 Many members of the family were distinguished as "condottieri", diplomats and ecclesiastics.Alberto Pio obtained from the house of Savoy in 1450 the privilege of adding "di Savoia" to his name as a reward for his military services.Another Alberto Pio (1475–1531), who was French ambassador in Rome, won fame as a man of learning, and Cardinal Rodolfo Pio (1516–1564) was a trusted adviser to Pius III and helped to establish the Inquisition at Milan.