Ostasio I da Polenta (died November 14, 1346) was lord of

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

from 1322 until his death. He was the son of Bernardino da Polenta, lord of

Cervia Cervia ( rgn, Zirvia) is a seaside resort town in the province of Ravenna, located in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Cervia is a major seaside resort in Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Its population was 28,700 at the 2018 census. ...

. On September 20, 1322 he profited from the absence of

Guido Novello da Polenta Guido II da Polenta (died 1330), also known as Guido Novello, was an Italian who served as lord of Ravenna from 1316 until 1322. The nephew of Lamberto I da Polenta, he acquired the lordship of the city after the latter's death. In 1316–1321 he ...

to seize power in

, killing the archbishop

Rinaldo da Polenta The da Polenta () or Polentani () were an old noble Italian family whose name derives from the Castle of Polenta near Bertinoro in Romagna. The founder of the house is said to have been Guido, surnamed "l'Antico" (the Elder), who wielded great a ...

. Four years later Ostasio had his uncle

Bannino da Polenta Bannino da Polenta (died 1326) was lord of Cervia from 1313 until his death. He was the son of Guido I da Polenta. In 1313 he succeeded his brother Bernardino as the lord of Cervia. Bernardino's son Ostasio, who had already seized the power in ...

, who held power in Cervia, killed, assuming thenceforth the lordship of that city also. Ostasio was also a patron of the arts, and housed

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...

in his court (1345–1346).

Pope Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII ( la, Benedictus XII, french: Benoît XII; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope. Benedict was a careful p ...

legitimised his power with the title Papal vicar, but soon afterwards Ostasio died, allegedly assassinated by his son Bernardino.

See also