Military careers and economic power. The patriciate of the Etna area in the modern age.

The strength and the stamina revealed by the Sicilian aristoc-racy in the modern age passed necessarily through the conquest of political, economic and social power. Through prudent mat-rimonial strategies, suitable dynastic selections and solid links with the central power, the nobility of the island succeeded in holding a strong influence for a long time. In this context, mili-tary conflicts undeniably played a further and decisive role in allowing the nobility of the island to increase its power, through the acquisition of positions, privileges and feuds. This paper aims to trace the strategies, the military capabilities, the most significant careers of several members of the aristocracy of Catania in the modern age. This, in order to detect how the par-ticipation in conflicts influenced the construction and the con-solidation of the rich assets of the baronial class of Catania.