Boniface III Palaeologus (10 August 1426 – 1494) was
Marquis of Montferrat
The marquises and dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po River, Po and east of Turin. The March of Montferrat was created by Berengar II of Italy in 950 during a redistribution of power in the northwest o ...
from 1483 until his death.
Biography
Boniface was the son of marquis
John Jacob and Joanna of Savoy. He succeeded his brother
William VIII who had got involved in the
War of Ferrara. When the conflict's eastern front settled, Boniface had to face the advance of the
Dukes of Savoy
The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...
. Boniface signed a treaty of non-belligerence, and had his niece Bianca married to Duke
Charles I of Savoy. He also conceded to the latter the title of Montferrat in case he would die without a male heir.
This decision was spurred by the assassination of Scipione Palaiologos, the illegitimate son of
John IV of Montferrat who tried to gain the throne, at
Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato () is a town in the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, northwestern Italy, in the province of Alessandria. It is situated about east of Turin on the right bank of the Po River, Po, where the river runs at the foot of the Montfe ...
by his relative
Ludovico II, Marquis of Saluzzo, who was also a candidate to the succession. Boniface sided the House of Savoy in the war against Saluzzo of 1486, and occupied several lands in the
Langhe
The Langhe (; ''Langa'' is from old dialect Mons Langa et Bassa Langa) is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the provinces of Cuneo and Asti in Piedmont, northern Italy.
It is famous for its wines, cheeses, and truffles†...
belonging to Ludovico II.
Boniface married three times, the first with Orvietana di Campofregoso, daughter of
Pietro Campofregoso,
doge of Genoa
The Doge of Genoa ( ) was the head of state of the Republic of Genoa, a city-state and soon afterwards a Maritime republics, maritime republic, from 1339 until the state's extinction in 1797. Originally elected for life, after 1528 the Doge (ti ...
. His second wife was Helena of Brosse, a daughter of
John II of Brosse. His brother William would later marry her sister Bernarda of Brosse.
His third wife was
Maria of Serbia, daughter of despot
Stefan Branković
Stefan Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Бранковић; c. 1417 – 9 October 1476), also known in historiography as Stefan the Blind (Стефан Слепи), was briefly the despot (ruler) of the Serbian Despotate between 1458 and 1459. ...
of
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. He had two sons from his last marriage.
At his death, Boniface was succeeded by his eldest son
William IX (1486–1518), who became Marquis of Montferrat between 1494 and 1518.
His other son
John George (1488–1533) became the last Marquis of Montferrat between 1530 and 1533.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Boniface 03 of Montferrat
1464 births
1494 deaths
Boniface 3
Marquesses of Montferrat