Gherardo III da Camino ( 1240 – 1306) was an Italian feudal lord and military leader. He is generally considered the most outstanding member in the

da Camino The da Camino (also known as Camino or Caminesi) were an Italian noble family whose fame is connected to the mediaeval history of the March of Treviso, a city of which they were lords for a while. History Of Lombard origin, the da Camino descend ...

family.

Biography

He was born in the family castle in Credazzo (or Padua), the second child of

Biaquino II da Camino Biaquino II da Camino (c. 1220 – July 1274) was an Italian nobleman and military leader, a member of the da Camino family and lord of Treviso. He is mentioned for the first time in 1233, when the family's lands near Treviso were confiscated after ...

and India da Camposampiero. When his father died in 1274, he became the sole heir of the family's lands. He had already been member of the City Council of

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...

and, in 1266, had received the seignory of

Feltre Feltre ( vec, Fèltre) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about from its junction with the Piave, and southwes ...

and

Belluno Belluno (; lld, Belum; vec, Belùn) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region ...

from the local bishop, which Gherardo was to hold until his death. A

guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

exponent, in 1278 he signed an alliance with Padua,

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

and

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

against the Ghibelline

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

. In the 1280s, he decided to try to conquer

, which was then in peace after the decline of the

da Romano The Ezzelini were a noble family in medieval Italy. The family was founded by Ecelo (Ezzelo), who received the fiefs of Romano d'Ezzelino and Onara * Ezzelino I da Romano (died 1189), called ''il Balbo'' ** Ezzelino II da Romano (died 1235), called ...

family. On November 15, after a city fight arranged by Gherardo, the Ghibellines (including the Castelli family) were expelled from Treviso; he was then elected '' capitano generale'', with total power over the city's statutes. Gherardo's first move was to attack the Castelli's castles of

Asolo Asolo () is a town and ''comune'' in the Veneto Region of northern Italy. It is known as "The Pearl of the province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings. History The town was originally a settlemen ...

Cornuda Cornuda is a ''comune'' with 6,325 inhabitants in the province of Treviso. Physical geography The territory of Cornuda, which extends to the right of the Piave, is largely hilly. The inhabited area insists on a roughly flat area, whose altitudes va ...

and Monleopardo, and to destroy their city residence by treason. Once in command of Treviso, Gherardo rewarded his supporters, in particular by giving back Camino and

Oderzo Oderzo ( la, Opitergium; vec, Oderso) is a ''comune'' with a population of 20,003 in the province of Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about to the northeast of Venice. Oderzo is crossed by the Montican ...

to his relatives Tolberto III and Biaquino VI da Camino. When the cession was declared illegal by the commune, the latter called in the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

by ceasing them

Motta di Livenza Motta di Livenza (or di Ligenda/ Ligondo·la/ Livanda·la, later Ligondza, then Livenza) is a town in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy. Twin towns Motta di Livenza is twinned with: * L'Isle-Jourdain, Gers, France * Cres, Croatia * Para ...

(1291): this was the first mainland possession of the Serenissima. Gherardo was a tyrannic but efficient administrator in Treviso, and increased its economic importance. He was also a patron of feasts and arts, housing in his courts numerous cultural figures, such as

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

and

Ferrarino da Ferrara Ferrari da Ferrara, fully Ferrarino (dei) Trogni da Ferrara, was a troubadour of Ferrara in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a composer, anthologist, and possibly autobiographer. He was one of the last active troubadours in Italy. ...

. His daughter,

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenog ...

, was a poet. His rule in Treviso was substantially peaceful, but he had to face an increasing number of plots, the last, in 1305, set up by his son Rizzardo, who had then a total control of Treviso due to Gherardo's declining health. Gherardo da Camino died in 1306 and was buried at Treviso in the Franciscan church of St. Francis, which he had contributed to build.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Camino, Gherardo 03 1240s births 1306 deaths Lords of Treviso 13th-century condottieri