William VIII Palaiologos (Italian: ''Guglielmo VIII Paleologo''; 19 July 1420 – 27 February 1483) was the

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 1464 until his death. He was the second son of Marquis John Jacob and Joanna of Savoy, daughter of

Amadeus VI of Savoy Amadeus VI (4 January 1334 – 1 March 1383), nicknamed the Green Count () was Count of Savoy from 1343 to 1383. He was the eldest son of Aymon, Count of Savoy, and Yolande Palaeologina of Montferrat. Though he began his rule under a regency, ...

. William inherited the Marquisate after the death of his elder brother John IV. He obtained, by Emperor Frederick III, the territories lost to

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

from 1435. William served as

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

for

Francesco I Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) Duke of Milan, duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and fought alongside him at the

battle of Caravaggio A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

(1448) and was afterwards rewarded with the lordship of

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

. In 1449, William was accused of treachery and imprisoned by Francesco Sforza. The reason was said to because he had formed an attachment to Sforza's wife Bianca Maria Visconti. He was released a year later. Angry over his treatment by Sforza, William encouraged his brother John IV of Montferrat and relative Louis of Savoy to make war on Sforza (and Milan), and then he himself would lead the troops in battle. This attempt failed. William later became a tutor to the couple's son Galeazzo Maria. Following his assassination, William held several positions in the Duchy of Milan.

Marriages and issue

William had three wives. On 19 January 1465, he married Marie de Foix (1452 - May 1468), daughter of

Gaston IV, Count of Foix Gaston IV (27 November 1422 – 25 or 28 July 1472) was the sovereign Viscount of Béarn and the Count of Foix and Bigorre in France from 1436 to 1472. He also held the viscounties of Marsan, Castelbon, Nébouzan, Villemeur and Lautrec and ...

and Eleonor of Navarre. They had a daughter: * Giovanna of Montferrat (1467 - 1490). She married

Ludovico II of Saluzzo Ludovico II del Vasto (23 March 1438 in Saluzzo – 27 January 1504) was marquess of Saluzzo from 1475 until his death. Before his accession as marquis he held the title of Count of Carmagnola. Biography Ludovico was the son of Ludovico I of Sal ...

. On 18 July 1469 he married Elisabetta Maria Sforza (1456 - 1472), daughter of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, and

Bianca Maria Visconti Bianca Maria Visconti (31 March 1425 – 28 October 1468) also known as Bianca Maria Sforza or Blanca Maria was Duchess of Milan from 1450 to 1468 by marriage to Francesco I Sforza. She was regent of Marche during the absence of her spouse in 14 ...

. They had a daughter: * Blanche of Montferrat (1472 - 1519). Her mother died in childbirth. She married

Charles I of Savoy Charles I (28 March 1468 – 13 March 1490), called the Warrior, was the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490. Life Charles was son of Amadeus IX, Duke of Savoy, and Yolande of ...

. On 19 September 1474, he married Bernarde of Brosse (1450 - 1485), daughter of

John II of Brosse Jean II de Brosse, also Jehan II de Brosse (1432 – 6 August 1482), was the elder son of Jean I de Brosse, Marshal of France. He would become chamberlain of the king of France in 1449. He married Nicole, Countess of Penthièvre, daughter of Ch ...

and

Nicole, Countess of Penthièvre Nicole (c. 1424after 3 January 1480) was Countess of Penthièvre from 1454 until her death. Biography Nicole was the daughter of Charles, Seigneur d'Avaugour, and Isabeau de Vivonne. Her father was the third son of John I, Count of Penthièvre ...

. They no had issue. William had also at least three illegitimate children: * Annibale (1460 - 2 February 1523). Lord of Frassinello and abbott of Lucedio; * Lucrezia (died in 1508). She married firstly Giovanni Bartolomeo del Carretto and secondly

Rinaldo d'Este Rinaldo d'Este may refer to: * Rinaldo d'Este (1221-1251) (1221-1251), son of Azzo VII d'Este *Rinaldo d'Este (1618-1672) (1618–1672), cardinal between 1641 and 1672 *Rinaldo d'Este (1655–1737) Rinaldo d'Este (26 April 1655 – 26 Octob ...

, natural son of Niccolò III Este; * Margherita. She married Hector de Monteynard (murdered on 31 July 1501).

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:William Viii, Marquis Of Montferrat 1420 births 1483 deaths 15th-century condottieri William 8 Marquesses of Montferrat