Ezzelino III da Romano

Ezzelino III da Romano

The most well-known character of Ezzelini family, conqueror, tyrannor more feared than the devil

Ezzelino III da Romano (Romano d’Ezzelino April 25, 1194 – Soncino September 27, 1259), married in 1221 with Zilia, sister of count Sambonifacio, which repudiates; in 1238 with Selvaggia, Legitimate daughter of Frederick II of Svevia; in 1244 with Isotta Lancia, who died in 1254; in 1249 with Beatrice, daughter of count of Castelnuovo Buontraverso de’ Maltraversi; has only one natural son, Peter, who imprisoned in 1246 in the castle of
Ezzelino III da RomanoAngarano. He turned out to be a skilled leader already in his early years and in 1223, after the retirement of his father Ezzelino II, the “Monk”, with the division of his father’s property with his brother Alberico, he had the territories of Bassano, Marostica and all Castles of the Euganean hills. Person with extraordinary inclination to the war, resistant to all the fatigue and scorn of danger, cold and insensitive, with a high level of cruelty, perhaps higher than the one already high of his time. Thanks to his ability to take advantage of his opportunities, he becomes the commander of the Ghibellines of northern Italy.

From 1225 to 1230 Ezzelino III da Romano was the podestà and captain of the people of Verona and in those years refused the request for clemency for Rizzardo di Sambonifacio by Sant’Antonio di Padova. After an initial approach to the Lombard League, he stays with Emperor Federico II of Svevia, becoming Imperial Vicar in Lombardy; with this position marks the end of municipal freedom in northern Italy, submitting to his will all municipalities. In 1233 he destroyed the castle of Caldiero (VR); in 1236 Federico II sacked Vicenza and gave it to govern Ezzelino, which in 1237 also had Padua, a city much more rich and powerful and, to dump it, he arrest all the important people of the town, destroying their propertyes and enlist the remaining young citizens in military army; later, without trusting them, he will put them in his scattered prisons and eliminate all, about ten thousand. In the same year he wins Cortenuova against the Lombard Communes, and Federico II gives him as bride, Selvaggia, a natural daughter who dies very young. In 1242 he conquered and burns Montagnana, then an Este property. Frederick II dies in 1250 but this does not preclude Ezzelino III’s career which in 1254 is also excommunicated by Pope Alessandro IV (Rinaldo Ezzelino III da RomanoSegni) hoping to curb his power. In 1256, the archbishop of Ravenna Filippo, commissioned Azzo VII d’Este, Podesta of Ferrara, to prepare a league against Ezzelino, to which take part Venice, Bologna, Mantua, Count of San Bonifacio and various other. While Ezzelino is busy in the assault of Brescia, the League takes over Padua in 1256 but, due to lack of cohesion, has no stable results and in the while Ezzelino conquers Brescia in 1258. In 1259 he was called to Milan by the Ghibellines to fight the Guelphs; his plan is to assemble a large army in the Brescia area with which to devastate the Lombardy countryside and force the Milan militants to leave the city at that point, with the help of some traitorous citizens, to enter the city remained without protection. Ezzelino’s plan, however, fails because he is betrayed and, once in front of Milan, finds the doors closed with the army of the guelph league behind, then moves towards Cassano d’Adda but finds there Oberto II Pallavicino at the head of the Cremona army, Azzo VII d’Este with the Ferraris and the Mantuvans, who had settled there before thus preventing him from retiring and the fierce battle that arises, Ezzelino III was hurt and captured, then carried into jail at Soncino; Dies on 27 September 1259 at 65 years, refusing sacraments and medicines, it seems of septicemia after removing the bandages. It is buried at Soncino but it is not known exactly where his tomb is, which is mentioned in a visit by Emperor Henry IV in 1311, but from that moment disappears; it seems like a tombstone still existing in the commune’s house had been deposited in the town hall but the building was restored and the ark was no longer there.

Many people talked about of Ezzelino III da Romano savagery and has gone to history as “feared more than the devil”, but contrary to it he is also described by others as politically and militarily shrewd and capable, he had certainly attracted much unpopularity. Among the chroniclers of that time telling about Ezzelino there are: Rolandino da Padova, writes a history of the Ezzelino years presented in 1262 in Padua; Dante Alighieri inserts him into the XII song of his Inferno; Albertino Mussato, paduan and contemporary of Dante, dedicates him his tragedy “Eccerinide”; and many others.