marianna martines's paternal grandfather was a spanish soldier who had settled in naples. her father, nicolo martines, grew up there and for a time pursued a career as a soldier. he later changed careers, serving in vienna as maestro di camera (major-domo) at the papal nuncio; that is, the pope's embassy to the austrian empire. for service to the empire, marianna's brothers in 1774 acquired a patent of nobility, hence the "von" in the family surname.