Giovanni di Vico (died 1366) was an Italian

Ghibelline The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...

leader, lord of

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

Vetralla Vetralla is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, in central Italy, south of that city, located on a shoulder of Monte Fogliano. History Vetralla's dominating fortified position in the heart of Etruscan territories has been contin ...

, Orvieto,

Narni Narni (in Latin, Narnia) is an ancient hilltown and ''comune'' of Umbria, in central Italy, with 19,252 inhabitants (2017). At an altitude of 240 m (787 ft), it overhangs a narrow gorge of the Nera River in the province of Terni. ...

and numerous other lands in northern

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

. He is the most famous member of the

Prefetti di Vico The Prefetti di Vico were an Italian noble family, of German origin, who established themselves in Rome from the 10th century. They obtained the title of ''praefect urbis'' (prefect of the city) by the Holy Roman Emperor. The rest of the name d ...

family.

Biography

Giovanni is mentioned for the first time in 1322. In 1337 he inherited the charge of prefect of Rome from his father Manfredi. The following year he entered Viterbo, killing his brother Faziolo, who had remained loyal to the Pope. Giovanni was named Imperial vicar of Latium by emperor

Louis IV of Bavaria Louis IV (german: Ludwig; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian, of the house of Wittelsbach, was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328. Louis' election as king of Germany in ...

, confirmed in 1342 by

Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bl ...

. However, increasing contrasts with the latter drove him to an open rebellion in 1344, in which he expanded his lordship. After a short reconciliation, in 1347

Cola di Rienzo Nicola Gabrini (1313 8 October 1354), commonly known as Cola di Rienzo () or Rienzi, was an Italian politician and leader, who styled himself as the "tribune of the Roman people". Having advocated for the abolition of temporal papal power a ...

, senator of Rome, declared Giovanni a rebel and waged war against him. Assailed by 7,000 men, he was forced to sue for a surrender, and to renounce his title of prefect. Giovanni was again arrested in Rome, twice, but was freed with the fall of Cola di Rienzo. He thenceforth continued his ruthless policy of ravages against the Papal territories, refusing always to present himself in Avignon to respond for his deeds. In 1352 the Papal army attacked Viterbo; Giovanni resisted successfully in a siege of seven months, but was excommunicated. He was also initially victorious against Gil de Albornoz, the skillful Cardinal sent by Pope

Innocent VI Pope Innocent VI ( la, Innocentius VI; 1282 or 1295 – 12 September 1362), born Étienne Aubert, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 December 1352 to his death in September 1362. He was the fifth Avignon pope a ...

to conquer back the usurped territories of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

, but in 1354 he was decisively defeated near Orvieto. After a short resistance in Viterbo, he surrendered and swore loyalty to Albornoz and the Church. In March 1355 he accompanied Charles IV of Bohemia to Rome for his coronation as Holy Roman Emperor. Taking advantage of Charles' protection, he tried to spur new rebellions in the Papal territories, but was always countered by Albornoz. He continued to rage sporadically in Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria, and died in April 1366, excommunicated by the Church. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vico, Giovanni 1366 deaths Lords of Italy 14th-century condottieri People excommunicated by the Catholic Church Year of birth unknown