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19-664: Their name derived from count Aleramo , proclaimed first Marquis of Central Liguria by emperor Otto the Great in 966 . The Aleramici were divided in two main lines: the Marquises of Savona or D el Vasto , and the Marquises of Monferrato . In the 14th century the line of Monferrato ended in Irene of Montferrat , Empress of Constantinople , whilst the line of Savona carried on in multiple descending branches. The oldest known member of

38-779: The Langhe and from the Tanaro , the Orba and the Ligurian Sea . The new grants had been favoured by Adelaide of Burgundy , wife of Otto I from 951 and previous wife of Lothair II , and also daughter of Rudolph II of Burgundy . When Italy came under the direct control of the Holy Roman Empire in 962, Aleramo's titles were confirmed by the Emperor Otto I . Aleramo had three sons from his first wife, one Adelaide: He

57-634: The Marquises of Savona , or del Vasto , descendants of the eldest son Anselmo , and the Marquises of Monferrato , descendants of the youngest son Otto . Despite their constant territorial division between the multiple male descendants, the Aleramici managed to maintain control over an important part of the Piedmont and the Eastern flank of the Ligurian Bay , forming powerful alliances throughout

76-514: The Republic of Genoa between the 12th and 14th centuries. Only the Marquises of Finale and the Marquises of Saluzzo continued to rule over part of the original Aleramician domains until the 16th century. Aleramo (958–991) I Marquis of Central Liguria married 1. Adelaide 2. Gerberga of Ivrea (daughter of Berengar II of Italy cBerengar II , king of Lombardy) Aleramo, Marquis of Montferrat Aleram ( Italian : Aleramo ; died 991)

95-502: The 12th century. The first member of the family to use the title of Marquis of Finale (a village which the family had fortified since around 1193) was Enrico's son, Enrico II Del Carretto. The name "Del Carretto" derived from a small castle on the Bormida river. Enrico I, Enrico II and his son Giacomo were Ghibellines (pro-imperial): Giacomo married an illegitimate daughter of Frederick II , Caterina da Marano. After his death in 1265,

114-696: The 14th century the Marquisate of Monferrato passed to Theodore I Paleologus , son of Empress Irene , last of the Aleramici of Monferrato. Despite the extinction of their cadet branch, the Aleramici survived the Middle Ages through the multiple descending branches of the Marquises of Savona , including the Marquises of Saluzzo (from 1135 to 1548), Finale (ruled by the Aleramici del Carreto from 1135 to 1602), Ceva , Busca , Clavesana , Loreto, Bosco , Belforte, Ussecio, Pareto , Varazze , Ponzone , amongst others, whose domains were mostly absorbed by

133-523: The Ligurian coast from Cogoleto and Finale Ligure up to the Bormida valley, nearly reaching Acqui . Enrico later also acquired Cortemilia and Novello ; the family also boasted rights on the diocese of Albenga and the former marquisate of Clavesana. His control over his lands was however rather nominal, due to the increasing autonomy of cities such as Savona, Noli , Alba and Alessandria from

152-501: The March of Savona) and later Del Carretto, when Savona became a free commune . In 1598 the marquisate was sold by its last marquis, Sforza Andrea to Philip II of Spain and in 1713 it was finally ceded to the Republic of Genoa , where it remained so until 1797, when it was invaded by Napoleon , ceasing its existence. The marquisate of Finale originated from the territories donated in 967 to Aleramo of Montferrat by Emperor Otto I and

171-465: The complete submission of the marquisate to Genoa. In 1450, however, Giovanni I del Carretto was able to reconquer his capital. Finale remained independent in the 16th century, in which it was a loyal ally of admiral Andrea Doria . Genoa invaded its lands again in 1558, taking advantage of the protests of part of the population due to the economic difficulties caused by the Franco-Spanish war and

190-587: The expansion of the Republic of Genoa . In 1385 Genoa obtained the feudal submission of half of the marquisate's lands. In the 15th century the marquesses remained substantially autonomous, thanks to the support of the Visconti and later the Sforza of Milan . During the Ambrosian Republic , Genoa attacked Finale in a war which lasted from 1447 to 1448, and which ended with the fire of Finalborgo and

209-550: The family's lands were divided between his three sons. One of them, that of Finale, remained independent for three centuries, before it was absorbed by the Kingdom of Spain in 1602. The other two were Millesimo , whose lords later submitted to the Marquisate of Montferrat , and that of Novello, Piedmont . Although their sovereignty had obtained imperial approval, the Del Carretto had to fight for much of their history against

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228-593: The harsh government of Alfonso II Del Carretto. After a short return of the marquis, there was another revolt, encouraged by Spain, which wanted to gain control of the only Ligurian port not under the Republic of Genoa. In 1598 the last marquis, Sforza Andrea, sold Finale to Philip II of Spain ; the agreement became effective after Sforza Andrea's death in 1602. At the end of the War of the Spanish Succession ,

247-482: The hereditary title of Marchio or Margrave of the Holy Roman Empire . The Aleramici formed one of the four imperial margraviates in the northern Kingdom of Italy , soon becoming one of the most powerful dynasties of the Middle Ages . Due to their ancestral Salic tradition, they divided their original territory into multiple marquisates, grouped into two main lines founded by Aleramo 's two surviving sons:

266-705: The lineage was the Frankish count Willehmus , a Burgundian who is thought to have gone to the Carolingian Kingdom of Italy around 888 or 889, possibly to aid Guy III of Spoleto in his quest for the Iron Crown of Lombardy . His son Aleramo , received from King Hugh of Italy the first feudal domains in Central Liguria in the year 933, later confirmed by Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great , who in addition granted him and his descendants

285-581: The ruling houses of Europe, including the Capetians and the Hohenstaufens . The cadet line of Monferrato gained notable influence and power through their involvement in the Crusades , becoming kings and queens of Jerusalem , first by marriage and then by succession in the 12th century. Recognized as a royal lineage, the Aleramici of both lines married into numerous of royal dynasties, most notably

304-750: The three Byzantine Imperial dynasties of Comnenus , Angelus and Palaeologus , with whom they formed their most important alliance. As a result of the Fourth Crusade , the Aleramici founded the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica , then replaced by the Empire of Thessalonica . During this period, two women of the Monferrato line held the title of "Empress Consort" of the Eastern Roman Empire ( Empress Agnes and Empress Irene ). By

323-585: Was buried in Grazzano Badoglio , in the Province of Asti . His tomb, restored in the 16th and 20th centuries, is marked by a mosaic depicting mythological beasts. Marquisate of Finale The Marquisate of Finale was an Italian state of the Holy Roman Empire in what is now Liguria , part of the former medieval Aleramici March . It was ruled for some six centuries by the Aleramici branch known as marquesses del Vasto (when they also held

342-531: Was for centuries a fief of the Holy Roman Empire . Anselmo, son of Aleramo, started the line of the marquesses of Savona or Del Vasto. His descendant Boniface del Vasto acquired large lands in Liguria and southern Piedmont . In 1142-1148 his sons divided its patrimony, creating different feudal dynasties. Enrico I del Carretto inherited the march of Savona, receiving its investiture by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa on 10 June 1162. The march of Savona stretched on

361-608: Was the first Marquis of Montferrat and Liguria (the marca Aleramica ) in Northern Italy until his death. He was son of William I of Montferrat and is mentioned in documents for the first time in 933 when he received a fief near Vercelli by Hugh of Italy . In 955 he was invested of lands in what is now the province of Alessandria . In 958 he was appointed as Marquis by Berengar II of Italy , whose daughter Gerberga he had married. Three years later, however, Aleram sided for emperor Otto I , who gave him further lands in

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