Rainier or Renier (; c. 1084 – May 1135), son of William IV, Marquis of Montferrat, was the sixth ruler of the state of

Montferrat Montferrat ( , ; ; , ; ) is a historical region of Piedmont, in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, Alessandria and Province of Asti, Asti. Montferrat ...

in north-west Italy from about 1100 to his death, and the first such to be identified in contemporary documents as Margrave of Montferrat.

Life

Renier was a powerful lord in his own time, appearing extensively in the contemporary documentation. With him the

Aleramici The Aleramici were a Northern Italian noble and royal dynasty of Frankish origin which ruled various northwestern Italian territories in Piedmont and Liguria from the 10th to the 14th century, also reigning over the Kingdom of Jerusalem and th ...

of Montferrat first begin to throw off the shroud of obscurity and demonstrate a degree of influence in Italian politics. The beginning of his reign, nevertheless, is not clearly known, as he first appears in a document of 23 March 1111 as ''Raynerius de Monteferrato marchio''. He appears with this same title years later in 1126 and 1133 when, with other members of his family, he founded the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery of Santa Maria di Lucedio near Trino. Around the time of his appearance in the pages of history, c. 1111, Renier was a follower of the

Emperor Henry V Henry V (; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ruler by his father, Henry IV, in ...

. In that year he obtained an imperial concession for the citizens of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

: a diploma regarding the

Via Francigena The Via Francigena (), also known as Francisca or Romea, is an ancient road and Christian pilgrimage, pilgrimage route running from the City status in the United Kingdom#Cathedral towns, cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and ...

which passed through the town. Also that year, with his cousin Oberto I of Occimiano, he donated to the Chapter of Saint Evasius of Casale the church of San Martino di Zenzano ''infra castrum Aucimianum'' (in the castle of Occimiano). That this act took place in Occimiano testifies to the importance of that locality, which had in the past been the seat of kings. In 1113, Renier donated his portion of the Langiano to the monastery of San Secondo di Terra Rossa, affiliated with the Abbey of Fruttuaria. On 23 May 1116, Renier was present with the Emperor when the latter bestowed the castles of Celle, Frassinello, Fubine, and Cuccaro on his nephew Conrad and Guido Cane.

Family

In 1105, Renier married Gisela, daughter of

William I, Count of Burgundy William I (1020 – 12 November 1087), called the Great (''le Grand'' or ''Tête Hardie'', "the Stubborn"), was Count of Burgundy from 1057 to 1087 and Mâcon from 1078 to 1087. He was a son of Reginald I, Count of Burgundy and Alice of Normandy ...

, already the widow of Humbert II of Savoy and mother of

Adelaide of Maurienne Adelaide of Maurienne, also called Alix or Adele (1092 – 18 November 1154) was Queen of France as the second wife of King Louis VI (1115–1137). Family Adelaide was the daughter of Count Humbert II of Savoy and Gisela of Burgundy. Adelaide' ...

, who, in 1115, became the second queen of

Louis VI of France Louis VI (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat () or the Fighter (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Like his father Philip I of France, Philip I, Louis made a lasting contribution to centralizing ...

. Renier and Gisela had: *

William V William V may refer to: * William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969–1030) * William V of Montpellier (1075–1121) * William V, Marquess of Montferrat (1191) * William V, Count of Nevers (before 11751181) * William V, Duke of Jülich (1299–1361) * Will ...

, who succeeded to the march. *

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from . Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, Jean, and Jeanne. The earliest recorded occurrence of th ...

, who married William Clito,

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

, in 1127, and was widowed a year later *Matilda, who married Alberto Zueta, Margrave of Parodi *Adelasia, who became a nun * one possibly named Isabella, who married Guido, Count of Biandrate (although it is possible that this may be a second marriage of Joanna)

References

Sources

* * * * Usseglio, Leopoldo. ''I Marchesi di Monferrato in Italia ed in Oriente durante i secoli XII e XIII''. 1926.
‘Ranieri’
freely adapted by Roberto Maestri from Aldo di Ricaldone, ''Annali del Monferrato (951–1708)'', and published online by the ''circolo culturale'' I Marchesi del Monferrato. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rainier of Montferrat 1080s births 1135 deaths 12th-century Italian nobility Marquesses of Montferrat Aleramici Lucedio Abbey