Bartolomeo d’Aquino

Bartolomeo d’Aquino (1609-1658) was born in Naples from one of the oldest noble families of southern Italy. During the reign of Philip IV he emerged as the most prominent banker, contractor and tax collector of the kingdom of Naples. His financial transactions with the Crown began in 1636, in the midst of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) and on the eve of the riots which, in the forties, would upset the Spanish Monarchy. From 1636 to 1644 d’Aquino guaranteed substantial loans to the Crown of Madrid (asientos) for a total of more than 17 million ducats, being compensated primarily through annual pensions of the state, created with the transfer of unsold revenue, and with the imposition of new taxes. In addition, in 1640 he accumulated a large land holdings in various peripheral regions of the kingdom of Naples, becoming in 1644 the Prince of Caramanico. The great power and enormous enrichment of d’Aquino, however, turned him into one of the targets of popular protest of 1647-1648 and in general he was identified as one of the main culprits responsible for the oppressive economic crisis of the kingdom of Naples. Already arrested in 1644, he saw his house burned by rioters in August 1647 and was forced several times to change residence for safety reasons and had part of his vast property seized. The trial on account of his debts and alleged abuses continued well beyond his death, which occurred February 23, 1658.

Read more :

• A. Musi, Finanze e politica nella Napoli del ‘600: Bartolomeo d’Aquino, Napoli 1976.
• R. Villari, Un sogno di libertà. Napoli nel declino di un impero, 1585-1648, Milano 2012.