Albert Azzo II (d. c. 1097), Margrave of Milan and
LiguriaLiguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and food.- Geography :...
, Count of
GavelloGavello is a comune in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about 60 km southwest of Venice and about 12 km southeast of Rovigo...
and
PaduaPadua is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice , in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area, having a population of c...
,
RovigoRovigo is a town in the Veneto region of North-Eastern Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. -Geography:...
,
LunigianaLunigiana is an historical territory of Italy, which today falls within the provinces of La Spezia and Massa Carrara. Its borders derive from the ancient Roman settlement, later the medieval diocese of Luni, which no longer exists....
,
MonseliceMonselice is a town and municipality located in northeastern Italy, in the Veneto region, in the province of Padua.It is about 20 km southeast of the city of Padua, at the southern edge of the Euganean Hills .-History:...
, and
MontagnanaMontagnana is a town and comune in the province of Padova, in Veneto . It is bounded by other communes of Saletto, Megliadino San Fidenzio, Casale di Scodosia, Urbana, Bevilacqua, Pojana Maggiore and Noventa Vicentina...
, was a powerful nobleman in the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
.
Albert Azzo II was the only son of
Albert Azzo I, Margrave of MilanAlbert Atto I was the son of Oberto II and Railend, widow of Sigfred, Count of Seprio. He was a member of the Obertenghi family....
. He inherited his father's offices around 1020, and continuously increased his properties in northern Italy. In 1069–1070, he tried to acquire Maine for his son
HughHugh V was the Count of Maine and titular count from 1069 until 1131. He was the son of Azzo d'Este and Gersendis .In 1069, the citizens of Le Mans and some of the Manceaux barons revolted against Norman control...
, because his wife, Garsende, was a co-heiress of the previous counts of Maine.
Albert Azzo II (d. c. 1097), Margrave of Milan and
LiguriaLiguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and food.- Geography :...
, Count of
GavelloGavello is a comune in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about 60 km southwest of Venice and about 12 km southeast of Rovigo...
and
PaduaPadua is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice , in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area, having a population of c...
,
RovigoRovigo is a town in the Veneto region of North-Eastern Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. -Geography:...
,
LunigianaLunigiana is an historical territory of Italy, which today falls within the provinces of La Spezia and Massa Carrara. Its borders derive from the ancient Roman settlement, later the medieval diocese of Luni, which no longer exists....
,
MonseliceMonselice is a town and municipality located in northeastern Italy, in the Veneto region, in the province of Padua.It is about 20 km southeast of the city of Padua, at the southern edge of the Euganean Hills .-History:...
, and
MontagnanaMontagnana is a town and comune in the province of Padova, in Veneto . It is bounded by other communes of Saletto, Megliadino San Fidenzio, Casale di Scodosia, Urbana, Bevilacqua, Pojana Maggiore and Noventa Vicentina...
, was a powerful nobleman in the
Holy Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period under a Holy Roman Emperor. The first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Otto I, crowned in 962. The last was Francis II, who abdicated and dissolved the Empire in 1806 during...
.
Albert Azzo II was the only son of
Albert Azzo I, Margrave of MilanAlbert Atto I was the son of Oberto II and Railend, widow of Sigfred, Count of Seprio. He was a member of the Obertenghi family....
. He inherited his father's offices around 1020, and continuously increased his properties in northern Italy. In 1069–1070, he tried to acquire Maine for his son
HughHugh V was the Count of Maine and titular count from 1069 until 1131. He was the son of Azzo d'Este and Gersendis .In 1069, the citizens of Le Mans and some of the Manceaux barons revolted against Norman control...
, because his wife, Garsende, was a co-heiress of the previous counts of Maine. Hugh was declared count, but could not prevail against Robert the duke of Normandy, who had been betrothed to the last heiress. In the
Investiture ControversyThe Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
between
Henry IV, Holy Roman EmperorHenry IV was King of Germany from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
, and
Pope Gregory VIIPope Saint Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death...
, Azzo attempted to mediate, but later he joined the side of the Pope. Around 1073 he made a castle at Este his residence, from which the House of Este, the dynasty to which he belongs, takes its name.
Family
Azzo II married Cuniza (also called Chuniza and Cunigunde), daughter of
Welf IIWelf II was a Swabian count and a member of the Elder House of Welf.He opposed the election of Conrad II in 1024 because it did not suit his interests, but he had to eventually relent....
, Count of Altdorf, by 1036. They had one known child:
- Welf
Welf I was duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. He was the first member of the Welf branch of the House of Este. In the Welf genealogy he is counted as Welf IV.-Life and reign:...
(died 6 November 1101, PaphosPaphos Paphos Paphos (Paphos is usually written Paphos, Pafos or Paphus in English, Ancient Greek: ; Modern Greek: Πάφος, Páfos; Latin: Paphus, and for a time, Augusta; Turkish...
) Duke of BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death. First member of the WelfThe House of Welf is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century.The House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este, a dynasty whose oldest known members lived in Lombardy in the 9th century. For this reason, it is sometimes also...
branch of the House of Este.
His second marriage was to Garsende, daughter of Herbert I, Count of Maine, around 1050. They had the following known sons:
- Fulco I, Margrave of Milan (died 1128)
- Hugh V, Count of Maine (died 1131)
Thirdly, he married Matilda, sister of William, Bishop of Padua, with whom he had no known children.
He married Vitalia Orseolo, daughter of Peter Orseolo. They had daughter Itta.