Obizzo da Polenta (died 30 January 1431) was an Italian nobleman and politician and the 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 ...

of the

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 ...

family.

Biography

Obizzo da Polenta was the son of

Guido III da Polenta Guido III da Polenta (died 1389) was a lord of Ravenna, Italy and a member of the da Polenta family. He peacefully held the city's government for 30 years after the death of his father, Bernardino I. Guido married the daughter of Obizzo III d'E ...

, the Lord of

from 1359 to 1389. In 1389, Obizzo overthrew and imprisoned his father with the help of his brothers Bernardino, Ostasio, Aldobrandino, Azzo, and Pietro. After his father's death from starvation later that year, his brother Aldobrandino assumed power over the city. His other brothers died in the following years, although it has been suggested that they may have been assassinated by Obizzo himself. When his last brother, and Lord of Ravenna, Aldobrandino, died in 1406, Obizzo gained undisputed power over the city. In 1404, Obizzo signed a treaty 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, ...

. In exchange for Obizzo's role in the Venetian war against the

Carraresi The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405. Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, F ...

, Venice helped Obizzo fight against the Este of

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 ...

. During the Venetian war, Obizzo was imprisoned, but he was freed after payment of 8,000

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained ...

. In 1406, he asked Venice to send a ''

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 ...

'' in Ravenna as protection for him and his sons. In exchange for this protection, Ravennate lands fell under Venice's power. He was Lord of Revenna from 1406 to 1431. He died in 1431 and was succeeded by his son Ostasio under the Venetian regency. However, when Ostasio abandoned the alliance with Venice, they ousted him and annexed Ravenna.

External links

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Obizzo da Polenta
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polenta, Obizzo Da 1431 deaths Obizzo Italian assassins Assassins of heads of state 14th-century Italian nobility 15th-century Italian nobility Year of birth unknown Medieval assassins 14th-century murderers Lords of Ravenna Republic of Venice generals

Biography

Further reading

External links

References