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Farnese Family, an Italian family that ruled the duchy of Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1731. Originating in upper Lazio, the family soon became noted through its statesmen and its soldiers, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries.
During the Renaissance the Farnese, a family of military men and landholders, acquired a duchy in northern Italy and became a great princely house. In the 1400s Farnese military commanders gained fame in the service of Venice, Florence, and the papacy. The family also was known for its patronage of the arts, contributing splendid buildings in Parma and Rome.
The first of its most celebrated members was Alessandro (1468–1549), the future Pope Paul III (see Paul III under Paul [Papacy]). His vast culture, as well as the love affair of his sister Giulia with Pope Alexander VI, assured his rapid rise at the Roman court. A cardinal from the age of 25, he was elected pope on Oct. 13, 1534, after a compromise reached by the French and the imperial parties. In the prevailing spirit of nepotism, Paul III, at the consistory of Aug. 19, 1545, detached Parma and Piacenza from the papal dominions and erected them into duchies.
