Just a thought arising from recent Blogs – if the Sforza’s chose to change their name to use their nickname – Sforza = strength – and fortify it with an image of an eagle and a man being devoured by a dragon on their Coat of Arms – as shown below – how many other families have such a fearsome name to live up to?
I wonder whether at some point in time Walter Savage Landor’s family had chosen their name to fit their persona – certainly browsing through the book about Janet Ross I have just bought at the BM Bookshop here in Florence – he certainly seems to have created a fierce impression wherever he went !
The book “Queen Bee of Tuscany” – is subtitled “The Redoubtable Janet Ross” fell open at a description of Savage Landor as a “titanic personality brimming with impulsiveness and rage” – to add to my previous description He locked horns with nearly everyone , was expelled from both Rugby and Oxford and had “a mania for defenestration” – constantly hurling things out of windows – including on one occasion his Florentine cook….!
I must read more – this is fascinating stuff…..!
