Conti di Segni

The Conti di Segni (de Comitibus Signie, also known as Conti or De Comitibus for short) were an important noble family of medieval and early modern Italy. They came from Segni, Lazio. Many members of the family served as military commanders or religious leaders, including many cardinals and four popes.

The family began with Trasimondo, the father of Lotario Conti, who became Pope Innocent III in 1198. He ruled until 1216.^[1] The second Conti pope was Ugolino (1227-1241), as Gregory IX.^[2] The third pope to come from the Conti family was Rinaldo, as Alexander IV (r. 1254-1261).^[3] Later, in the early modern period, Michelangelo Conti reigned as Pope Innocent XIII from 1721 to 1724.^[4]

Torquato Conti (1591–1636) served as a General-Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. His cruelty earned him the nickname The Devil.

The family eventually became divided into many branches. The two main branches were the counts of Segni and Valmontone, and the dukes of Poli and Guadagnolo.

1. ↑ "Pope Innocent III", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-11-6.
2. ↑ "Pope Gregory IX", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-11-6.
3. ↑ "Pope Alexander IV", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-11-6.
4. ↑ "Pope Innocent XIII", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-11-6.