William VII, Marquess of Montferrat
Encyclopedia
William VII called the Great , was the twelfth Margrave of Montferrat from 1253 to his death. He was also the titular King of Thessalonica.
, in 1258. William's mother was a first cousin of Eleanor of Provence
, queen consort of England, and it was through the latter's influence that the marriage was arranged.
, as many of his predecessors had tried. The lords of Montferrat had always been combatting the independence of the communes of Alessandria
and Asti
. In order to subdue them and bring them under his control, William sought alliance and support from the Kingdom of France
and the Roman Catholic Church
. However, his relationship and proximity to the Holy Roman Emperor
left him at odds with the Ghibellines. His anti-imperial, pro-French, Guelph
policy left him not insignificant problems concerning the imperial authority and his imperialist neighbours.
His taking part with Guelph politics and cohorting with Charles I of Sicily
in a Lombard
invasion, brought upon him the wrath of Oberto Pelavicino
, the chief Ghibelline commander in the region, in 1264. William resisted him with determination and effectiveness. William even occupied the fortresses of Acqui Terme
, Tortona
, and Novi Ligure
, stabilising his hold on Nizza Monferrato
. In 1265, French reinforcements arrived. Less than eight years from his accession, William had extended his power to Lanzo
and the vicinity of Alessandria.
, the lords of Montferrat had never been known for loyalty to a cause or party and William was no different, abandoning Charles soon after his success, probably fearful of Charles' rising power in Italy and of being encircled by an Angevin state.
William found an ally in Alfonso X of Castile
, who had declared himself the heir of Manfred of Sicily
and therefore of the Emperor Frederick II
. He joined Alfonso at the head of an anti-Angevin coalition. In order to cement an alliance with the Spanish king, the margrave (widow since 1270) married Beatrice
, Alfonso's daughter, at Murcia
in 1271. A future marriage between William's only daughter by his first marriage with Isabella de Clare, Margaret, and the infante John of Valencia was also planned.
From Alfonso, William received the promise of military aid in the case of an Angevin attack. Alfonso named his son-in-law as vicar-general of Lombardy, in opposition to Charles' vicar. This last attacked William's lands and despite the promises, he received no aid from Alfonso.
, Asti
, and Genoa
. He continued to wait for aid from Alfonso, but the king had given up on Germany and Italy. Nevertheless, a small troupe of Spanish soldiers found their way to Montferrat. With these and his allies, despite the excommunication of Pope Gregory X
, William prepared to defend his territories. On 10 November 1274, at the Battle of Roccavione
, William and the Ghibellines definitively defeated Charles I and routed his forces. He advanced far, taking Trino Vercellese and Turin
, which offended the House of Savoy
, which considered itself the rightful possessor of the city on the Po.
Towards 1278, the commune of Vercelli
recognised William as its lord and Alessandria named him captain and put itself under his dominion. Casale
and Tortona also nominated him their captain and William exited the war in a superior position to that with which he had begun.
, Novara
, Brescia
, Cremona
, and Lodi, he was also elected head of the anti-Angevin coalition. At the height of his career, Ottone Visconti requested William to fight the Torriani. On 5 August 1278, he was named captain of Milan
and given an annual salary of 10,000 lire
. Soon defeated, however, he was forced to leave the city for Montferrat.
Milan, however, was left bereft of military leadership and Ottone Visconti soon requested William's aid again. He was invited back to the city and accepted, demanding the lordship of Milan for ten years.
William did not long enjoy his time in Milan, for his authority was soon challenged in Alessandria and Asti. He left Milan in the hands of a vicar and went to fight the rebellious cities. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy swift victory, but was instead captured by Thomas III of Savoy, whom he had made his enemy in taking Turin. In order to obtain his liberty, he ceded Turin, as well as Grugliasco
and Collegno
, and a huge sum of gold. He was freed on 21 June 1280. From that moment, power in the Piedmont would slowly devolve to the Savoyards.
Weakened by continuous warfare, William soon lost control of Milan. On 27 December 1281, he was chased from the city by the one who had brought him there, Ottone Visconti.
refers to the misery caused in Monferrato and the Canavese by the war with Alessandria which followed:
for his safety, John stayed there a year.
William's body was given back to his family and was buried in the Cistercian abbey of Santa Maria di Lucedio, alongside his father. His obituary remembers him as fundator huius monasterii: "founder of this monastery." In fact, he was just a member of the founding family and an endower. The real founder was Renier
.
, the centre of margravial power, the veritable capital and seat of the marca Aleramica, was but an unimportant provincial town at the time. Never again would the Aleramici succeed in establishing their authority over the Piedmont.
The war with Charles of Sicily, the other chief objective, after Piedmont, of William's rule, was essential to the defence of his domain. The victory at Roccavione did not, however, sustain his power in the Piedmont.
Despite these political and military failures, William's liberality was praised by his contemporaries. He ran a government without oppression or corruption attaching to his name. According to Dante Alighieri
(Convivio; IV, XI 12):
Youth
William was the eldest son of Boniface II and Margaret of Savoy. He was named his father's heir in a testament of 1253, the year of his father's passing and his succession. He remained under his mother's regency until 1257. Upon attaining his majority, he married Isabella, daughter Richard de ClareRichard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford
Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester was son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal. On his father's death, when he became Earl of Gloucester , he was entrusted first to the guardianship of Hubert de Burgh. On Hubert's fall, his guardianship was...
, in 1258. William's mother was a first cousin of Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Henry III of England from 1236 until his death in 1272....
, queen consort of England, and it was through the latter's influence that the marriage was arranged.
Piedmontese politics
In his first years, William looked to exert his power in the southern PiedmontPiedmont
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...
, as many of his predecessors had tried. The lords of Montferrat had always been combatting the independence of the communes of Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
and 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...
. In order to subdue them and bring them under his control, William sought alliance and support from the Kingdom of France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
and the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. However, his relationship and proximity to the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
left him at odds with the Ghibellines. His anti-imperial, pro-French, Guelph
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
policy left him not insignificant problems concerning the imperial authority and his imperialist neighbours.
His taking part with Guelph politics and cohorting with Charles I of Sicily
Charles I of Sicily
Charles I , known also as Charles of Anjou, was the King of Sicily by conquest from 1266, though he had received it as a papal grant in 1262 and was expelled from the island in the aftermath of the Sicilian Vespers of 1282...
in a Lombard
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
invasion, brought upon him the wrath of Oberto Pelavicino
Oberto Pelavicino
Oberto Pelavicino or Pallavicino was an Italian field captain under Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. He was a member of the noble Pallavicini family....
, the chief Ghibelline commander in the region, in 1264. William resisted him with determination and effectiveness. William even occupied the fortresses of Acqui Terme
Acqui Terme
Acqui Terme is a city and comune of Piedmont, northern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is c. 35 km SSW of Alessandria...
, Tortona
Tortona
Tortona is a comune of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.-History:...
, and Novi Ligure
Novi Ligure
Novi Ligure is a town and comune north of Genoa, in the Piedmont region of the province of Alessandria of northwest Italy.The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both road and railroad....
, stabilising his hold on Nizza Monferrato
Nizza Monferrato
Nizza Monferrato is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 60 km southeast of Turin and about 20 km southeast of Asti....
. In 1265, French reinforcements arrived. Less than eight years from his accession, William had extended his power to Lanzo
Lanzo Torinese
Lanzo Torinese is a comune in the Province of Turin, region of Piedmont, northwestern Italy. It is located about 30 km northwest of Turin at the mouth of the Valli di Lanzo.-History:...
and the vicinity of Alessandria.
Support for Alfonso X
Though aided immensely by the AngevinsCapetian 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...
, the lords of Montferrat had never been known for loyalty to a cause or party and William was no different, abandoning Charles soon after his success, probably fearful of Charles' rising power in Italy and of being encircled by an Angevin state.
William found an ally in Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
, who had declared himself the heir of Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
and therefore of the Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
. He joined Alfonso at the head of an anti-Angevin coalition. In order to cement an alliance with the Spanish king, the margrave (widow since 1270) married Beatrice
Beatrice of Castile, Marchioness of Montferrat
Beatrice of Castile was a daughter of Alfonso X of Castile and his wife Violant of Aragon. She was Marchioness of Montferrat by her marriage and was mother of Irene of Montferrat.- Family :...
, Alfonso's daughter, at Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
in 1271. A future marriage between William's only daughter by his first marriage with Isabella de Clare, Margaret, and the infante John of Valencia was also planned.
From Alfonso, William received the promise of military aid in the case of an Angevin attack. Alfonso named his son-in-law as vicar-general of Lombardy, in opposition to Charles' vicar. This last attacked William's lands and despite the promises, he received no aid from Alfonso.
Victory
Left alone and seeing his domains under attack by his enemies and Tortona and Acqui lost, William scrambled to form an alliance with the Ghibelline cities of PaviaPavia
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...
, 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...
, and Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. He continued to wait for aid from Alfonso, but the king had given up on Germany and Italy. Nevertheless, a small troupe of Spanish soldiers found their way to Montferrat. With these and his allies, despite the excommunication of Pope Gregory X
Pope Gregory X
Pope Blessed Gregory X , born Tebaldo Visconti, was Pope from 1271 to 1276. He was elected by the papal election, 1268–1271, the longest papal election in the history of the Roman Catholic Church....
, William prepared to defend his territories. On 10 November 1274, at the Battle of Roccavione
Battle of Roccavione
The Battle of Roccavione was the last battle of the invasion of the territory of Asti by the Angevine troops from the Kingdom of Naples. Charles I of Naples was defeated, and his entire invasion failed...
, William and the Ghibellines definitively defeated Charles I and routed his forces. He advanced far, taking Trino Vercellese and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, which offended the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
, which considered itself the rightful possessor of the city on the Po.
Towards 1278, the commune of Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli is a city and comune of about 47,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around the year 600 BC.The city is situated on the river Sesia in the plain of the river...
recognised William as its lord and Alessandria named him captain and put itself under his dominion. Casale
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato, population 36,058, is a town and comune in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, part of the province of Alessandria. It is situated about 60 km east of Turin on the right bank of the Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montferrato hills. Beyond the river lies the...
and Tortona also nominated him their captain and William exited the war in a superior position to that with which he had begun.
Captain of Milan
Having become the military leader of various Lombard cities, including Pavia, Vercelli, Alessandria, Tortona, Genoa, Turin, Asti, AlbaAlba
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...
, 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...
, Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
, and Lodi, he was also elected head of the anti-Angevin coalition. At the height of his career, Ottone Visconti requested William to fight the Torriani. On 5 August 1278, he was named captain of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and given an annual salary of 10,000 lire
Lire
Lire is a French literary magazine covering both French and foreign literature. It was founded in 1975 by Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber and Bernard Pivot.-External links:*...
. Soon defeated, however, he was forced to leave the city for Montferrat.
Milan, however, was left bereft of military leadership and Ottone Visconti soon requested William's aid again. He was invited back to the city and accepted, demanding the lordship of Milan for ten years.
William did not long enjoy his time in Milan, for his authority was soon challenged in Alessandria and Asti. He left Milan in the hands of a vicar and went to fight the rebellious cities. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy swift victory, but was instead captured by Thomas III of Savoy, whom he had made his enemy in taking Turin. In order to obtain his liberty, he ceded Turin, as well as Grugliasco
Grugliasco
Grugliasco is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 9 km west of Turin.Grugliasco borders the following municipalities: Turin, Collegno, and Rivoli.-External links:*...
and Collegno
Collegno
Collegno is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 9 km west of Turin.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Collegno is twinned with the following cities:-External links:*...
, and a huge sum of gold. He was freed on 21 June 1280. From that moment, power in the Piedmont would slowly devolve to the Savoyards.
Weakened by continuous warfare, William soon lost control of Milan. On 27 December 1281, he was chased from the city by the one who had brought him there, Ottone Visconti.
Final war
In compensation for the loss of Milan, William received Alba. His daughter by Beatrice of Castile, Violante (Yolanda), married the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II Palaeologus, taking the name Irene (Eirene). Through this marriage, his political situation appeared stabilised. But William was soon campaigning again. He saw a continuous flow of alternating defeats and victories. Having reduced Alessandria to submission, the citizens of Asti paid the Alessandrians a large sum of money and induced them to revolt against the margrave again. Constrained to deal with Alessandria once and for all, William encamped with a large army in front of the city walls. Heeding the appeals of the citizens, he enterred the city to negotiate a peace, but was imprisoned in an iron cage and died a year later, probably of hunger, certainly still a captive. DanteDante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
refers to the misery caused in Monferrato and the Canavese by the war with Alessandria which followed:
| “ | poem style="font-style:italic;"> …Quel che più basso tra costor s’atterra, guardando in suso, è Guiglielmo marchese, per cui e Alessandria e la sua guerra fa pianger Monferrato e Canavese. — Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio |
He who the lowest on the ground among them Sits looking upward, is the Marquis William, For whose sake Alessandria and her war Make Monferrat and Canavese weep. — Translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |
” |
Succession
William left a son, John, who inherited the margraviate. The margraviate he inherited was divided by years of constant war and few communes remained faithful. Sent to SaluzzoSaluzzo
Saluzzo is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont region, Italy.The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc...
for his safety, John stayed there a year.
William's body was given back to his family and was buried in the Cistercian abbey of Santa Maria di Lucedio, alongside his father. His obituary remembers him as fundator huius monasterii: "founder of this monastery." In fact, he was just a member of the founding family and an endower. The real founder was Renier
Renier of Montferrat
Renier of Montferrat was the fifth son of William V of Montferrat and Judith of Babenberg...
.
Legacy
The margraviate of Montferrat was torn to pieces by the incessant expansionistic wars of William VII's reign. ChivassoChivasso
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...
, the centre of margravial power, the veritable capital and seat of the marca Aleramica, was but an unimportant provincial town at the time. Never again would the Aleramici succeed in establishing their authority over the Piedmont.
The war with Charles of Sicily, the other chief objective, after Piedmont, of William's rule, was essential to the defence of his domain. The victory at Roccavione did not, however, sustain his power in the Piedmont.
Despite these political and military failures, William's liberality was praised by his contemporaries. He ran a government without oppression or corruption attaching to his name. According to Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
(Convivio; IV, XI 12):