Secondotto Palaeologus (also Otho or Ottone; died 16 December 1378) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1372 to his death, the third of the House of Palaeologus-Montferrat. His name Secondotto may derive from his being the second Otto to rule Montferrat in his own right, though he would really be Otto III. More probably it is derived from Saint Secundus (San Secondo in Italian), the patron saint of Asti, which his father treated as the capital of the marquisate.[1] The Otto may be in honour of Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, a close ally of his father.[2]
He was born around 1360 as the first son of John II and Isabella of Majorca.[2] In December 1361, as part of a peace deal made between John II and Galeazzo II Visconti, co-lord of Milan, he was betrothed to the latter's four-year-old daughter Maria. The city of Asti, on which Galeazzo had also had designs, was to count as part of Maria's dowry, and Montferrat would be allowed to retain control of it. The peace was short-lived, however, as Maria died in the May of the following year.[2][3]
He succeeded as a child of around 12, and ruled originally under the co-regency of his uncle Otto, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen, and Amadeus VI of Savoy. His father's will had stipulated that he should remain under his uncle's tutelage until the age of 25; however Otto left for Naples in 1376 to marry Queen Joan I.[4]
When Otto of Brunswick's brother attacked and seized Asti, Secondotto called in the aid of his father-in-law, who, with a huge force, retook Asti and maintained it under Milanese control. Secondotto realised at that juncture the danger of his Milanese alliance, but by then it was too late. He gathered a force and led it against the Milanese troops and was defeated. Probably out of fear, he retreated to an unknown destination. He died at Langhirano in the vicinity of Parma in obscure circumstances: he may simply have been the loser in a brawl (he was famously ill-tempered and violent), or he may have been assassinated by an agent of the Visconti. His body was carried to Parma and buried before the high altar of the cathedral.[4][5]
When his uncle received news of his death, he returned at once to the margraviate to handle the succession. He placed Secondotto's brother John III on the Montferrat throne. Despite the involvement of Emperor-elect Wenceslaus, the negotiations which Otto opened with Gian Galeazzo over the recovery of Asti were fruitless.[4]
↑ John II of Montferrat stipulated in his will that he should be buried in a new chapel in the church of S. Secondo. The will is reproduced in Benvenuto Sangiorgio, Cronica, ed. by Giuseppe Vernazza (Turin: 1780), pp. 209–224; see p. 222.
↑ Benvenuto Sangiorgio, Cronica, ed. by Giuseppe Vernazza (Turin: 1780), pp. 103.
1 2 3 4 Roberto Maestri, ‘Secondotto’, Circolo culturale: I Marchesi del Monferrato. (The text is apparently extracted from Roberto Maestri Cenni storici sui Marchesi Paleologi di Monferrato (1306–1536), Edizioni Circolo Culturale I Marchesi del Monferrato (Genoa: Tipografia Brigati, 2006, pp. 4–5.)
Asti is a comune (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italian region of Piedmont, about 55 kilometres east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deemed to be the modern capital of Montferrat.
The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist.
Montferrat is a historical region of Piedmont in Northern Italy. It comprises roughly the modern provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Montferrat is one of the most important wine districts of Italy. It also has a strong literary tradition, including the 18th century Asti-born poet and dramatist Vittorio Alfieri and the Alessandrian Umberto Eco.
The Duchy of Milan was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277.
Rainier or Renier, son of William IV, Marquis of Montferrat, was the sixth ruler of the state of 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.
Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he and Galeazzo II were rumoured to have murdered their brother Matteo since he endangered the regime. When Galeazzo II died, he shared Milan's lordship with his nephew Gian Galeazzo. Bernabò was a ruthless despot toward his subjects and did not hesitate to face emperors and popes, including Pope Urban V. The conflict with the Church caused him several excommunications. On 6 May 1385, his nephew Gian Galeazzo deposed him. Imprisoned in his castle, Trezzo sull'Adda, he died a few months later, presumably from poisoning.
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Facino Cane da Casale, born Bonifacio Cane, was an Italian condottiero.
Theodore II Palaeologus was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1381.
John II Palaeologus was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1338.
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John George of Monferrat was the last Marquis of Montferrat of the Palaeologus-Montferrat family.
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Margaret from the House of Palaeologus-Montferrat, was daughter of the marquess of Montferrat and lady of Acqui. By her marriage, she became countess of Urgell.
The Paleologo-Oriundi are an Italian family which dubiously claims descent from Flaminio Paleologo, an illegitimate son of John George Palaeologus, Marquis of Montferrat 1530–1533. John George's family, the Palaeologus-Montferrat family descended from Theodore Palaiologos, a son of Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. Though portions of their recent claimed ancestry are documented, contradictions in their genealogy exist and their descent remains incompletely verified and disputed, with some genealogists wholly dismissing their claims. If they were to be genuine, the Paleologo-Oriundi would be male-line descendants of the last dynasty of Byzantine emperors, though they would not be considered part of that dynasty proper on account of their descent through an illegitimate son.
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