Earliest known origins of the surname Fumetti

I am a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies and I am in an ongoing process of a study on my maiden name, Von Fumetti.  As part of the project, I am looking at all instances of the surname to be found throughout recorded history as well as its dispersal throughout the world including population of the name in those areas as well as variant spellings. This includes a Y-DNA surname study in an effort to determine allied families and the earliest use of the surname.  My study can be found at https://one-name.org/ by entering the search word "Fumetti".

The earliest use of the surname in any variant I have yet found is FUMETI in the late 13th and early 14th century in Albi, France.

The only information provided is of this family unit:

 

Raymundis Fumeti

Born about 1245 of Albi, Department of Tarn, France

Died about 1286 or 1289.

Marriage: 1271 of Albi, Tarn France

Mrs. Raymundis Fumeti

Born about 1249 of Albi, Department of Tarn, France

Children:

1. Male:  Raymundis FUMETI

                born about 1272 of Albi, Department of Tarn, France

                died in prison in 1306 AD.

 

2. Male:  Berengarius FUMETI

                born about 1274 of Albi, Department of Tarn, France

                died in prison in 1306 AD.

 

3. Male:  Iacobus FUMETI

                born about 1276 of Albi, Department of Tarn, France

                died in prison in 1306 AD.

 

This information was recorded in the Latter-Day Saints Ancestral Family Tree in 1988 by Timothy M. Tinney but the original source of this information is not cited.  The Tarn, France Archives do not show that they have Civil, Catholic, or other religious documents for this time. As all 3 Fumeti sons died in prison it is possible that the records are not to be found in religious sacramental records but in some other form. 

Looking at the time frame during which this family lived and died in Albi there are multiple potential theories on why the three sons might have been imprisoned and died in 1306 other than common crimes against the state or church.

The first is discussed in an article from the The Connexion, French News and Views, "Secret history of France’s cities: Albi" by Julia Faiers published 25 September 2019.  Below is an excerpt from her article with a link to the entire piece.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/Mag/Explore-France/Secret-history-of-France-s-cities-Albi

Cathedral Basilica of Saint Cecilia, also known as Albi Cathedral

Visitors to the southern city of Albi wonder at the looming bulk of its medieval cathedral, standing tall above the river Tarn.

 

Constructed from rosy brick rather than the stone of Gothic cathedrals in the north, Albi’s cathedral looks more like a fortress than a church.

 

Instead of delicate spires reaching up to heaven, this cathedral sports massive semi-circular buttresses that resemble defensive towers.

 

The windows are high, to prevent people from climbing up.

 

The cathedral could be defended from its machicolations – holes in the walls for throwing out projectiles or pouring burning liquids onto attackers.

 

From the time of its construction, which began in 1282, there was only one main doorway.

 

But why would a church, supposedly open to all Christian believers, be built with defence in mind?

 

The simple answer is that this cathedral spells out in bricks and mortar the aftermath of the persecution of the Cathars in 13th-century Languedoc.

 

It was built as a fortress of faith, to keep believers in and heretics out.

 

For those unfamiliar with the Cathar heresy, the Cathar religion offered an alternative route to salvation, one which challenged the fundamental teachings of the Roman Church and denied its sacraments of baptism and marriage.

 

The Church’s response was to crush the heresy. Thousands were murdered during the Albigensian Crusade, which began with a massacre at Béziers on 22 July, 1209, and ended in 1229, though resistance continued at a Cathar stronghold, Montségur, until March 1244.

 

So why was Albi cathedral built like a fortress, when the Cathar heresy had been stamped out some 40 years before the first brick of the cathedral was laid?

 

Many historians agree that the heresy was not wiped out but went underground, where it spread as a secret society, holding nocturnal meetings to practice the outlawed faith.

 

The Church was aware of the ongoing threat to its power, and in response created the fearsome Inquisition.

 

The biggest prizes for inquisitors were the Cathar spiritual leaders, Les Parfaits, whose punishment was to be burned alive.

 

Those escaping death sentences were imprisoned for life in underground cells.

 

Evidence suggests such prisoners were kept in dungeons beneath part of the bishop’s palace, called la Berbie (pictured left), next door to Albi cathedral.

 

While the feared Inquisitor of Languedoc, bishop Bernard de Castanet of Albi, entertained his elite guests in luxury surroundings, below ground men were being tortured for deviating from official doctrine.

 

No visitor to the cathedral today would guess its cruel history.

 

Later in the 13th century, King Philip IV inherited power at the death of his father in 1268.   As King, he is known for solidifying France into a centralized power instead of a conglomoration of smaller feudal strongholds.  Among his many dictates, King Philip IV expelled the Jews from France in 1306 and in the following year purged the Knights Templar from France by arresting them for heresy with most being burned at the stake or imprisoned for life.  

Of unmistakable note, Raymundus, Berengarius and Iacobus Fumeti all died in prison during 1306.  It is unknown if Catharism, Judaism, or religion at all played a part in their incarceration and eventual death in the prison.  Their names are certainly immortalized in the Fumetti family as the first known to carry the surname.  Perhaps future findings will shed light on why they were imprisoned in Albi prior to their deaths.  

The red pin in the map below indicates the location of Albi, France.

The Fumetti surname is currently found in Italy, Corsica, Germany, Austria and the United States.

© Karla Von Fumetti Staudt

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