William VI, Marquess of Montferrat
Encyclopedia
William VI was the Marquess of Montferrat from 1203 and pretender to the Kingdom of Thessalonica
from 1207.
were defeated in 1191. Between 1193 and 1199, he appeared in many of his father's public acts. On 12 June 1199, he was put in charge of Acqui Terme
with twenty knights to combat the Alessandrini
, and, on 27 October, he was present near Saluggia
for the signing of a pact with the commune of Vercelli
.
as a Christian leader in 1203. In accordance with promises made to Asti and Alessandria, he officially abdicated the marquisate to William before he left. Immediately, William turned towards Asti, then protected by Milan
. The Astigiani had a history of rebellion and were growing in power. In August, with his father beside him, he formed an alliance with Alba and Alessandria, another rebellious commune, against Asti. His allies proved of little worth as he had to make many concessions to them and was still defeated in the field. In April 1206, he opened negotiations with Asti. The peace treaty was embarrassing for Montferrat, but it was accepted by all three allies. William promised to get his father's ratification, but his father died on Crusade unaware of any peace back home.
and their Italian schemes. William, however, lent his support to Otto of Brunswick, the Guelph
claimant to the imperial title. Though William expected to see the power of an emperor levelled against his foes, the only aid he received from Otto was directed against small local potentates which posed little real threat. The only great success of the alliance was the sack of Cuneo
.
, the Hohenstaufen claimant. On 15 July 1212, he was in Genoa
with the other Ghibelline lords to receive Frederick. William led the young emperor from the city to the road which led to Germany
. In 1215, William participated in the Second Lateran Council, there arguing the cause of Frederick against Otto. He travelled many subsequent times into Germany to speak to Frederick and during these absences, his enemies plotted against him. In their attempts to seize his lands, however, they were largely unsuccessful.
During his times in Italy, William remained at war with Asti and Alessandria, but without result.
Elias Carel. When he finally decided to take the cross, aware of the insignificance of his contribution to the total effort, he decided to head by way of Egypt
, at the suggestion of Pope Honorius III
. But the arrival of his half-brother Demetrius, fleeing the onslaught of the Greeks and the conspiracy of the Lombards, led by their kinsman Oberto II of Biandrate
, who desired to make William king as his father's successor, convinced him to go to Greece.
Several times he prepared to head out, but each time was detained by the threats of his enemies in Piedmont
or by economic restraints which compelled him to mortgage his marquisate to Frederick II. Finally, he cowed some cities into giving him aid in men. Nevertheless, he was present at Capua
, Ferentino
, and Sora with Frederick II in February 1223. Delayed again and again, he drank a toast at Brindisi
to his setting off in 1225, but he fell ill at the last minute. His fleet remained in port until Spring 1226, when, under urging from Honorius, it finally cast off. The delays had been fatal and William himself died at Almyros
on 17 September. The rest of his army was hit by a dysentery
epidemic and melted away.
. The marriage took place in 1187, when William was fourteen years old, and Sophie twenty-five; nevertheless, this union ended soon: Sophie died shortly after in that year.
On 9 August 1202 William married Berta, daughter of the Marquess Bonifacio di Clavesana, Count of Cortemiglia. They had at least three children:
Otto of Montferrat (died 1251), who became Bishop of Porto, and Cardinal in 1227, may have been a son of William VI; whether he was legitimate or not is uncertain.
Kingdom of Thessalonica
The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade over the conquered Byzantine lands.- Background :...
from 1207.
Youth
Boniface I's eldest son, and his only son by his first wife, Helena del Bosco, William stood originally to inherit all his father's possessions. He participated in diverse campaigns with his father, including the Battle of Montiglio, in which the men of AstiAsti
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...
were defeated in 1191. Between 1193 and 1199, he appeared in many of his father's public acts. On 12 June 1199, he was put in charge 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...
with twenty knights to combat the Alessandrini
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, on 27 October, he was present near Saluggia
Saluggia
Saluggia is a comune in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 30 km northeast of Turin and about 35 km southwest of Vercelli, near the Dora Baltea river....
for the signing of a pact with 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...
.
War with Asti
Boniface I joined the Fourth CrusadeFourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
as a Christian leader in 1203. In accordance with promises made to Asti and Alessandria, he officially abdicated the marquisate to William before he left. Immediately, William turned towards Asti, then protected by 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 ,...
. The Astigiani had a history of rebellion and were growing in power. In August, with his father beside him, he formed an alliance with Alba and Alessandria, another rebellious commune, against Asti. His allies proved of little worth as he had to make many concessions to them and was still defeated in the field. In April 1206, he opened negotiations with Asti. The peace treaty was embarrassing for Montferrat, but it was accepted by all three allies. William promised to get his father's ratification, but his father died on Crusade unaware of any peace back home.
War against the Ghibellines
Traditionally, the Aleramici adhered to the Ghibelline faction, which supported the HohenstaufenHohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...
and their Italian schemes. William, however, lent his support to Otto of Brunswick, the 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...
claimant to the imperial title. Though William expected to see the power of an emperor levelled against his foes, the only aid he received from Otto was directed against small local potentates which posed little real threat. The only great success of the alliance was the sack of Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
.
Relationship with Frederick II
At the Diet of Lodi, William abandoned Otto finally in favour of Frederick IIFrederick 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...
, the Hohenstaufen claimant. On 15 July 1212, he was in 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....
with the other Ghibelline lords to receive Frederick. William led the young emperor from the city to the road which led to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1215, William participated in the Second Lateran Council, there arguing the cause of Frederick against Otto. He travelled many subsequent times into Germany to speak to Frederick and during these absences, his enemies plotted against him. In their attempts to seize his lands, however, they were largely unsuccessful.
During his times in Italy, William remained at war with Asti and Alessandria, but without result.
Claims in Greece
During the exhausting years battling rebels and Guelphs, William resolved to travel to Greece to defend the conquests of his father, which had been formed into the Kingdom of Thessalonica. To this end he was urged by the churchmen of his realm and also by the troubadourTroubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
Elias Carel. When he finally decided to take the cross, aware of the insignificance of his contribution to the total effort, he decided to head by way of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, at the suggestion of Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...
. But the arrival of his half-brother Demetrius, fleeing the onslaught of the Greeks and the conspiracy of the Lombards, led by their kinsman Oberto II of Biandrate
Oberto II of Biandrate
Oberto, Uberto, or Umberto II was the Count of Biandrate in Lombardy and a participant in the Fourth Crusade.Oberto was a companion of Boniface of Montferrat on the Fourth Crusade. After Boniface' elevation to King of Thessalonica and his death, Oberto became acting regent for his son Demetrius...
, who desired to make William king as his father's successor, convinced him to go to Greece.
Several times he prepared to head out, but each time was detained by the threats of his enemies in Piedmont
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...
or by economic restraints which compelled him to mortgage his marquisate to Frederick II. Finally, he cowed some cities into giving him aid in men. Nevertheless, he was present at Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
, Ferentino
Ferentino
Ferentino is a town and comune in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, 65 km southeast of Rome.It is situated on a hill 400 m above sea-level, in the Monti Ernici area.-History:...
, and Sora with Frederick II in February 1223. Delayed again and again, he drank a toast at Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...
to his setting off in 1225, but he fell ill at the last minute. His fleet remained in port until Spring 1226, when, under urging from Honorius, it finally cast off. The delays had been fatal and William himself died at Almyros
Almyros
Almyros is a town and a municipality of the peripheral unit of Magnesia, periphery of Thessaly, Greece. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain known as 'Krokio Pedio', which is crossed by torrents, and produces wheat, tobacco, and other crops. Almyros is an important agricultural and...
on 17 September. The rest of his army was hit by a dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
epidemic and melted away.
Marriages and children
During his infancy, William was betrothed to Sophie, daughter of Frederick I, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick I, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa was a German Holy Roman Emperor. He was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March, crowned King of Italy in Pavia in 1155, and finally crowned Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV, on 18 June 1155, and two years later in 1157 the term...
. The marriage took place in 1187, when William was fourteen years old, and Sophie twenty-five; nevertheless, this union ended soon: Sophie died shortly after in that year.
On 9 August 1202 William married Berta, daughter of the Marquess Bonifacio di Clavesana, Count of Cortemiglia. They had at least three children:
- Boniface II, Marquess of Montferrat (born ca 1203, date of death unknown).
- BeatriceBeatrice of MontferratBeatrice of Montferrat was an Italian noblewoman and the suo jure Lady of Saint-Bonnet. She was the eldest daughter of William VI, Marquess of Montferrat, and the third wife of Guigues VI of Viennois, by whom she had two sons. She married a total of four times...
(ca 1210 – 1274), Lady of Saint-Bonnet in her own right. She married three times:- On 15 November 1219, Guigues VI of ViennoisGuigues VI of ViennoisAndrew Guigues VI , known as André de Bourgogne, Dauphin of Viennois, was the Count of Albon, Briançon, Grenoble, and Oisans from 1228 until his death. He was the son of Hugh III of Burgundy and Béatrice of Albon...
- In 1252, Guy II, Lord of Bauge
- Pierre de la Roue
- On 15 November 1219, Guigues VI of Viennois
- Alix (ca. 1215 – 1232), married in May 1229 Henry I of Lusignan, King of CyprusHenry I of CyprusHenry I of Cyprus, nicknamed the Fat, aka Henry of Lusignan or Henri I le Gros de Lusignan was King of Cyprus from 1218 to 1253. He was the son of Hugh I of Cyprus and Alice of Champagne of Jerusalem. When his father Hugh I died on January 10, 1218, the 8-month-old Henry became king...
.
Otto of Montferrat (died 1251), who became Bishop of Porto, and Cardinal in 1227, may have been a son of William VI; whether he was legitimate or not is uncertain.
Sources
- Caravale, Mario (ed). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: LX Grosso – Guglielmo da Forlì. Rome, 2003.
- Marchesi di Monferrato: Guglielmo VI.