Calega Panzano, Panzan, or Panza (1229/1230 – after 1313) was a Genoese merchant, politician and man of letters. Calega probably belonged to the Genoese Panzano family. He had a brother named Corrado (Conrad). He is first mentioned in contemporary documents on 6 July 1248, during the war with the

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jer ...

, when he was probably just eighteen years old, the minimum age for signing official acts in Genoa. On 8 October 1252 he and his brother appear involved in the cloth trade for the first time. The Panzano brothers eventually extended their operations as far afield as

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

Lagny-sur-Marne Lagny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Lagny on Marne'') is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France from the centre of Paris. The commune of Lagny-sur-Marne is part of the ...

Provins Provins () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and importance throughout the Middle Ages as an economic center and a host of annu ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, and

Outremer The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political in ...

(Syria). Calega wrote a ''

sirventes The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours. The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...

'' in Occitan called ''Ar es sazos c'om si deu alegrar'' discussing the evils of the clergy of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

and their support for

Charles 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) ...

in his bid for an Italian throne. Charles was besieging Sant'Ellero at the time (17 April 1267). In the ''sirventes'' Calega celebrates the coming of

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 ...

and his army and the efforts of Arrigo di Castiglia, son of

Ferdinand III of Castile Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguel ...

, in early 1268 against the Angevins. Calega was a staunch Ghibelline. A Genoese document from March that year records the planning stages of Genoese involvement in Conradin's war against the Angevins, stating that "the great men (magnates) of Genoa, that is, the Spinola, the

Doria Doria or Dória may refer to: People Surname * Doria (family), a prominent Genoese family ** Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese admiral ** Ansaldo Doria, 12th century Genoese statesman and commander ** Brancaleone Doria (died c. 1409?), husband ...

, the Castello and others came to talk amongst themselves, giving each other honour as seemed fitting" (''magnates Janue scilicet de Spinulis de Auria de Castello et alii venerunt ad cum loquentes sibi et faciendo sibi honorem sicut decuit''). Calega and Corrado were both councillors of the Genoese

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

at the time and were doubtless among those who flocked to Conradin's banner. The first lines from his ''sirventes'' bespeak his attitude towards Charles and the Church which supported him: Calega attacked the Church for declaring a

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

against Christians and neglecting the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

(where he had economic interests). Calega attacked Charles of Anjou personally for his alleged cruelty to fellow Christians and for his truce with the

Saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

Lucera Lucera ( Lucerino: ) is an Italian city of 34,243 inhabitants in the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia, and the seat of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia. Located upon a flat knoll in the Tavoliere Plains, near the foot of Daunian Mount ...

, whom he granted freedom of religious practice while Crusading against political foes in northern Italy. Calega's charge, however, that the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

had any part in the truce with the Saracens of Lucera is probably false. Calega married a woman named Giovanna and had two sons, Giovanni and Giacomino. He died after 1313 and probably at greater than eighty years of age.

Sources

*Bertoni, Giulio. ''I Trovatori d'Italia: Biografie, testi, tradizioni, note''. Rome: Società Multigrafica Editrice Somu, 1967

915 Year 915 ( CMXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Battle of Garigliano: The Christian League, personally led by Pope John X, lays s ...

*Throop, Palmer A
"Criticism of Papal Crusade Policy in Old French and Provençal."
'' Speculum'', 13:4 (Oct., 1938), pp. 379–412. {{DEFAULTSORT:Panzan, Calego 13th-century Genoese people 13th-century Italian troubadours 14th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain