Martino della Torre (died 1263) was an Italian
condottiero and statesman.
Early life
Martino della Torre was a son of Jacopo della Torre and a nephew of Pagano I, who established the power of the
della Torre The House of Della Torre (Torriani or Thurn) were an Italian noble family who rose to prominence in Lombardy during the 12th–14th centuries, until they held the lordship of Milan before being ousted by the Visconti.
History
The family originall ...
family (also known as Torriani) in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. In 1241, he opposed the nomination as
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 ...
of the city of Paola Soresina. He married his sister, with whom he had no children.
Career
Leader of the popular party, in 1259 he was elected in the Council of the Elder, but when he abused his power, the ousted nobles called the
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
Ezzelino III da Romano
Ezzelino III da Romano (25 April 1194, Tombolo7 October 1259) was an Italian feudal lord, a member of the Ezzelino family, in the March of Treviso (in modern Veneto). He was a close ally of the emperor Frederick II ( r. 1220–1250), and ruled ...
to fight him. The latter was defeated at
Cassano d'Adda
Cassano d'Adda (Milanese: ; Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, Italy, located on the right side of the Adda River. It is on the border of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the province of Ber ...
by the Guelph league led by Martino and
Oberto Pallavicino: della Torre obtained the estates of
Lodi,
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...
,
Vercelli
Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...
and
Bergamo.
He subsequently struggled against the election of
Ottone Visconti
Ottone Visconti (1207 8 August 1295) was Archbishop of Milan and List of rulers of Milan#Before dukedom, Lord of Milan, the first of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti line. Under his rule, the medieval commune, commune of Milan became a strong Gue ...
as archbishop of Milan by
Pope Urban IV
Pope Urban IV ( la, Urbanus IV; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death. He was not a cardinal; only a few popes since his time hav ...
, but ended up succeeding. After defeating the allies of the Visconti, he received the ruler of
Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...
.
Death
Martino della Torre probably died in
Lodi, Lombardy on 20 November 1263 and he was buried at the
Abbazia di Chiaravalle alongside his father and Pagano.
References
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torre, Martino della
13th-century condottieri
Rulers of Milan
Year of birth missing
1263 deaths
Martino della Torre