Luogotenente

The Italian word Luogotenente, plural luogotenenti, is an etymological parallel to lieutenant, deriving from the Latin locum tenens "holding a place", i.e. someone who fills a position in stead of another, as a substitute, deputy etcetera.

It has a few specific historical uses:

Military post

The knightly officer who is in daily command of the Grand Master's own regimental company, to which the famigliari (closest personal staff) belonged.

Civilian administrator

It was also the governor (elsewhere other titles, such as provveditore, were used) for the Venetian Republic on the island of Cyprus, which it bought from its last crusader king from the house of Lusignan, usually for a two year term, until the Turks overran it in 1570. Besides him the military command was entrusted to a capitano ('captain', de facto military governor), from 1480 to 1571 (when Famagusta, the last fortress, fell). Thereafter the island became a Sandjak (military province) of the Ottoman Empire (Kibris in Turkish), part of the Elayet (district) of Djeza'ir-i bahr-i (ruled from Rhodes island), governed by an Ottoman Muhassil (Lieutenant-governor; already appointed on paper, for the conquest, since 1690), since 1745 by a (higher rank, equally military) vali.

Compound and derived titles

File:Adldf1.jpg

Two Sicilies Kingdom Royal Almanac reporting Sicily civilian administration

In the Neapolitan Two Sicilies Kingdom there was a Luogotenente generale dei reali domini al di là del Faro meaning Liuetnenat-general of the royal domains beyond the Lighthouse, i.e. the Governor appointed by the King for Sicily (Statute of 11 December 1816).

1824 - 1840? Luigi Carlo Maria Guiseppe di Borbone, conte di Aquila.

1840 - 1848 LtGen. Luigi Nicola De Majo, duca de Santo Pietro

1848 - 1854 Gen. Carlo Filangieri, principe de Satriano, duca de Taormina

1854 - 1860 Paolo Ruffo, principe de Castelcicala

File:RD1944.jpg

Original Copy of the Royal Decree nomining Umberto I Luogotenente Generale del Regno

In the Piedmontese dyansty's Kingdom of Sardinia and later united Kingdom of Italy, when the King was away from his office for some reasons (i.e. to follow the war on battlefield) was usually appointed a Luogotenente Generale del Regno 'Lieutenant-general of the realm' (chosen from members of royal family) who carried some of the King duties as a Viceroy.

It happened on 25 May 1915 during WW I when King Vittorio Emanuele III, leaving Rome in order to reach the War Head Quarters in North Italy and to assume Supreme War Comand, appointed his uncle, Tomaso di Savoia Duca di Genova, 'Luogotenente Generale del Regno' with delegate powers for ordinary and urgent administration (excluding grave importance affairs).

At the end of WW II, the same King appointed his son, Umberto II, as 'Luogotenente Generale del Regno' under Allies and Italian pressure in the attempt to save the role of royal family, badly compromised with fascist regime.

References

• WorldStatesmen - here Cyprus