other · Italy

Lordship of Rimini

1295 CE – 1500 CE · capital Rimini

The Malatesta lordship of Rimini, home of Sigismondo Malatesta's Tempio Malatestiano and of the tragedy of Paolo and Francesca.

Origins

Malatesta da Verucchio, leader of the Guelphs of Rimini, drove out the Ghibelline Parcitadi family in 1295 and made himself lord of the city. His heirs ruled Rimini as papal vicars and spread through Romagna and the Marche.

Rule and society

The Malatesta were warlords and condottieri who governed Rimini, Cesena, Fano and other towns. Malatesta's son Gianciotto killed his wife Francesca da Polenta and his brother Paolo, a story Dante told in the Inferno. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, a brilliant and ruthless captain, had Leon Battista Alberti remodel the church of San Francesco as the Tempio Malatestiano. Pope Pius II publicly condemned Sigismondo in 1462 and took most of his lands.

Decline and legacy

In 1500 Cesare Borgia drove out Pandolfo IV Malatesta. Venice held Rimini from 1503 to 1509, after which it passed to direct papal rule in the Papal States.

Connections (2)

  • Lordship of Rimini was a vassal of Papal States1295 CE – 1500 CE
  • Lordship of Rimini was conquered by Papal States1500 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Rimini. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rimini
MLA
“Lordship of Rimini.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rimini. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Rimini.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rimini.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Rimini’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-rimini (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻