(Redirected from Ezzelino da Romano III)
Ezzelino III da Romano.
'Ezzelino III da Romano' (
April 25,
1194 –
October 7,
1259) was an
Italian conqueror, dictator,
political figure and soldier. He was the ''
podestà'' of
Verona between
1226 and
1230, again in
1232, and finally in
1259. He also was the ''podestà'' of
Vicenza from
1236 until
1259. Finally he was the ''podestà'' of
Padua between
1237 and
1256, through his regent
Ansedisio Guidotti.
Biography
Ezzelino was son of
Ezzelino II da Romano, ruler of
Bassano and member of a family of
German origin, and his mother was
Adelaide degli Alberti di Mangona. Ezzelino was described as not a tall man, shrewd, cynical, ferocious, with blazing eyes, and gifted with great military abilities. His political positions were often ambiguous: after an initial allegiance to the
Guelphs, he thereafter remained one of the staunchest member of the
Ghibelline party in northern Italy, and always a faithful ally of
Frederick II.
When the latter retired, his possessions went to his sons
Alberico (
Treviso) and Ezzelino (the castles in the area of
Verona and
Padua). Both the brothers received a special protection by Emperor Frederick in 1232. As Alberico was obliged to pass to the
Guelph party, Ezzelino obtained the title of ''podestà'' by the Senate of Verona (1235) and was helped by Frederick to ravage the territories of
Mantua,
Brescia, and
Vicenza. When the Emperor returned northwards to fight the duke of
Austria, Ezzelino remained as supreme commander of the Imperial forces in northern Italy, and the primary leader of the Ghibelline party as well. The famous
astrologer Guido Bonatti from
Forlì, advisor of Frederick, was also advisor of Ezzelino.
In 1236 Ezzolino married
Selvaggia, Frederick's natural daughter. Ezzelino conquered
Verona and, by treason,
Padua, grabbing the position of ''podestà'' of that city. He was one of the protagonists in the Ghibelline-Imperial victory of
Cortenuova (1238), and was named Imperial viceroy for the
Mark of Treviso. His long-lasting struggle against the duke of
Este ended with the total defeat of the latter, and the annexion of many territories in what was now a true small empire for Ezzelino.
After a pacification attempt by Frederick, when the emperor set off again, Ezzelino attacked the Este, submitting Treviso (even if his brother's fief),
Belluno and
Feltre. Ezzelino was now ''signore'' of all lands between
Trento and the
Oglio river. He had acquired a reputation for cruelty and merciless use of
torture against enemies and alleged plotters in the cities he ruled.
In 1249, after Selvaggia's death, he married
Beatrice di Buontraverso.
In 1254, four years after Frederick II's death, he was
excommunicated by
Pope Innocent IV, who also launched a
crusade against him. He reconciled with his brother and allied with other seignors of the Veneto and
Lombardy, attacking Padua, which resisted, and Brescia, which was instead sacked after an easy victory of his German knights over the crusade army.
In 1258 he launched a broad Ghibelline offensive in Lombardy and Veneto along with
Oberto Pallavicino of
Cremona. In 1259 he assaulted the castle of
Priola, near
Vicenza, and had all the defenders mutilated. After a failed attempt to assault
Milan itself, he was wounded by an arrow in the course of the
Battle of Cassano d'Adda. He had to retreat but was captured near
Bergamo.
Ezzelino the Tyrant
Much of what we know about Ezzelino comes from a literary tradition that was embroidered over the course of centuries. Despite the brevity of his reign, Ezzelino’s reputed cruelty became symbolic of tyranny. Poets and chroniclers living in recent memory of his tactics used his name to evoke the sense of arbitrary power and the moral transgressions it enabled. Fourteenth century authors raised the level of accusation, insisting that Ezzelino’s parentage was demonic.
Rolandino of Padua's ''Chronicle of the Trevisan March'' (c. 1262) charts the rise and the fall of the da Romano family, introducing Ezzelino as a young man throwing stones at the home of the family rival. The extremely partisan political work follows the fortunes of Padua under the tyrant's iron grip up to the
commune's liberation by the Guelph League.
Albertino Mussato's ''Ecerinis'' (c. 1315) portrays Ezzelino as the son of the
Devil. The Latin verse play introduces Ezzelino's mother, who provides testimony of the tyrant's infernal sire.
In
Dante Aligheri's ''
Divine Comedy'', his soul is consigned to
Hell, where Dante encounters him in the Seventh Circle, First Ring: the Violent against their Neighbors (''Inferno'', XII, 109). His younger sister
Cunizza is also cited by Dante, in ''Paradise'', IX, 31-33.
See also
★
Ezzelino da Romano
★
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
★
Guelphs and Ghibellines
External links
★
Summary of Ezzelino's deeds
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