Mastino I della Scala (died 26 October 1277accademiafabioscolari.it
/ref>), born Leonardo or Leonardino, was an Italian ''

condottiero ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Euro ...

,'' who founded the Scaliger house of

Lords of Verona The Lords of Verona ruled the city from 1260 until 19 October 1387 and for ten days in 1404. The lordship was created when Mastino I della Scala was raised to the rank of '' capitano del popolo'' from that of ''podestà''. His descendants, the Sca ...

. The son of

Jacopino della Scala Jacopino della Scala (died 1215), an Italian merchant and politician, was a member of the Scaliger family of future lords of Verona. He was the son of Leonardo della Scala, and also the grandson of Karafina Gambarelli and her husband Balduino ...

, 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 Cerea in 1259, and then ''podestà'' of Verona. Ezzelino III da Romano, the chief Ghibelline leader of northern Italy, died that year, and Mastino inherited his role. In 1260 he obtained the position of '' capitano del popolo'' ("people's captain") of Verona, managing to establish a hereditary seigniory, with a generally Ghibelline stance, from 1263. In the following year he led the Veronese army to the conquest of Lonigo and Montebello, menacing

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

. He was also able to shortly annex the lands of the

bishop of Trent The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Trento ( la, Archidioecesis Tridentina, German Trient), in the Triveneto, is a Latin Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese named after its see in Alpine Italy, Trento (Tr(i)ent), in Trentino-Alto Adige region. Th ...

. Mastino also obtained an agreement with 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 ...

which granted to the Veronese free access to trades on the

Adige River The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the pr ...

and signed a treaty of peace with the

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 ...

city of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

. In 1267, when

Conradin Conrad III (25 March 1252 – 29 October 1268), called ''the Younger'' or ''the Boy'', but usually known by the diminutive Conradin (german: link=no, Konradin, it, Corradino), was the last direct heir of the House of Hohenstaufen. He was Duke ...

, last of the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynas ...

, descended into Italy to reconquer the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

, Mastino allied with him. Pope Clement IV, ally of the current King of Naples

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Conradin and all his Ghibelline supporters, including Mastino and Verona itself. The excommunication was raised only when, a few years later, 166 Cathars captured in

Sirmione Sirmione (Brescian: ; vec, Sirmion) is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is bounded by Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy) and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona and the region of Veneto. It has a his ...

were publicly burnt alive in the

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...

. During the lord's absence, a civil war broke out, spurred by the counts of San Bonifacio, who managed to capture most of Scaliger's garrisons. Mastino's brother Bocca died during the fighting. Mastino's reaction was however stiff, and he soon defeated the rebels. He also managed to impose his brother Alberto as ''podestà'' of Mantua, which had been the traditional supporter of the Veronese anti-Scaliger exiles. Mastino was assassinated in Verona in 1277 by a member of the local

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

who was averse to the rule of the Scaliger; the alleged involvement of Alberto in the conspiracy is unproven. Alberto himself was able to maintain the seigniory.

References

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scala, Mastino I Della Scala, Mastino 1 Scala, Mastino 1 Mastino 1 Scala, Mastino 1 Scala, Mastino 1 Scala, Mastino 1 Lords of Verona