Casamassima - Timeline of The Town's History

Timeline of The Town's History

• 962 AD — The first document ever mentioning the town (probably founded under Longobard occupation, centuries earlier).
• 1195 — Township was granted to the Massimi family from Rome who in turn built a village and populated it with inhabitants from the ancient hamlet of Tominia (Tomegna) and Ancient Casal (Casaldin’), following the destruction of those cities. With the acquisition of the town, the Massimi family was obligated to change their name to Casamassima.
• 1254 — Casamassima was returned to the rightful owners by the emperor Corrado IV.
• 1348 — The Italian town was sacked by Hungarian troops under the command of Filippo of Sulz.
• 1348 — That same year Casamassima was made part of the Principality of Taranto.
• 1455 — The marriage of Caterina Orsini del Balzo, daughter of the Orsini prince of Taranto, to Antionio Acquaviva, son of Duke Giovanni of Atria, took place. This alliance created centuries of ownership trading of the township.
• 1609 — After all the ownership changes ceased the town was acquired by a Portuguese adventurer, Michael Vaaz, Count of Mola, who was responsible for the construction and erection of Hamlet St. Michele. Vaaz did eventually sell out to the De Ponte family of Naples who were allied with Nicola Caracciolo di Vietri of Potenza (they in turn kept it until the abolition of feudalism, by Giuseppe Bonaparte, in the beginning of the 19th century).
• 1619 — Erection of ‘Castle St. Michele’ on the pre-existing foundations of the ‘Castle of Gerolamo Centurione’.