Henry del Vasto (
Italia: ''Enrico del Vasto''), died before 1141 was a son of Manfred del Vasto,
margrave of Western
Liguria, and brother of
Adelaide, countess of
Sicily (1089–1117) and
Jerusalem (1112–1117) and of
Boniface, margrave of Savona and Western Liguria.
Early life
His father's family was a branch of the
Aleramici
The House of Aleramici were a medieval Italian noble family of Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern counties and marches, in Piedmont and Liguria from the tenth to the 14th centuries.
History
The founder of the family was William I of ...
, sharing a common descent from
Aleramo of Montferrat with the
Marquesses of Montferrat. His brothers founded the lines of the
Marquesses of Saluzzo, of
Busca, of
Lancia
Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...
, of
Ceva, and of
Savona
Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea.
Savona used to be one of the chie ...
.
Biography
He received
Paternò and Butera in
Sicily from either
Roger I of Sicily or Adelaide during her regency after 1101. He also married Flandina, a daughter of Roger and his second wife,
Eremburga of Mortain. He was considered the
count of
Lombards of Sicily and Aleramici branch of Sicily. His nephew,
Roger II, named one of his sons Henry after the child's great uncle. He was the founder of the Mazzarino family.
According to
Alexander of Telese, it was Henry's idea that Roger, who then ruled all of
Southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
and Sicily, should have the title of king and rule in
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
, where, he alleged, kings had ruled in the past. Roger was duly crowned in 1130.
Sources
*Carlo Alberto Garufi, ''Gli Aleramici e i Normanni in Sicilia e nelle Puglie'', in ''Centenario della nascita di Michele Amari'', I, Palermo 1910
*Pasquale Hamel, ''Adelaide del Vasto, Regina di Gerusalemme''. Palermo: Sellerio Editore, 1997.
Year of birth missing
Year of death unknown
12th-century Italian nobility
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