Pallavicini family

The Pallavicini (plural, often used in the singular Pallavicino for individual members) are an Italian noble family whose name dates back to the 11th century. The first known representative of this name was Oberto il Pelavicino († 1148), a descendant of the frankish house of Obertenghi from the early Middle Ages. The Obertenghi had been Margraves of Eastern Liguria since 951 and from around 1000 also Margraves of Milan, Tortona, and Genoa.

The family split into two main branches, one based in Lombardy and the other in Genoa, both of which developed extensive sub-branches. In 1360, the family was granted the title of Margrave (Marchese). The Lombard branch expanded its ancestral holdings in the 13th century and established its own state, the Stato Pallavicino, in the Emilia region between Cremona, Parma, and Piacenza. This state was annexed by the Duchy of Parma in 1587. The Genoese branch was part of the patrician class of the Republic of Genoa. Some branches from both main lines still exist today, including one from the Genoese line that settled in Austria-Hungary in the 18th century.