Malaspina

Malaspina is a historic Italian noble family from Lunigiana, in the northern Apennines of present-day Tuscany and Liguria. The family held feudal lordships in parts of medieval and early modern northern and central Italy, with seats in towns such as Fosdinovo and Mulazzo. Over the centuries, the Malaspinas developed several cadet branches, including lines commonly referred to as Spino Secco and Spino Fiorito, and played a notable role in regional politics, culture, and architecture.

A prominent contemporary figure associated with the name is Alessandro Malaspina (1754–1810), an Italian-born officer in the Spanish Navy who led the Malaspina Expedition (1789–1794) aboard the vessels Descubierta and Atrevida. Commissioned by the Spanish Crown, the voyage explored vast areas of the Pacific and the western Americas, including Alaska and the Philippines, and yielded extensive scientific and geographic observations. Although the expedition’s results were delayed and partially unpublished for decades, the journey contributed to 18th‑century cartography and natural history.

In other contexts, the name Malaspina appears in geography and education. The Malaspina Glacier in Alaska is named for the expedition’s leader, Alessandro Malaspina. In Canada, Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo, British Columbia, operated from 1969 until its 2008 renaming to Vancouver Island University.

Today, Malaspina persists as a surname with historical significance in Italian noble history, exploration, and regional heritage, and it continues to appear in place names and institutions connected to those legacies.