Malatestino Malatesta (also known as ''Malatesta I'' (or ''II'') ''Malatesta'', nicknamed ''Il Guercio'' (English: the War-ish; the Warlike) or ''dell'Occhio'' (English: "of the Eye"); died 14 October 1317) was the lord of

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

from 1312 until his death. He was the son of

Malatesta da Verucchio Malatesta da Verucchio (1212–1312) was the founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a notable ''condottiero.'' He was born in Verucchio. He was the son of Malatesta della Penna (1183-1248). He was the leader of the Guelphs in Romag ...

, inheriting the lordship after his death. He was also the brother of Gianciotto Malatesta, husband of Francesca da Rimini, and of Paolo Malatesta. Malatestino is mentioned by

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

in his ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' (XVII, 48-48; and XVIII, 76-84), described as a tyrant like his father, and as the assassin of Guido del Cassero and Angiolello da Carignano. But there is no historical information on these characters. Dante presents the news as a prophecy by the sower of discord, Pier da Medicina, that they, the best of

Fano Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the '' Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by po ...

, must beware of Malatestino I Malatesta, tyrant of Rimini, who will kill them by ''mazzeratura'' (drowning in leaded bags) near

Cattolica Cattolica (; rgn, Catòlga) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Rimini, Italy, with 16,233 inhabitants as of 2007. History Archaeological excavations show that the area was already settled in Roman times. Cattolica rose as a resting pl ...

. The lack of any archive source on such an incident made some Dante commentators even think that here Piero wanted to perpetrate his sin as a sower of discord by putting tares between the two of Fano and the lord of Rimini. But Dante's preciseness has more of a taste of revelation and since it is a serious allegation, it may be that, as in other cases, the power of the persons concerned has covered up any mention in contemporary documents. He was ''

podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

'' of

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...

(1290–1295), ''

capitano del popolo Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian ...

'' of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

in 1296, ''podestà'' of Rimini (1302) and ''capitano del popolo'' of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

(1303). In 1312 he became lord of Rimini, to which he subsequently added Cesena and

Jesi Jesi, also spelled Iesi (), is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriatic ...

. Malatestino was succeeded laterally by his brother Pandolfo I. The claims of Malatestino's own son Ferrantino would have to wait.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malatesta, Malatestino Malatesta, Malatesta 1 Malatesta, Malatesta 1 Malatesta, Malatesta 1 Malatesta 1