Montefeltro [key], Italian noble family. Its members were noted patrons of art and traditionally opposed the papacy in the struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines. The county of Montefeltro (created c.1154) included parts of Romagna, the Marches, and San Marino. Oddantonio Montefeltro (d. 1444) was the first Montefeltro duke of Urbino. His successor, Federico da Montefeltro, 1422–82, was prominent in Italian politics and gathered an outstanding art collection. His portrait (Uffizi Gall.) was painted by Piero della Francesca. Federico's son, Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, 1472–1508, lost and regained (1502–3) the duchy from Cesare Borgia. Guidobaldo's court was a center of Renaissance culture, and he provided the model for The Courtier of Baldassare Castiglione.
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