John II, Marquess of Montferrat
Encyclopedia
John II Palaeologus was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1338.
He was the son of Theodore I of Montferrat, with whom he was associated in the government from 1336. He had great fortune in extending the boundaries of the margraviate against his neighbours. With the help of his cousin Otto of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, John turned against the Angevins
of Naples, who had large possessions in Piedmont
and Savoy
. On 9 October 1338, he was named governor of Asti
. On 22 April 1345, at the Battle of Gamenario
, he defeated the Angevine vicar Reforza d'Angoult. With the tacit support of Luchino Visconti, John occupied Alba
, Bra, Valenza
, and, in 1348, Cuneo
. His power grew in 1355 when he accompanied the Emperor Charles IV
through Italy. At that time he received the cities of Cherasco
, Novara
, and Pavia
.
By a marriage to the last titular Queen of Majorca, Isabella
, he lost the support of the emperor and had to fend off attacks from imperial and Visconti
troops. This conflict concluded with restitution of territory around Pavia occupied by John to the Visconti in exchange for Visconti possessions in the area of Asti. John lost many vassals to the Visconti. In his will of 1372, John left the tutelage of his children to Otto of Brunswick and Amadeus VI of Savoy. He had four sons, three of whom succeeded him in turn, and a daughter with his wife Isabella (Secondotto, John, Theodore, Margaret and William). John died at Volpiano
near Turin soon after composing his testament and was buried at Chivasso
.
He was the son of Theodore I of Montferrat, with whom he was associated in the government from 1336. He had great fortune in extending the boundaries of the margraviate against his neighbours. With the help of his cousin Otto of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, John turned against the Angevins
Capetian House of Anjou
The Capetian House of Anjou, also known as the House of Anjou-Sicily and House of Anjou-Naples, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct House of Capet. Founded by Charles I of Sicily, a son of Louis VIII of France, the Capetian king first ruled the Kingdom of Sicily during the 13th century...
of Naples, who had large possessions in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
and Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. On 9 October 1338, he was named governor of Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
. On 22 April 1345, at the Battle of Gamenario
Battle of Gamenario
The Battle of Gamenario, fought on 22 April 1345, was a decisive battle of the wars between the Guelphs and Ghibellines...
, he defeated the Angevine vicar Reforza d'Angoult. With the tacit support of Luchino Visconti, John occupied Alba
Alba
Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is cognate to Alba in Irish and Nalbin in Manx, the two other Goidelic Insular Celtic languages, as well as similar words in the Brythonic Insular Celtic languages of Cornish and Welsh also meaning Scotland.- Etymology :The term first appears in...
, Bra, Valenza
Valenza
Valenza is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km east of Turin and about 11 km north of Alessandria.-History:...
, and, in 1348, Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
. His power grew in 1355 when he accompanied the Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
through Italy. At that time he received the cities of Cherasco
Cherasco
Cherasco is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km southeast of Turin and about 40 km northeast of Cuneo...
, Novara
Novara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
, and Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
.
By a marriage to the last titular Queen of Majorca, Isabella
Isabel of Majorca
Isabella of Majorca was the last titular Queen of Majorca and Countess of Roussillon and Cerdanya from 1375 to her death.-Family:...
, he lost the support of the emperor and had to fend off attacks from imperial and Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...
troops. This conflict concluded with restitution of territory around Pavia occupied by John to the Visconti in exchange for Visconti possessions in the area of Asti. John lost many vassals to the Visconti. In his will of 1372, John left the tutelage of his children to Otto of Brunswick and Amadeus VI of Savoy. He had four sons, three of whom succeeded him in turn, and a daughter with his wife Isabella (Secondotto, John, Theodore, Margaret and William). John died at Volpiano
Volpiano
Volpiano is a comune in the Province of Turin, in the Italian region Piedmont.The city is located about 15 km north-east of Turin....
near Turin soon after composing his testament and was buried at Chivasso
Chivasso
Chivasso is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 25,000...
.