Sciarra Colonna

Sciarra (actually Giacomo ) Colonna († 1329 ) was a leading member of the influential Roman noble family of Colonna. Sciarra was a leader of the " Ghibelline " of Rome, the local branch of the more anti-papal and more loyal to the Emperor political "party " of Italy, their antagonists were the " Guelph ".

He became famous by the conflict with Pope Boniface VIII of the Colonna During the conflict he and other members of the Colonna family 's possessions were removed on May 23, 1297 and he had to submit with his relatives on October 15, 1298 the Pope. 1303 he was on the French King Philip IV, who had meanwhile his hand started a power struggle with Pope Boniface yard. In the same year the Pope of armed men under the leadership of the French Sciarras and Chancellor Guillaume de Nogaret was captured in Anagni, but soon freed it of citizens of the city. The Pope died a short time later, possibly as the result of a violent robbery.

The next pope, Benedict XI. Excommunicated Sciarra and put him on trial. However, Benedict's death came after a partisan of France, Clement V, on the Chair of Peter. The Colonna were reinstated in their rights.

As a Ghibelline Sciarra welcomed a little later the Italian campaign of the German Emperor Henry VII and stood on its side.

In the following years he played an important role in the politics of Rome: 1312 and 1313 he was a senator, 1327, he was elected Capitano del Popolo. He supported at this time the German Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria, which representatives of the Roman people in Rome - was crowned emperor - and not by the Pope. Among them was probably Sciarra. When the emperor left Rome, Sciarra had to flee the city, along with other Ghibellines in 1328 also. He died a short time later.