The "State Landi" Italy 425 years of The Holy Roman Empire

  Taken in comparison to the great Kingdoms, Countries, Royal, Imperial and sea faring nations it's obvious that The Landi State was a local. land locked power, dependent on others when transacting international commerce. Much of this is also documented. I have to make many descision when deceiding what to include in this book. This could have been a large multi volume work so I had to choose wisely. Being a geographically small state in comparison to many other countries, that is with the exception of Monaco's 900 acres or The Vatican's 79 acres, (The state Landi (167,212) Acres, 678 sq. km. 105 Castles, 425 Years a family held Italian state, larger than any other family state at that time, together longer than any other family held Italian state in the History of Italy) The population of the areas around Piacenza at the time of The State Landi was around 100,000, many of whom resided inside of the boundaries of the State Landi although the exact number is not known. we do know that there were 27000 residents inside of the city Piacenza in the early years mof the Landi of Emelia Romagna. Considering the size of this state and the limited numbers of this Noble family de Landi (de Lando) in Emelia Romagna, and those south as the Landi de Todo, Landi de Campania and Noble Landi in other countries of what made up Europe at that time, they did have a notable wide ranging effect on Italian history for centuries. Much of this comes not from the State Landi, it comes from the Lando/Landi Aristocratic Nobles and Royals in most every major city of Italy. involved in banking, commerce, pawnbroakering, leaders in City and Communal politics, and at times mercinary armies, but probably most important is there becomimg blood members through marriage of the most of the great powers of those times. The Spanish Royal House, Two German Royal Houses, and The Italian Royality. and most importantly as part of The Holy Roman Empire which they chose to side with against the papal states and the Vatican It is in these connections that the State Landi would call on to keep the State Landi intact for 425 years, longer than the entire exsistance of the United States of America. No other family State in Italian History to this very day can beat that record. If this book only ends up in the hands of family members Published but never lost because of the new world of the internet. Available as reference material I will be humbled and certainly have fufilled my goals.
When I traced the early fortunes of The Landi this is what I found. Although the collection of taxes, mercenary Armies, inherited wealth from Royal familiy ties and many sources unknown the bulk of The Landi fortunes came from Banking and wide spread Commerial activities The Landi of Lombardi and Merchant Banking 9th to 14th Century Being of great import, but predated by the Landi de France, de landi di Todi and the Landi di Compania and Venice. Further back even in France the Landi Nobles were making their mark as far back as the 7th century which we will soon cover.
In my research into the Landi family history I ran into some frustration historically speaking with the existing records, so I tried another avenue which has opened a number of avenues which has shone much light on this family. I remembered that saying that you would hear the police speak of in movies and TV when they were tracking a suspect that was being allusive and put it to work in the case of researching this book. It was "Follow the Money," (still exsisting official documents and records available to anyone online) Its very obvious to anyone who has read even a small part of this book that this was a family of great wealth and though its State was small and centered in northern Italy there were recorded wealthy Landi Aristocrats and Nobles through the whole of Italy and Europe. This wealth did not obviously just pop into existence out of thin air, so I have been following the money trail and it has brought me all the way back to the 5th century Campania, 7th century Todi Purgia and finally 11th century Emelia Romagna (Florence).. The trail goes back much further but I am still working on reliable verifiable reference on that period and it is hard to come by and involves the translations of ancient scrolls written in different languages, some of which I have been denied access in the Louvre and the Vatican. It will take time. Maybe not in my lifetime but eventually all of the reference will see the light of day.
The Landi Barons powerful Aristocrats of Lombardia were considered to be one of the richest merchant families with the amplest of funds, for trade and ardent Commercial Banking. They were not all based there, and in the case of the Landi at Atsi and neighboring towns, the Landi Aristocrats shared in the "transalpine" commercial and the Banking businesses. At Milan the Della Torre and Landi designated Noble established their own commercial Dynasties, also by the 9th century. matriculating in the Wool Guild one of the most lucrative business ventures at that time in history. While in Piacenza early years all of the clans of the Merchant-Banking elite were of Feudal origins more specifically the Landi, Scotti and others. They turned these lands into a business aristocracy. Similar interrelations were created in other Lombard cities such as Como, Emelia Romagna, Bologna and even more so in Tuscany. Also Milan and Venice. In "Dante's" Florence almost one third of the families (schiatta) of ancient origin were involved in Commerce and Commercial banking. most notably The Landi. "in a Brown University study on 13th century Florence there were at least 230 members of the Landi clan"This would peak around 1400 but its roots go back at least to the 9th century. The Landi were part of a large business consortia in Pistiola, Emelia, Tuscany, Milan, Florence, Venice and Siena, with others, all of ancient feudal decent.
I'm not writing this obviously, for monetary reasons, it a niche subject about a family unknow to most., probably few will sell. I just want to make sure this Family, my Family, and its history is told in full truthfully, and it survives me, a dusty book on some library shelf available for factual reference would suffice. Finally, I have followed the facts to where they lead, not to where I wanted them to go, the surprises have been endless and still come to me today. There will be those unhappy with my factual conclusions', (I will not change those for anyone, they are facts that stand on their own, especially the DNA evidence which stands on irrefuable scientific footing) all of which are based on solid historical facts (officially documented), others on sound accepted science . The whole story has yet to be written. (Picture library) I do not and would never further rumer, unscientific, un-provable, speculative or supernatural materials, they may have a place elsewhere, but certainly not in this book. The Lando/ Landus Shields (COA) and Flags that shortly follow, including the "Papal Hats" are from the "Lando Counts of Sabina", more specifically "Pope Lando the origin of "Papa Lando 914AD" son of "Count Tiano Lando/ Landus". This is historical fact. It shows one example of the connection of the Lando to the (Latin) Landus name, Lando is listed as the Baptized name of Pope Lando, although his family used Landus/ Lando. Landus is nothing more than the Latin root. The church when referencing Pope Lando in the possessive called him, "Landone (i) *(our "Landon(i)"),". Landi is known, and used as the pleural of, Lando. Most importantly by, Lando's" The "us" in Landus or any other surname ending in it, was commonly changed from the old Latin/ Roman to either "i" or "o". (Lando/ Landi) It shows one example of the connection of the Lando to the (Latin) Landus name, Lando is listed as the Babtised name of Pope Lando, although his family used Landus/ Lando. The church when referencing Pope Lando in the possesive called him, "Landone (i),". Landi is known, and used as the pleural of, Lando. Most importantly by, Lando's" The Landus is a shortening of The Landolfides surname going back to the first millennium, Germany, BCE. (The Landi minitribe and Lombard Counts who arrived in Italy together) From which derived Lando (The Lando Counts of Campania) from Landus through the replacement of "o" for the singular "Lando" and "i" for the plural "Landi: "Landi" would after the 16th century come to be the prominent singular surname for most but not all Lando/s. If you go back and look at the enire Landi/Lando Noble tree of both northern and southern Italy you will find without exception that it started by them using "de Lando" as the singular surname then all the Nobles of this line at the end of the 17th century start using the plural form "Landi" as their Only surname in public, personal communications and the "official government records" Dont take this on faith just read the official and personal references I list in the "hundreds" at the end of this volume. How this was overlooked by other writters baffels me to this day. In Campania and the Lando of Emelia Romagna there were a good number of Lando Lombard counts. The Lando surname and it variations went out of favor by the 17th century when most baptised Lando at that time began to explicitly use the "Landi" as there one and only surname, even using it at the time of baptism, and that is why today you find so few Lando compared to people with the "Landi: surname. You were either a "Landi" or talking about "The Landi" there were a few Lando who held out but it was a miniscule number compared to the others and the Landi surname.. They were able to survive the Frankish invasion and left to prosper in the south of Italy. This is the time of count " Landone Landi" (Landi di Todi) the Landus/ Landi Bishops and Cardinals of 630 and 770 AD, and "Pope Lando (Landus, baptised Lando)," (912-914 AD) of the ancient Lando/Landi/Landus line which is historically noted by the 3rd century, but in fact the true line goes back possibly another millenium as the Landi Mini tribe and Landulfides of Germanic origin.(as you will see in later chapters. there is no doubt the origin of Lando and I give detailed factual documented examples) What I chose not to do is focus on the period before the 5th century. The book would just be too big or a multi volume set that would not get as much exposure and reading by as many people. and known to go back at least to the third century BC Germania (as the Landulfides)/ Rome with Roman Senator Panfirio Landus (Landvs) 3rd century,(Swevo Roman Senators were know to have sat in the Senate from the first century forward) these are the ancient original Lando/ Landus/ Landi with the colors/ flags; (Black and White). Below you will see how they transition with time, and as the family branches throughout Italy, from the time of Christ through to the 10th, then on to the 21st century, in some cases the original black and silver (white) carried on by Landi lines into the very early second millenium after becoming Princes, Knights, Lords, Counts, and Marquee and Barons.. Although there are official flags/ shields of the Lando with the Blue/ White and Gold eventually used for "lo Stato Landi," Black and White is the official flag of the LANDI/LANDO as far back as the records are available in the early scrolls of the first part of the first millinium. The Lando/ Landus lines who choose to use the Landi pleural as their surname as. "Landi" started in Campania around 647AD at the latest, with Count Landone Landi ,(this dating, is, as of "this time") then Piacenza by c1067 with Roldorfo Landi (this use of Landi, again, was mostly used by later historians and eventually by most Lando by the end of the 17th early 18th centuries, I have as yet not found the reference in period scrolls or manuscripts, only by recent historians writing about the past), thought to be of the Noble Lando line (see reference) These two nobles, two hundred years apart, are they of the same genetic line? It apears so, but this book will leave that for to you to decide. There is certainly enough historical, ethnological, geneological facts to allow you to come to your own conclusions. You may or may not come to the same conclusions that I have. In fact I dont share my conclusions in this book, just present the facts, since the facts will certainly mature over the coming years, so in this case Ill leave it to you. I did not write this book to fill anyones personal narative. It is absolutley impossible at this time in history to translate all of the relavent scrolls and books available to us, to say for an absolute fact, that Landi/ Lando lines have the same origin in every case but the Noble lines I track and include are undeniable of one family. The vast majority do but there are some outliers that do not. We can say for certainty from multi sourced official documentation that still exsists that all of the known Landi I write of in this book are direct blood descendants of the "Lando" line and the "Landi" usage for most of history in Italy was as the plural of "Lando" and it was not until the 18th century that it was in fact starting to be used by many of the "Lando" line as their primary and baptized surname. The origin of the Lando surname is of the Germanic Landulfides then Landolfs, essentially a shortened surname. This is also a historical fact that is referenced in this volume. That surname goes back at least another thousand years. The possibility of more than one line I will leave to future historians when they have all the facts. The facts still in the Secret Archives may or may not see the light of day but there are other sources that can certainly make up for that inconvenience, and if the church does not want to put their full true documented story out there, it will be told by others using other historical materials. The church has had endless digressions in political, moral and individual arenas throughout its entire history, much too many to list here. The Landi were at times the targets, at other times co-conspirators. That is historical fact. I do have confidence though, that the day will come when that book can be written, but at this time, do not be fooled by anyone who states they have completely proven the origins and relations of all these lines as they relate to church matters, they have much in common and this cannot be a coincidence but that is not proof, the massive quantities of materials still to be translated, read and studied will in all likelihood change some of the conclusion anyone makes as of today. Below is a painted tile from the of the turn of the millennium, a Lando/ Landus line who in Piacenza would call themselves "The Landi" for the next 900 years. A Lando/ Landi line in Florence, Piacenza, Venice and Campania, most adapting the pleural Landi to be their surname proper, the earliest historical figure being Count Landone Landi c646 [Landi de Todi] (this use of the "Landi" surname is documented by the church by a priest looking back at the 7th century count, telling the story in the 10th century), but not all Lando family lines took this path, so the genealogy tree is further complicated, but not impossibly so. All of these locations, and actually almost every major city in Italy had Landi/ Lando nobles in their history at one point in time or another. Below is their last Lando full Blue and White flag, The colors start with the families flags it's not until well into the second millennium that Coat of Arms developed. Most authors believe that in fact the white was always Silver dont hold up, in fact if you date the exsisting colors you will see that the white from the black and white changes to Silver at the time The Landi become part of the Holy Roman Empire and the Blue and white change to Blue and Gold when they creat thier State Landi (royal Gold ) no big mistery. The Landi of southern Italy and some of the cousins in the north used the Black and White for centuries the Lando/Landi of the north for the most part used the blue and white but there is absolute proof that the Land/Lando Nobles north and south were blood relatives. Therefore represented as white. The painting that follows shows it as obviously silver (not white) at this point in time. Rome, Cardinal Francesco Landi (1682-1757) Birth. July 9, 1682, Piacenza. From a patrician family. Fourth child of Count Odoardo Landi and Elisabetta Lampugnani. His last name is also listed as Landus; and as Landi Pietra because of the adoption of his father by Count Cesare Pietra di Roncarolo. The other children were Luigi, Ottaviano and Geltrude. On the marble floor below in memory of Cardinal Landi we see the Blue and white Landi colors. What we have are two flags one blue and white one black and white both used by documented blood related Landi/Lando Nobles. We will talk about this in detail later. We also talk about how adoption and Landi females using the surname such as in the Doria Pamphlij Landi , for example add to the number of Haplogroups in recent Landi DNA results. Its pretty simple, The suname and the fathers (paternal) DNA haplogroup follow each other not the females, so after a number of adoptions of non blood related Landi and the use of the Landi surname by Landi females we end up today with 4 different haplogroups when testing modern Landi DNA samples. This was done from 2012-15. (US and Italy)
A bit more about Cardinal Francesco Landi. Education. Studied at the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles, Rome, 1703; and at La Sapienza University, Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in utroque iure, both canon and civil law, on February 10, 1733. Early life. Cardinal Renato Imperiali named him his ajutante de studio. Shortly after, Duke Francesco of Parma ordered him to go to Paris as his ambassador before the French court. He found favor in the duke of Orléans, regent of that kingdom, and became his counselor in important and delicate matters. He decided to go back to Rome and entered the prelature as referendary of the Supreme Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace and domestic prelate of His Holiness on March 26, 1733. Secretary of the S.C. for the Discipline of Regulars and consulter of the Supreme S.C. of the Roman and Universal Inquisition in 1736. Examiner of the prelates promoted to the episcopacy. Received the minor orders, August 20, 1741; the sub diaconate, August 27, 1741; and the diaconate, September 3, 1741.Priesthood. Ordained, September 8, 1741 (one of our foots in the church)