 |
|
| Busseto: the Noble and the Court |
|
|
Gerolamo
Pallavicino succeeded his father following his assassination
by the French in 1532. With his death in 1579, the last main
branch of the Pallavicino was extinguished.During the rule of
Gerolamo, Parma remained firmly under the control of the Pope,
but constantly underwent attacks from the Milanese state and
the Serenissima.
The geographical location of the state of Pallavicino, situated
between Parma, Piacenza and the Po, was strategic for the control
of Western Emilia, so that the politics of the Pallavicino represented
an essential factor in the diplomatic balance of the first half
of the sixteeenth century.
It was for precisely this reason that, in 1543 Gerolamo Pallavicino
hosted the famous encounter between the Emperor Carlo V and
Pope Paolo III Farnese at Busseto, during which the latter asked
for imperial authorisation to invest his son Pier Luigi with
the duchy of Parma and Piacenza. The Emperor was hosted at the
Villa Pallavicino, used as a "hunting lodge" and place
of open air entertainment, but also the seat of official celebrations
and short cerimonies.
|
|
|
|
|
