Jacopo I da Carrara
Encyclopedia
Jacopo or Giacomo I da Carrara (died 1324), called the Great (Grande), was the founder of the Carraresi dynasty that ruled Padua
from 1318 to 1405. He governed with the advice of the leading citizens during a rule characterised by unity within the city. He is usually considered the first lord (signore) of Padua, his election marking the transition from commune
ad singularem dominum (to a single lord), a characteristic regime known as a signoria
to contemporaries.
Jacopo, a Guelph
, led the Paduans to war against Verona
in 1311 over the disputed possession of Vicenza
. In response to the threat of the Ghibellines
and continuous internal feuding, shortly after 25 July 1318 the Paduan aristocracy elected Jacopo as defensor, protector, and gubernator in perpetuity. Jacopo's election owed something to an alliance between Padua's own Ghibelline and Guelph factions, and after his election many Ghibelline exiles returned. Jacopo sent the poet Albertino Mussato
, who objected to the signoria and pined for the old commune, into exile that year. In 1319 the Ghibelline Cangrande I della Scala
besieged Padua and demanded the abdication of Jacopo in return for peace. Jacopo stepped down temporarily to save the city; the signoria was transferred to Frederick the Fair, a contender for the Holy Roman Empire
. In the end Jacopo succeeded in preventing Padua from falling to either the Scaligeri or the Scrovegni.
Jacopo was married to Anna, daughter of Pietro Gradenigo
, Doge of Venice
and Tommasina Morosini. Anna gave him one daughter, Taddea, and died in 1321. Taddea moved to Venice on her father's death in 1324 and there married Cangrande's nephew Mastino II della Scala
in the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
.
Padua
Padua is a city and comune 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 and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
from 1318 to 1405. He governed with the advice of the leading citizens during a rule characterised by unity within the city. He is usually considered the first lord (signore) of Padua, his election marking the transition from commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
ad singularem dominum (to a single lord), a characteristic regime known as a signoria
Signoria
A Signoria was an abstract noun meaning 'government; governing authority; de facto sovereignty; lordship in many of the Italian city states during the medieval and renaissance periods....
to contemporaries.
Jacopo, a 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...
, led the Paduans to war against Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
in 1311 over the disputed possession of Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
. In response to the threat of the Ghibellines
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...
and continuous internal feuding, shortly after 25 July 1318 the Paduan aristocracy elected Jacopo as defensor, protector, and gubernator in perpetuity. Jacopo's election owed something to an alliance between Padua's own Ghibelline and Guelph factions, and after his election many Ghibelline exiles returned. Jacopo sent the poet Albertino Mussato
Albertino Mussato
Albertino Mussato was an Early Renaissance Italian statesman, poet, historian and dramatist credited with providing an impetus to the revival of literary Latin....
, who objected to the signoria and pined for the old commune, into exile that year. In 1319 the Ghibelline Cangrande I della Scala
Cangrande I della Scala
Cangrande della Scala was an Italian nobleman, the most celebrated of the della Scala family which ruled Verona from 1277 until 1387. Now perhaps best known as the leading patron of the poet Dante Alighieri, Cangrande was in his own day chiefly acclaimed as a successful warrior and autocrat...
besieged Padua and demanded the abdication of Jacopo in return for peace. Jacopo stepped down temporarily to save the city; the signoria was transferred to Frederick the Fair, a contender for the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. In the end Jacopo succeeded in preventing Padua from falling to either the Scaligeri or the Scrovegni.
Jacopo was married to Anna, daughter of Pietro Gradenigo
Pietro Gradenigo
Pietro Gradenigo was the 49th Doge of Venice, reigning from 1289 to his death.When he was elected Doge, he was serving as the podestà of Koper / Capodistria in Slovenia. Venice suffered a serious blow with the fall of Acre, the last Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, to the Mamluks of Egypt in...
, Doge of Venice
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
and Tommasina Morosini. Anna gave him one daughter, Taddea, and died in 1321. Taddea moved to Venice on her father's death in 1324 and there married Cangrande's nephew Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala
Mastino II della Scala was lord of Verona. He was a member of the famous Scaliger family of northern Italy.He was the son of Alboino I della Scala and Beatrice da Correggio. At the death of Cangrande I, he and his brother Alberto II were associated in the rule of Verona. Soon, however, Mastino's...
in the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
thumb|450 px|San Giorgio Maggiore seen across the water in full sun on an evening in JuneSan Giorgio Maggiore is a 16th century Benedictine church on the island of the same name in Venice, northern Italy, designed by Andrea Palladio and built between 1566 and 1610...
.