Rulers of Montferrat
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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...
south of the Po
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
and east of 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...
called Montferrat
Montferrat
Montferrat is part of the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy...
. The March of Montferrat
March of Montferrat
The March of Montferrat was frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages and state of the Holy Roman Empire...
was created by Berengar II of Italy
Berengar II of Italy
Berengar of Ivrea , sometimes also referred to as Berengar II of Italy, was Margrave of Ivrea and usurper King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961, the last before Italy's incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire...
in 950 during a redistribution of power in the northwest of his kingdom. It was originally named after and held by the Aleramici. In 1574, Montferrat was raised to a Duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
by Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian II was king of Bohemia and king of the Romans from 1562, king of Hungary and Croatia from 1563, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from 1564 until his death...
(see Duchy of Montferrat
Duchy of Montferrat
The Duchy of Montferrat was created out of what was left of the March of Montferrat after the last Palaeologus heir had died and the margraviate been briefly controlled by Spain . After that brief interlude, it passed to the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua...
).
Aleramici dynasty
- William IWilliam I, Marquess of MontferratWilliam I Miagro stands at the head of the Aleramici family which ruled Montferrat for four centuries. He was the father of the first margrave Aleram....
(d. before 933) - Aleramo (933-967)
- William IIWilliam II, Marquess of MontferratWilliam II was the co-margrave of Montferrat with his father Aleram.He was the eldest son of Aleram by his first wife, name unknown. He was named after his grandfather, the head of the family, William I. William probably co-reigned with his father, but appears to have been dead at around the same...
, son and co-ruler
- William II
- Otto IOtto I, Marquess of MontferratOtto I was the Marquess of Montferrat briefly following his father Aleram on the throne.Otto was the son of Aleram and his first wife. Notably obscure, he did not appear with his parents and his younger brother Anselm at the foundation of the monstery of Grazzano in 961...
(967-991), son - William IIIWilliam III, Marquess of MontferratWilliam III was the Margrave of Montferrat and Count of Vado from 991 to his death. He was the eldest son and successor of Otto I. William I and II were the father and son respectively of Aleram, the first margrave, but neither served as margrave himself.William's religious policy was a...
(991-bef.1042), son - Otto IIOtto II, Marquess of MontferratOtto II was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1042 until his death.Otto was the son and successor of William III and Waza. He married Constance, daughter of Amadeus II of Savoy. He was succeeded by their son William IV...
(bef.1042-c.1084), son- HenryHenry, Marquess of MontferratHenry was the son of William III of Montferrat and Waza. He was the younger brother of Otto II of Montferrat. He and his brother were co-lords of the March of Montferrat from 1042....
(d.1045), brother and co-ruler
- Henry
- William IVWilliam IV, Marquess of MontferratWilliam IV was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1084.The date of William's birth is unknown, but it probably took place between 1030 and 1035. He was the eldest son of Otto II and Constance, daughter of Amadeus II of Savoy...
(c.1084-c.1100), son - Rainier (c.1100-c.1136), son
- William VWilliam V, Marquess of MontferratWilliam V of Montferrat , also known as William the Old to distinguish him from his eldest son, William Longsword, was marquess of Montferrat from c. 1136 to his death in 1191...
(c.1136-1191), son - ConradConrad of MontferratConrad of Montferrat was a northern Italian nobleman, one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto King of Jerusalem, by marriage, from 24 November 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death...
(1191-1192), son - Boniface I (1192-1207), brother
- William VIWilliam VI, Marquess of MontferratWilliam VI was the Marquess of Montferrat from 1203 and pretender to the Kingdom of Thessalonica from 1207.-Youth:...
(1207-1225), son - Boniface IIBoniface II, Marquess of MontferratBoniface II , called the Giant, was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1225 until his death. He received the titularity of the Kingdom of Thessalonica in 1239....
(1225-1253/55), son - William VIIWilliam VII, Marquess of MontferratWilliam VII , called the Great , was the twelfth Margrave of Montferrat from 1253 to his death. He was also the titular King of Thessalonica.-Youth:...
(1253/55-1292), son - John IJohn I, Marquess of MontferratJohn I was the Margrave of Montferrat, last the Aleramici dynasty, from 1292 to his death.John was the only son of William VII of Montferrat and his second wife Beatrice, daughter of Alfonso X of Castile. In his youth, John was put under the tutelage of Thomas I of Saluzzo during the period of...
(1292-1305), son
Palaeologus dynasty
- Theodore ITheodore I, Marquess of MontferratTheodore I Palaiologos or Palaeologus was Marquess of Montferrat from 1306 until his death.He was a son of Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos and Irene of Montferrat...
(1306-1338), nephew of John - John IIJohn II, Marquess of MontferratJohn 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...
(1338-1372), son - Secondotto, also known as Otto III (1372-1378), son
- John IIIJohn III, Marquess of MontferratJohn III Palaeologus was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1378 to his death. He was the second son of John II of Montferrat and Isabella of Majorca and brother and successor of Secondotto...
(1378-1381), brother - Theodore IITheodore II, Marquess of Montferrat-Life:He was the thirdborn son of John II of Montferrat and Isabel of Majorca. Theodore was named governor of the margraviate after the death of his brother John III. After the death of John II, Montferrat had been plunged into a crisis brought on by the quick succession of two young rulers,...
(1381-1418), brother - John Jacob (1418-1445), son
- John IV (1445-1464), son
- William VIIIWilliam VIII, Marquess of MontferratWilliam VIII Palaiologos was the Marquess of Montferrat from 1464 until his death.He was the third son of Marquess John Jacob, and inherited the Marquisate after the death of his elder brother John IV. He obtained by Emperor Frederick III the territories lost to Savoy from 1435...
(1464-1483), brother - Boniface IIIBoniface III, Marquess of MontferratBoniface III was marquess of Montferrat from 1483 until his death.-Biography:He was the son of marquis John Jacob and Joanna of Savoy. He succeeded his brother William VIII who had got involved in the War of Ferrara. When the conflict eastern front settled, Boniface had to face the advance of...
(1483-1494), brother - William IXWilliam IX, Marquess of MontferratWilliam IX was marquess of Montferrat from 1494 until his death.-Biography:He was the son of marquis Boniface III and Maria Branković....
(1494-1518), son. (Father-in-law to Federico II, Duke of Mantua.) - Boniface IVBoniface IV, Marquess of MontferratBoniface IV Paleologo, Marquess of Montferrat was an Italian nobleman. He succeeded his father William IX, Marquess of Montferrat. His mother was Anna d'Alençon ....
(1518-1530), son, under the regency of his mother Anne of AlençonAnne of AlençonAnne d'Alençon , Lady of La Guerche, was a French noblewoman and a Marquise of Montferrat as the wife of William IX, Marquis of Montferrat... - John GeorgeJohn George, Marquess of MontferratJohn George of Monferrat was the last Marquess of Montferrat of the Palaeologus dynasty....
(1530-1533), uncle- Spanish occupation until 1536.
Gonzaga dynasty
In 1536 Charles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
granted the marquisate, despite competing claims from Savoy and from the Marquis of Saluzzo, to the Gonzagas. This was confirmed in 1559 by the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis.
- Frederick GonzagaFrederick II, Duke of MantuaFederico II of Gonzaga was the ruler of the Italian city of Mantua from 1519 until his death. He was also Marquis of Montferrat from 1536.-Biography:...
(1536-1540), Duke of Mantua. Married to Margaret of Montferrat, daughter of William IX and Anne of AlençonAnne of AlençonAnne d'Alençon , Lady of La Guerche, was a French noblewoman and a Marquise of Montferrat as the wife of William IX, Marquis of Montferrat...
, and Marchioness of Montferrat in her own rightSuo jureSuo jure is a Latin phrase meaning "in her [or his] own right".It is commonly encountered in the context of titles of nobility, especially in cases where a wife may hold a title in her own right rather than through her marriage....
. - Francis I (1540-1550), Duke of Mantua, Marquess of Montferrat. Son of Margaret of Montferrat and Frederick Gonzaga.
- William X (1550-1587), Duke of Mantua, Marquess, then (from 1574) Duke of Montferrat. Son of Margaret of Montferrat and Frederick Gonzaga
- Vincent I (1587-1612), Duke of Mantua and Montferrat. Son of William X
- Francis IIFrancesco IV GonzagaFrancesco IV Gonzaga , was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat between 9 February and 22 December 1612.-Biography:Born in Mantua, he was the eldest son of Duke Vincenzo I and Eleonora de' Medici....
(1612), Duke of Mantua and Montferrat. Son of Vincent I - Ferdinand IFerdinando I GonzagaFerdinand I Gonzaga was Duke of Mantua and Duke of Montferrat from 1612 until his death.-Biography:Born in Mantua, he was the son of Vincent I Gonzaga and Eleonora de' Medici....
(1612-26), Duke of Mantua and Montferrat. Son of Vincent I. - Vincent II (1626-27), Duke of Mantua and Montferrat. Son of Vincent I.
- War of the Mantuan SuccessionWar of the Mantuan SuccessionThe War of the Mantuan Succession was a peripheral part of the Thirty Years' War. Its casus belli was the extinction of the direct male line of the House of Gonzaga in December 1627. Brothers Francesco IV , Ferdinando and Vincenzo II , the last three dukes of Gonzaga, had all died leaving no...
(1627-1631) - a portion was lost to Duchy of SavoyDuchy of SavoyFrom 1416 to 1847, the House of Savoy ruled the eponymous Duchy of Savoy . The Duchy was a state in the northern part of the Italian Peninsula, with some territories that are now in France. It was a continuation of the County of Savoy... - MariaMaria GonzagaMaria Gonzaga or Maria of Mantua was an Italian princess of the House of Gonzaga, and regent of Mantua.-Biography:...
, Duchess of Montferrat 1612-61, also Duchess of Mantua 1627-1631. Daughter of Francis II. - Charles I, called "of Nevers", Duke of Montferrat (1627-1637), also Duke of Mantua and Nevers. Father-in-law of Maria, co-ruler with Maria and his son, Charles.
- Charles II (1637-1665). Also Duke of Nevers until 1659. Son of Maria, grandson of both Charles I and Francis II.
- Ferdinand Charles (1665-1708), Duke of Montferrat and Mantua. Son of Charles II.