Francesco I. Manfredi

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Coat of arms of the Manfredi family

Francesco I. Manfredi (* around 1260; † May 29, 1343 in Faenza ) was an Italian nobleman who, after lengthy power struggles, succeeded in becoming lord of Faenza from 1313 to 1327 and from 1340 to 1343 and from 1319 to 1327 as lord to make by Imola . He established the rule of his family over the city of Faenza, which extended with short interruptions from 1313 to 1501.

origin

Francesco Manfredi came from the noble family of Manfredi , who invoked a German origin, had a German motto: "If I do", and derived their family name from Manfredo di Guido, who was one of the most respected patricians in Faenza when he was before died on May 7, 1050. A hundred years later the Manfredi family was so respected that in 1164 they were able to accommodate Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa (1155–1190) in their palazzo during his visit to Faenza.

Francesco's father was Alberghettino Manfredi († April 23, 1275), Lord of Brisighella (a few kilometers from Faenza, in the Valle del Lamone - where the "Rocca" (castle) built by the Manfredi in 1228 is located) - Lord of Quarneto and von Baccagnano, patricians of Faenza and one of the leading figures of the Guelph party in Romagna . His mother was Geltrude Belmonti, daughter of Riccardello Belmonti, lord of the Rocca delle Caminate (this castle, which has been rebuilt several times to this day, is located in the municipality of Meldola about 16 km outside of Forlì ). Francesco had a sister, Maddalena Manfredi, who was married to Sebastiano Pepoli, who came from the leading patrician family of Bologna .

Life

Youth in the dispute between the Guelphs and Ghibellines

In his youth, Francesco experienced the effects of the violent arguments between the emperor and the pope, which was reflected in Italy in the confrontation between the respective supporters - the Guelphs loyal to the Pope and the Ghibellines loyal to the emperor . There was also a protracted dispute between these political orientations about the control of Faenza, with the Manfredi families, who were among the leading representatives of the Guelphs, and those of the Accarisi, the most influential Ghibelline family in Faenza.

There had already been a relentless dispute between these sexes in the past, going back to 1103, when Alberico da Guido Manfredi was expelled from Faenza by the Accarisi. Over a hundred years later, after the victory of Emperor Frederick II (1220-1250) over the League of Lombard cities in the great battle of Cortenuova on November 27, 1237, the Accarisi succeeded again in defeating their rival Manfredi with the help of the Emperor from Faenza expel. It was only four years later, in 1241, that the Manfredi were able to return to the city with other Guelphs and once again exercise their influence there. However, this only for a short time, as the city was soon conquered by Emperor Friedrich II and remained Ghibelline until 1248.

After the defeat of Emperor Friedrich II at Parma , the Guelphs took control of the city, with Francesco's father playing an essential role. As a result, the office of Podestà was awarded from 1256 to 1274 by the city of Bologna , the Guelfi leading power in Romagna. However, this did not change the hostility between the Manfredi and the Accarisi. With the support of the then leader of the Ghibellines in Romagna, Count Guido da Montefeltro , the Accarisi Faenza was captured and the leading families of the Guelphs, and thus the Manfredi in particular, again driven out of the city.

Head of the family

In the same year, Francesco's father Alberghettino Manfredi died in exile in Imola on April 23 , whereby Francesco, the eldest son, became the head of the family in 1275 and inherited the dominions of Brisighella, Quarneto and Baccagnano from his father. After a few years in exile, a turning point became apparent for the Manfredi, as the Roman-German King Rudolf I (1273–1291) of Habsburg renounced Romagna in 1278 in favor of the Papal States . Pope Nicholas III (1277–1280) tried after this significant cession to ensure control of the church over the various city-states of Romagna and commissioned his nephew Bertoldo Orsini with this task . On his orders, Francesco Manfredi was able to return to Faenza in 1279. The Accarisi were therefore forced to make peace with the Manfredi. This peace did not last long, however, as the Accarisi managed to drive the Manfredi out of the city again after a short time.

A year later, however, the Guelphs had the upper hand again, which allowed the Manfredi to return to Faenza, but only to be driven out of the city again after the party struggles flared up again. Not enough with that, there were serious arguments within the exiled family as well, as that of Dante in the Divine Comedy in XXXIII. Song of the Inferno mentioned Alberico Manfredi, Lord of Fognano, Rontana, Cesate and Quarneto, a cousin of Francesco, out of personal revenge on May 2, 1285, not only his cousin Manfredo Manfredi Signore di Serravalle al Senio, but also his son Alberghetto Manfredi and some of them Friends murdered at a banquet in Cesate (about 18 km outside of Milan).

Change of party to the Ghibellines

For the Manfredi, the situation became increasingly unbearable, as they were forced by exile to limit themselves to the management of their inherited and acquired rural estates and to renounce political power and influence in Faenza. So they decided to take his dramatic step. After having been among the leaders of the Romagna Guelphs loyal to the Pope for over a hundred years, they switched sides: As the new leader of the Ghibellines in Romagna in 1286, Maghinardo Pagani da Susinana (* before 1250 in Florence, † 1302), as Podestà seized power in Faenza and assumed the title "Defensor civitatis" (defender of the city), the Manfredi declared themselves Ghibellines and were able to return to Faenza. Dante Alighieri was obviously less convinced of the qualities of Pagani, as he put him in his Divina Commedia in the Inferno and there in the XXVII. Singing mentioned.

This political turnaround was unsuccessful, however, as the Manfredi continued to advocate papal politics after paying lip service and were therefore expelled from the city again soon after. Francesco made good use of the time by successfully seeking the expansion of his land holdings in order to expand the power base of his family. From 1309 he was also lord of Calamello, Cavina, Montemaggiore, Fornazzano and Valdifuso, acquired Marradi and Biforco in 1312 , and Oriolo in 1313. He lived in the family's palazzo, which, naturally altered, has been preserved to this day in Via Comandini: a simple brick building with two floors and a mezzanine under the roof, which apart from the rusticated main portal and some remains of garland-adorned window reveals, has no other exterior decoration. The inner courtyard shows two rows of arcades, one above the other, of which the lower round arches and the upper pointed arches.

Lord of Faenza and Imola

The Palazzo del Podestà in Faenza at night

The actual goal of acquiring not just rural goods, but an independent rule over a more important city, was finally achieved by Francesco through the skillful use of the instability of the political situation. At that time the party of the Guelfs was in a bad position, because Henry VII of Luxembourg had occupied Rome in 1312, received the imperial crown and was now ready to overthrow the enemy Guelfs. In Faenza, the Guelphs were therefore extremely concerned about the feared takeover of power by the Ghibellines. In this situation, Francesco used an unrest in the city as a pretext to seize power in the name of the Guelphs. On January 4, 1313, against the will of the city nobility, the people called himself the “Defensor populi” (defender of the people ) of the city of Faenza. The dreaded confrontation with the imperial army did not take place, however, as Emperor Henry VII died on August 24, 1313.

Robert d'Anjou, miniature from a Bible around 1340

Francesco's assumption of power did not correspond to the intentions of the leader of the Guelphs, Robert of Anjou (* 1278, † January 20, 1343) King of Naples (1309–1349), the papal governor from 1310 to 1318 “in temporalibus” (ie in secular affairs ) was in Romagna, as his task was to restore direct control of the Church over the cities of Romagna. In view of the critical situation, however, it still seemed better to him that a representative of the Guelphs took power irregularly than if a representative of the Ghibellines loyal to the emperor had come to power there, regularly appointed by the city. Francesco made sure that the city's administrative offices remained formally unchanged and hurried to assure the Pope's governor of his full allegiance to the Holy See, in order to legalize his takeover of power. Soon afterwards, Francesco was actually able to take over the official function of "Capitano del Popolo" in Faenza.

For other reasons, however, he came into direct conflict with the church. A few months after he came to power, the Bishop of Faenza received a letter from the Archbishop of Ravenna, in which he was asked to inform Francesco Manfredi that he had to return the benefits of the Church of Ravenna, which he had appropriated - including Oriolo, otherwise the interdict would be imposed on Faenza. However, Francesco may have shown little willingness to return, as the interdict was actually imposed on Faenza in 1313. This was on the order of Pope John XXII. only repealed by the bishop of Imola in 1318, with Francesco Manfredi not being present at the announcement of the repeal, as he was not formally affected as Capitano del popolo.

In a very similar way, Francesco Manfredi managed to take power in Imola, where he was elected Capitano del Popolo on November 9, 1314 the following year. This also took place with the toleration of the papal governor, King Robert of Naples, who showed his solidarity with the Manfredi family by granting Riccardo, Francesco's son, the accolade in 1316. This tolerance of the papal legate towards the - illegal - seizure of power by Francesco in Imola can be explained by the precarious situation of the Guelphs, who were threatened by the Ghibellines, who were loyal to the emperor, because their leader, the vicar of the new Roman-German king Ludwig the Bavarian (1314– 1328, Emperor from 1328), in Lombardy, Matteo I. Visconti (* 1250, † 1322), the Lord of Milan had succeeded; between 1314 and 1316 to conquer the cities of Pavia , Alessandria , Tortona , Vercelli , Parma and Piacenza in an impressive military campaign .

Francesco took advantage of this situation to further develop his position as a leading figure in both cities, so that he succeeded in raising himself to lord of the two cities in 1319. In 1322, Francesco also usurped the title of Capitano del Popolo, independent of popular elections, for life and a “sovereign signor” of the two cities, without ever having received authorization to do so. At the same time he tried to expand his power base through the acquisition of property, including after 1326 Lugo, Cerrone, Rontana, Pozzolo, Zattaglia, Vedreto, Collina, Pozzo, Cesate, Martignano, Solarolo and Gattaia.

As city lord, Francesco moved out of the previous family palace and used the Palazzo des Capitano del Popolo, today's Palazzo Municipale, as his residence, which he redesigned according to his needs.

Francesco Manfredi was able to maintain his rule over Faenza for eight years until he lost power in both cities in 1327.

Loss of dominion over Faenza and Imola

In 1327 the collaboration with the papal governor, King Robert of Naples, was long over. The new Pope John XXII. (1316–1334) had his nephew, the son of his sister, Cardinal Bertrand du Pouget (Italian: Bertrando del Poggetto) (* around 1280, † 1352) in 1319 as papal governor in Lombardy , Romagna and Tuscany (1319-1334) appointed. How great the Pope's hope was for the success of this mission is shown by the fact that he referred to du Pouget as "our angel of peace" in the appointment decree. However, the legacy came late to Italy, then had a long talk in Lombardy on, however, proved that the expectations of the Pope were not unfounded, since it from 1320 to 1327 the Visconti Asti , Pavia , Piacenza , Parma and Reggio Emilia snatched . The legacy arrived in front of the city of Bologna at the end of 1326, where it ceremoniously moved in on February 3, 1327 and shortly afterwards began building a new city castle, the Castello di Porta Galliera.

Francesco Manfredi therefore had to realize that it would be futile to maintain his presumptuous rule against the declared will of the papal legate, since he was determined to return the cities of Romagna to the direct control of the Pope. He therefore decided to submit and to hand over the two cities to him. Probably in the hope of being awarded it again as a mercy.

His father's intention to give up control of Faenza and Imola without a fight outraged his eldest son, Alberghetto Manfredi, who tried to prevent this by organizing a coup to wrest control of Faenza away from his father. This attempt failed, as a result of which Francesco went to Bologna as planned at the beginning of 1327 to hand over the cities of Faenza and Imola to the legate. The legate accepted this gesture with benevolence, but without promising Francesco a future enfeoffment with Faenza or Imola.

Francesco Manfredi returned to the city of Faenza as a simple citizen after the cession of rule over Faenza and Imola, but he not only retained his large land holdings, but also his reputation and great influence in the city.

Son Alberghetto Manfredi becomes the second master of Faenza

Despite all the setbacks, Alberghetto Manfredi was not ready to give up and after his father had surrendered the city of Faenza, he began an open revolt against the papal legate. With the help of friends and relatives, he succeeded in taking control of the city, and with the intention of keeping it he was proclaimed the new ruler of the city. He is therefore counted as the second lord of Faenza. He could stay there until the next year. In July 1328, however, a large papal army, including his father and younger brother Ricciardo Manfredi, approached and began to enclose and besiege the city. Alberghetto was finally forced to surrender on July 23, 1328 in view of the overwhelming power. Through the intercession of his father, he was treated leniently, initially brought to Bologna as a prisoner, but soon afterwards released from prison.

Despite these setbacks, Alberghetto was still not ready to give up control of Faenza. He therefore participated in a conspiracy against the papal legate. However, this was uncovered, Alberghetto was sentenced to the death penalty and finally beheaded on October 18, 1329 in Bologna. In the same year Ludwig the Bavarian returned to Germany after his less successful mission to Italy.

Son Riccardo Manfredi becomes the third master of Faenza

Contrary to expectations, this beheading did not mark the end of the Manfredi rule over Faenza, as the fate of the cardinal legate Bertrand du Pouget helped enable the family to return to power.

In 1330, the only nominally Ghibelline cities of Milan and Verona attacked the Guelfan city of Brescia , which turned to John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia (1310-1346) for support. He actually came to Italy with an army and liberated the city of Brescia. The one who then offered him fiefdom.

In the meantime, the former papal vicar, King Robert of Naples, had developed ambitions to make the Kingdom of Naples a leading power in Italy by constantly expanding its influence northwards and thus coming into conflict with the legate Bertrand du Pouget, who saw this as a threat to interests of the Papal States, which was easier to rule with a large number of smaller fiefdoms than with a great power. Cardinal du Pouget therefore allied himself with King John, whom he saw as a counterweight to King Robert of Naples. In the interests of the legate, King John conquered the cities of Parma, Vercelli , Piacenza and Pavia, among others, and returned them to the church, which gave them to him as a fief in thanks and thus removed the influence of the King of Naples.

King Robert saw through this strategy and called the most important princes of Italy to Genoa in 1332 , where he reconciled the Guelphs and Ghibellines and created a league against King John and the cardinal legate du Pouget, in which the Guelf states of Milan and Florence and the Ghibelline lords of Milan came together , Mantua and Ferrara involved.

In order to support his legate, the Pope appointed him Margrave of Ancona and Count of Bologna. In April there was a battle between the opponents in which the forces of King John and Cardinal du Pouget were defeated. King John made peace and returned to Bohemia, while Cardinal du Pourget locked himself in Bologna and was besieged there by League troops in the Castello di Porta Galliera until he was released through the mediation of Florence. The Castello was then razed to the ground by the Bolognese as a "fortress".

Only Faenza and Imola, under the influence of Francesco Manfredi, remained loyal to the cardinal, which is why he went to Faenza. In 1334 he returned to the papal court in Avignon, enfeoffing the third son of Francesco, Ricciardo Manfredi with Faenza and the second son, Malatestino (Tino) Manfredi with Bagnacavallo, in gratitude for the loyalty of the Manfredi family. Riccardo Manfredi therefore became the third lord of Faenza on January 8, 1339. Riccardo died on August 23, 1340, and was therefore only able to exercise his rule for a little over a year.

Francesco Manfredi is the new master of Faenza

Riccardo Manfredi, the third lord of Faenza, left from his marriage to Diletta di Cunio, a daughter of Count Alberigo di Cunio, only one daughter, Rengarda Manfredi, who was her first marriage to Count Giovanni degli Ubaldini, co-lord of Cittá di Castello († after 1327) and was married to Azzo Alidosi, Lord of Imola, for the second time. His two sons, Giovanni (* 1324) and Guglielmo (* 1327) were not only born out of wedlock, but also too young to succeed him, which is why their grandfather Francesco Manfredi again took over the rule of Faenza, which he ruled from August 1340 to 1341.

Grandson Giovanni Manfredi becomes the fourth master of Faenza

Francesco Manfredi renounced the rule in Faenza in 1341 in favor of his grandson Giovanni Manfredi after he was legitimized by the Pope in 1339 and knighted by his father on August 21, 1340, two days before his death, and had meanwhile become of age. Giovanni Manfredi succeeded his grandfather as the 4th Lord of Faenza during his lifetime.

Death and afterlife of Francesco Manfredi

Francesco Manfredi died of old age in Faenza on May 29, 1343. A literary monument can be found in the main work of the poet Franco Sacchetti (1332–1400), Il Trecentonovelle , in novella no. 202, where Francesco Manfredi is mentioned as a just ruler. This assessment is likely to have been made to Sacchetti by the population when he himself was Podestà of Faenza during the reign of Astorgio I. Manfredi (1379-1404).

Marriage and offspring

Francesco Manfredi married Rengarda Malatesta († before 1311), a daughter of Malatesta da Verucchio , the Lord of Rimini (1295–1312) and his wife, Concordia dei Pandolfini, a daughter of Ser Pandolfino Pandolfini di Rinuccio di Signa (* around 1200, † around 1270), who took part in the Battle of Montaperti in 1260 , in which the troops of Ghibelline Siena defeated those of Guelfa Florence, and from 1269 was notary in Florence.

Legitimate children:

  • Alberghetto I. Manfredi († beheaded at Bologna November 18, 1329), 2nd "sovereign lord" of Faenza (1327-1328), ∞ Jacopa degli Ubaldini, a daughter of Count Giovanni degli Ubaldini, lord of Palazzuolo sul Senio (in the Province of Florence ) and Valmaggiore. (Progeny)
  • Malatestino Manfredi († 1336 in Bagnacavallo); 1335 "sovereign lord" of Bagnacavallo (in the province of Ravenna ), lord of Montemaggiore, Cavina etc., ∞ Ne, a woman of unknown origin, (descendants)
  • Riccardo Manfredi († August 23, 1340 in Faenza) 3rd sovereign lord of Faenza (1339-1340), ∞ Diletta di Cunio, a daughter of Count Alberico di Cunio (descendants of the later lords of Faenza)
  • Lisa Manfredi (test. 1368) ∞ Ruggero Guidi Count of Dovadola (in the province of Forlì-Cesena ) († September 1332)
  • Caterina Manfredi († young)
  • Onestina Manfredi, ∞ Arrighetto dei Rogati, Nobile di Padova
  • Margherita Manfredi, ∞ Manfredo Count of Cunio, Lord of Fusignano (in the province of Ravenna)

Out of wedlock children:

  • Beltramo Manfredi († beheaded January 17, 1363), ∞ Agnesina degli Accarisi, T. v. Marcolino degli Accarisi dei Signori di Ghiazzano
  • Nascimbene Manfredi († 1344 in Trivento), Bishop of Trivento (in the province of Campobasso ) (1334–1344), monk

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wolfgang Kuhoff: Manfredi. In: Volker Reinhardt (ed.): The great families of Italy (= Kröner's pocket edition. Volume 485). Kröner, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-520-48501-X , p. 331.
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Kuhoff: op. Cit. P. 331
  3. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: sardimpex.com@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.sardimpex.com
  4. ↑ Faenza nell'età dei Manfredi. Faenza Editrice 1990, p. 18.
  5. ↑ a b c d e Wolfgang Kuhoff: op.cit. P. 333
  6. ↑ Faenza nell'età dei Manfredi. P. 18.
  7. ↑ Faenza nell'età dei Manfredi. P. 43.
  8. ↑ a b c d e Faenza nell'età dei Manfredi. P. 18.
  9. ↑ a b http://www.sardimpex.com
  10. ↑ a b See the wiki article in Italian: Bertrando del Poggetto .
  11. ↑ Pandolfini family: prolocosigna.it
personal data
SURNAME Francesco I. Manfredi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian politician
DATE OF BIRTH around 1260
PLACE OF BIRTH Italy
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 1343
Place of death Faenza