called A-Force), involved mainly in missions to rescue Allied prisoners in enemy territory.