The roots of the Barbiano di Belgiojoso d'Este family are very ancient, and as is often the case, they are intertwined with legend. Sometimes, the family is said to be descended from the knight Vestro, a traitor to Julius Caesar, but the more famous connection is with the imaginary noble Lombard, Everardo, son of King Desiderius and Count of Cunio, as well as of Lugo and Barbiano (later a recognized fief), which were indeed their properties. This places the family within the framework of a long-standing tradition, not just of Lombard origin: a family "...of those that displayed a prodigious persistence in a belligerent ideal, something not found in other ancient Milanese houses" (F. CALVI, Storia e genealogia..., Tav. I). Other heroic and fantastical genealogical figures were reportedly part of the Cunio lineage.

Historically, it is unclear when the counts started possessing other fiefs such as Zagonara, Bagnacavallo, Donigallia, Fusignano, and Castel Bolognese, alongside those previously mentioned. The historical records of the family become more reliable starting from the 12th century, when the Cunio family opposed Faenza and the Lombard League. Some key figures, such as the condottieri Rainiero and Guido di Cunio, are clearly identified. The Cunio even receive an unfortunate mention in Dante's Purgatorio, Canto XIV, where they are grouped among the "Romagnuoli turned bastards":

"Ben fa Bagnacaval, che non rifiglia;
e mal fa Castrocaro, e peggio Conio
che di figliar tai conti più s'impiglia."

From the early 14th century, the Cunio settled in Barbiano, where a new fortress was built, later destroyed in 1409. It was there that around 1348 Alberico da Barbiano, known as "the Great," was born and celebrated for centuries as the true progenitor of the family. He served the Visconti family in 1372 and brought great fortune to the Barbiano family, which, after his death, was awarded the title of Count of Belgioioso, establishing the family in Lombardy and reaching its peak. Alberico the Great was an intrepid condottiero and skilled commander, noted for several brilliant innovations in the art of warfare. His son, born of Beatrice da Polenta of the Ravenna lords, inherited the fief of Belgioioso in 1431. Only after the Battle of Fornovo in 1495 could the family officially take the name Belgiojoso, concluding the long transition from Cunio to Barbiano di Belgiojoso.

In the 16th century, the family’s fortunes were greatly enhanced by the marriage of Lodovico IV Barbiano di Belgiojoso to Barbara Trivulzio, a descendant of the renowned Gian Giacomo Trivulzio. This union brought significant wealth to the Belgiojoso family. The children of Lodovico included Alberico V, the progenitor of the princely line of Belgioioso d'Este, and Galeotto (died in 1626), the founder of the comital line.

In the 18th century, with the arrival of Antonio Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1639–1799), the family entered a new phase. Antonio was a close adviser to the Emperor and was knighted with the Golden Fleece in 1763. On August 5, 1769, he was granted the title of Prince of the Holy Roman Empire and of Belgioioso, with the right to mint coinage. This event resulted in rare gold zecchini and silver scudi bearing his profile. Antonio and his descendants, including his sons Ludovico and Alberico, were patrons of the arts and enriched the family’s collections and palaces. Through the marriage of Alberico XII (1725–1813) to Anna Ricciarda d'Este (1735–1777), the family became connected to the ducal house of Modena and adopted the surname d'Este for future generations.

Bibliography:
F. CALVI, Storia e genealogia delle famiglie Barbiano e Belgiojoso, in Famiglie notabili milanesi. Cenni storici e genealogici raccolti da F. BAGATTI-VALSECCHI, F. CALVI, L.A. CASATI, D. MUONI, L. PULLÉ, Milano 1875, I.
G. PITTONIO, Famigli nobili di Milano raccolte e manoscritte nella prima metà del XVIII secolo, Rapallo 1993, I.
V. SPRETI, Enciclopedia storico-nobiliare italiana, Milano 1932.
D.E. ZANETTI, La demografia del patriziato milanese nei secoli XVII, XVIII, XIX, Pavia 1972.

Documentary Archive:

The Archivio Primogeniale Barbiano di Belgioioso is a documentary collection that spans from the 13th to the 19th century, consisting of approximately 800 archival units (parcels, folders, registers, letter books, notebooks, etc.), divided into three main sections:

• Eredità principe Alberico (473 folders),
• Eredità conte Ludovico (199 folders),
• Eredità principessa Anna Ricciarda d'Este (92 folders).

This division corresponds to the inheritance rules established by the 1831 division instrument signed by Giuseppe Grancini. Although there are no recent cataloging tools, the collection is in good conservation and organizational condition. In the 1940s and 1950s, the files related to Carlo Rinaldo’s inheritance were extracted and relocated within the archive. In 1941, Annibale Brivio Sforza and Donna Marianna Brivio of the Trivulzio Princes donated the political-diplomatic-military correspondence of Count Lieutenant Marshal Lodovico Barbiano di Belgioioso (1750–1789) to the State Archives of Milan, which today is unfortunately dispersed.