The Cenci

The Cenci were a Roman family celebrated for their crimes and misfortunes as well as their wealth. Francesco Cenci (1549-1598) was twice married, had had twelve children by his first wife, whom he treated cruelly. After his second marriage in 1595 he cruelly treated the children of his first wife, but conceived a criminal passion for the youngest of them, a beautiful girl named Beatrice, whom he outraged, upon which, being unable to bring him to justice, she, along with her stepmother and a brother, hired two assassins to murder him. The crime was found out, and all three were beheaded in 1599. This is the story on which Shelley founded his tragedy, but it is now discredited.

Nearby pages
The Chalukyas of Badami, The Champs-de-mars Federation, The Chandravanka, The Choice of Hercules, The Chola Empire