Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat
Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat
The Byzantine double-headed eagle of the Palaiologos dynasty.
The Marquises and Dukes of Montferrat were the rulers of a territory in Piedmont south of the Po and east of Turin called Montferrat. The March of Montferrat was a frontier march of the Kingdom of Italy during the Middle Ages and a state of the Holy Roman Empire. The first Marquis of Montferrat was Aleramo (d. 991) who married Adelaide of Burgundy, wife of Otto the Great from 951 and previous wife of Lothair II, and also daughter of Rudolph II of Burgundy. Aleram's descendants were relatively obscure until the time of Rainier, Marquis of Montferrat (c. 1084 – May 1135), in the early twelfth century. Renier married Gisela, daughter of William I, Count of Burgundy, already the widow of Humbert II of Savoy and mother of Adelaide of Maurienne, who, in 1115, became the second queen of Louis VI of France.
About 1133, Rainier's son William V, Marquis of Montferrat (c. 1115 – 1191), married Judith of Babenberg, a half-sister of King Conrad III of Germany and Frederick II, Duke of Swabia, father of Frederick Barbarossa, and so greatly increased his family's prestige. Judith’s sister Agnes of Babenberg married Wladyslaw II of Poland, whose daughter Richeza of Poland married Alfsonso VII of Leon and Castile, whose daugther Sacha married Alfonso II of Aragon, patron of Guyot of Provins, a source of the Grail legends of Wolfram von Eschenbach. William V entered into the Italian policies of Conrad III and the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, setting a Ghibelline precedent for his successors, and with his sons became involved in the Crusades.
William V’s son Marquess Boniface I (c. 1150 – 1207) was the leader of the Fourth Crusade. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1204, Boniface was assumed to be the new emperor, but the Venetians vetoed him and chose Baldwin of Flanders instead. Boniface I established the Kingdom of Thessalonica in the Latin Empire of Greece. In the thirteenth century, Montferrat waffled between the Guelph and Ghibelline alliances under Boniface I’s grandson Boniface II (1202 – 1253) and his son William VII (c. 1240 – 1292). William VII allied with Alfonso X of Castile, known as el Astrologo (“the Astrologer”) who had declared himself the heir of Manfred of Sicily and therefore of the Emperor Frederick II, as the leaders of an anti-Angevin coalition. In order to cement the alliance also with the Spanish king, the William VII married Alfonso X’s daughter Beatrice, whose daughter Irene of Montferrat married Andronikos II Palaiologos. Their son Demetrios Palaiologos (1297–1343), was the father of Irene Palaiologina, Empress consort of Matthew Kantakouzenos. The paternal uncles of Irene included Michael IX Palaiologos and Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat, whose daughter Yolande married Aimone, Count of Savoy
In 1305, the last Aleramici margrave died and Montferrat was inherited by the Greek imperial Palaiologos dynasty, who held it until 1533. In that year, Montferrat was seized by the Spanish under Emperor Charles V of Habsburg, who restored it to Federico II, Duke of Mantua (1500 – 1540) from the House of Gonzaga in 1536. Federico was the son of Francesco II Gonzaga and Isabella d’Este, sister-in-law of the notorious Lucrezia Borgia. Federico II’s brother was Ferrante Gonzaga (1507 – 1557), was a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece as was as a purported Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. Federico II married Margaret Paleologa, the daughter of William IX of Montferrat, and their son Ludovico Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers (1539 – 1595), was supposedly succeeded his uncle as Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. Federico II dopted double-headed eagle as his heraldic symbol. His son Margrave William X was elevated to a Duke of Montferrat in 1574 and the “march” ceased to exist as an entity, though it had already undergone the significant change from a feudal collection of frontier counties to one of the petty states of Renaissance Italy, divided into two separated territories.
Rudolph I of Burgundy + Guilla of Provence
Rudolph II of Burgundy + Bertha of Swabia
Conrad I of Burgundy + Matilda (daughter of Louis IV of France and Gerberga of Saxony)
Adelaide of Burgundy + ALERAMO, MARQUIS OF MONTFERRAT
Otto I, Marquis of Montferrat + unnamed wife
William III, Marquis of Montferrat + Waza
Otto II, Marquis of Montferrat + Constance of Savoy (daughter of Amadeus II of Savoy)
William IV, Marquis of Montferrat + Otta di Aglié
Rainier, Marquis of Montferrat + Gisela of Burgundy (see below)
Willa of Burgundy + Boso, Margrave of Tuscany
Adalbert of Italy + Gerberga of Mâcon
Otto-William, Count of Burgundy and of Macon + Ermentrude de Roucy
Renaud I + Alice of Normandy (d. of Richard II, Duke of Normandy)
William I, Count of Burgundy + “Stephanie”
Reginald II, Count of Burgundy
Stephen I, Count of Burgundy + Beatrix of Lorraine
Isabella + Hugh, Count of Champagne (Templars, s-b of Stephen of Blois f. of Henry of Blois)
Reginald III, Count of Burgundy + Agatha of Lorraine
Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy + Frederick Barbarossa
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor + Constance of Sicily (d. of Roger II of Sicily)
Raymond of Burgundy + Urraca of Leon and Castile
Alfonso VII of León and Castile (founder of the ORDER OF CALATRAVA, advised by Judah ben Joseph ibn Ezra, relative of Abraham ibn Ezra, student of Abraham Bar Hiyya, influence on temple mysticism of Templars) + Berenguela (d. of Templar Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona)
Ferdinand II of León (founder of the ORDER OF SANTIAGO) + Urraca of Portugal (d. of Afonso I of Portugal)
Alfonso IX of León + Berengaria of Castile (d. of Alfonso VIII of Castile)
Berengaria of León + John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem
Marie of Brienne + Baldwin II of Constantinople
Ferdinand III of Castile (merged the ORDER OF CALATRAVA into that of the ORDER OF MONFRAGUE) + Elizabeth of Swabia (g-d. of Frederick Barbarossa)
Alfonso X of Castile, el Astrólogo + Violant of Aragon (see below)
Beatrice of Castile + William VII, Marquis of Montferrat (see below)
Ferdinand III + Joan, Countess of Ponthieu
Eleanor + Edward I of England
Eleanor, Countess of Bar + Henry III, Count of Bar
Edward I, Count of Bar (Grand Master of the PRIORY OF SION)
Henry IV of Bar + Yolande of Flanders
Robert I, Duke of Bar + Marie of Valois, Duchess of Bar
Henry of Bar + Marie de Coucy, Countess of Soissons (d. of Enguerrand VII de Coucy, possible author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
Yolande of Bar + John I of Aragon (s. of Peter IV of Aragon + Eleanor of Sicily)
Yolande of Aragon + Louis II of Anjou (see above)
Louis III of Anjou
Marie of Anjou + Charles VII of France (see above)
Louis XI of France + Charlotte of Savoy (see above)
Charles VIII of France + Anne of Brittany
Magdalena of Valois + Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana
RENE OF ANJOU (Grand Master of PRIORY OF SION) + Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine
Johanna of Bar + Theodore II, Marquis of Montferrat (see below)
Edward II of England + Isabella, Queen of England (see above)
Edward III of England (founder of the Order of the Garter) + Philippa of Hainault
Edward the Black Prince + Joan, 4th Countess of Kent
Richard II of England (succeeded by Henry IV of England)
Isabella of England + Enguerrand VII de Coucy, possible author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, see below)
John of Gaunt (Order of the Garter) + Blanche of Lancaster
Philippa of Lancaster + John I of Portugal
Edward I of Portugal + Eleanor of Aragon (see below)
Prince Henry the Navigator (Grand Master of the Order of Christ)
Isabella, Duchess of Burgundy + PHILIP THE GOOD (founder of the ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE)
Sybilla + Odo I, Duke of Burgundy
Hugh II of Burgundy + Matilda of Mayenne
Odo II, Duke of Burgundy + Marie (d. of Theobald II, Count of Champagne, and Matilda of Carinthia)
Sibylla of Burgundy + Roger II of Sicily
Constance of Sicily + Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor + Isabella II of Jerusalem (see below)
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor + Bianca Lancia
Manfred, King of Sicily + Beatrice of Savoy (daughter of Amadeus IV of Savoy)
Constance + Peter III of Aragon
Manfred, King of Sicily + Helena Angelina Doukaina
Beatrix of Sicily + Manfred IV of Saluzzo (see below)
Matilda of Burgundy + William VII of Montpellier
William VIII, Lord of Montpellier + Eudokia Komnene (niece of Emperor Manuel I Komnenos)
Maria of Montpellier + Peter II of Aragon
James I of Aragon
William VIII, Lord of Montpellier + Agnès de Castille (unknown parents)
William IX of Montpellier
Agnès + Raymond Roger Trencavel
Pope Calixtus II
Gisela of Burgundy + Humbert II of Savoy (son of Amadeus II of Savoy)
Amadeus III, Count of Savoy + Mahaut of Albon
Matilda of Savoy (devoted to the Cistercian Order) + Afonso I, King of Portugal
Humbert III, Count of Savoy + Beatrice of Viennois
Thomas I of Savoy (adopted black eagle as coat of arms) + Margaret of Geneva
Amadeus IV of Savoy + Marguerite of Burgundy (daughter of Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy)
Beatrice of Savoy + Manfred III of Saluzzo (see below)
Beatrice of Savoy + Manfred, King of Sicily (see below)
Margaret + Boniface II, Marquis of Montferrat (see below)
Philip I, Count of Savoy (charged his niece Eleanor of Provence and her son Edward I of England with the inheritance of Savoy)
Beatrice of Savoy + Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence
Margaret of Provence + LOUIS IX OF FRANCE (see below)
Eleanor of Provence + HENRY III OF ENGLAND (involved in blood libel case of Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln)
Thomas II of Savoy + Joan, Countess of Flanders (daughter of Baldwin I, Latin Emperor, and Marie of Champagne, the daughter of Henry I of Champagne and Marie de France, sponsor of Grail author Chretien de Troyes. The Manessier's Continuation, also called the Third Continuation, one of the novels of the Story of the Grail was written for Joan, as well as the Life of St. Martha of Wauchier de Denain)
Thomas II of Savoy + Beatrice Fieschi (niece of Pope Innocent IV)
Amadeus V, Count of Savoy (began life in the service of Edward I of England as a household knight) + Sybille de Baugé
AIMONE, COUNT OF SAVOY + Irene Palaeologina of Montferrat (see below)
Thomas I of Savoy + Adelaide of Susa
Bertha of Savoy + Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (involved in Investiture Controversy with Pope Calixtus II)
Agnes of Waiblingen + Frederick I, Duke of Swabia
Frederick II, Duke of Swabia + Judith of Bavaria
Frederick Barbarossa + Beatrice I, Countess of Burgundy (see above)
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor + Constance (d. of Roger II of Sicily and Rethel)
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (see below)
Bertha (sometimes called Judith) + Matthias I, Duke of Lorraine (see above)
Conrad III of Germany
Agnes of Waiblingen + Leopold III of Austria
Agnes of Babenberg + Władysław II the Exile
Richeza of Poland + Alfonso VII of León and Castile
Sancha + Alfonso II of Aragón
Henry II, Duke of Austria + Agnes of Germany
Judith of Babenberg + Marquess William V of Montferrat (see below)
Gertrude + Vladislav II of Bohemia
Frederick, Duke of Bohemia + Elisabeth of Hungary
Ludmilla of Bohemia + Louis I Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria
Otto II, Duke of Bavaria + Agnes of the Palatinate
Elisabeth of Bavaria + Conrad IV, King of Germany (son of Frederick II + Isabella II of Jerusalem)
Conradin
Elisabeth of Bavaria + Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Elisabeth of Carinthia + Albert I of Germany (son of Rudolph I of Germany, first Habsburg, see the Genealogy of the House of Habsburg)
Conrad II of Italy
Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor + Matilda of England (sister of David I of Scotland, later married Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou)
Adelaide of Maurienne + Louis VI of France
Louis VII, King of the Franks + Eleanor of Aquitaine
Alix of France + Theobald V, Count of Blois (involved in blood libel through affair with Jewess Pulcelina of Blois)
Marie de France (sponsored Chrétien de Troyes, author of the Grail legends) + Henry I of Champagne
Louis VII, King of the Franks + Adela of Champagne (daughter of Theobald IV of Champagne)
Philip II of France + Isabella of Hainault
Louis VIII + Blanche of Castile (d. of Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, Order of Santiago + Eleanor of England)
Louis IX of France (founded Order of the Ship and the Double Crescent) + Margaret of Provence
Gisela of Burgundy + Rainier, Marquis of Montferrat
Marquess William V of Montferrat + Judith of Babenberg (see above)
William Longsword, Count of Jaffa and Ascalon
Baldwin V of Jerusalem
Conrad of Montferrat + Isabella I of Jerusalem (d. of Amalric of Jerusalem + Maria Comnena)
Maria of Montferrat + John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem (see above)
Isabella II of Jerusalem + Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (see above)
Conrad II of Jerusalem + Elisabeth of Bavaria
Conradin
BONIFACE I OF MONTFERRAET (leader of the FOURTH CRUSADE) + Helena del Bosco
William VI, Marquis of Montferrat + Berta di Clavesana
Boniface II, Marquis of Montferrat + Margaret of Savoy (see above)
William VII, Marquis of Montferrat + Beatrice of Castile (d. of Alfonso X of Castile + Violant of Aragon)
Irene of Montferrat + Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos
Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat (adopted double-headed eagle) + Argentina Spinola
John II, Marquis of Montferrat + Isabel of Majorca
Theodore II, Marquis of Montferrat + Joanna of Bar (Robert of Bar and Marie of France, Duchess of Bar)
John Jacob, Marquis of Montferrat (received the investiture as Marquis by EMPEROR SIGISMUND, founder of the ORDER OF THE DRAGON) + Joanna of Savoy (see below)
John VIII Palaiologos + (no issuse)
Irene Palaeologina of Montferrat + AIMONE, COUNT OF SAVOY (see above)
Amadeus VI of Savoy + Bonne of Bourbon
Amadeus VII, Count of Savoy + BONNE OF BERRY (see above)
AMADEUS VIII OF SAVOY (Antipope Felix V, elevated Duke of Savoy by EMPEROR SIGISMUND) + Mary of Burgundy (d. of Philip the Bold, brother of JOHN, DUKE OF BERRY, PHILIP THE BOLD, MARIE OF VALOIS and CHARLES V OF FRANCE, and grandfather of PHILIP THE GOOD, founder of the ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE)
Marie of Savoy + FILIPPO MARIA VISCONTI (see below)
Joanna of Savoy + John Jacob, Marquis of Montferrat (see above)
Boniface III, Marquis of Montferrat + Maria of Serbia
William IX of Montferrat + Anna of Alençon
Margaret Paleologa + FEDERICO II GONZAGA, DUKE OF MANTUA (adopted double-headed eagle)
Isabella Palaiologo de Montferrato + Ludovico I of Saluzzo (see below)
Bianca of Savoy + Galeazzo II Visconti
Gian Galeazzo Visconti + Isabella of France (sister of JOHN, DUKE OF BERRY, PHILIP THE BOLD, MARIE OF VALOIS and CHARLES V OF FRANCE)
Gian Galeazzo Visconti + Caterina Visconti
Gian Maria Visconti
FILIPPO MARIA VISCONTI (commissioned first Tarot deck with Francesco I Sforza) + Marie of Savoy (see above)
FILIPPO MARIA VISCONTI + Agnese del Maino
Bianca Maria Visconti + FRANCESO I SFORZA (ORDER OF THE CRESCENT founded by RENE OF ANJOU)
Adelasia of Montferrat + Manfred II, Marquess of Saluzzo
Boniface + Maria of Torres
Manfred III of Saluzzo + Beatrice of Savoy (see above)
Thomas I of Saluzzo + Luigia di Ceva
Manfred IV of Saluzzo + Beatrix of Sicily (see above)
Frederick I of Saluzzo + Margaret (daughter of Humbert I of Viennois)
Thomas II of Saluzzo + Ricciarda Visconti (daughter of Galeazzo I Visconti and Beatrice d'Este)
Frederick II of Saluzzo + Beatrice of Geneva
Thomas III of Saluzzo + Marguerite of Pierrepont (daughter of Hugo II, Count of Roucy and Braine)
Ludovico I of Saluzzo + Isabella Palaiologo de Montferrato (see above)
Ludovico II of Saluzzo + Margaret of Foix-Candale
Ricciardia of Saluzzo + Niccolò III d'Este
Ercole I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara + Eleonora d'Aragon (d. of Ferdinand I of Naples, Order of the Dragon + Isabella of Clermont)
ISABELLA D’ESTE + Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua
Ferrante Gonzaga (Order of the Golden Fleece and 14th Grand Master of Priory of Sion).
FEDERICO II GONZAGA, Duke of Mantua + Margaret Palaeologina (see above)
LUDOVICO GONZAGA, DUKE OF NEVERS (Grand Master of the PRIORY OF SION)
Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua + Eleonora of Austria (d. of Ferdinand I and Anna Jagellonica)
Margherita Gonzaga + (see below)
Beatrice + LUDOVICO SFORZA (s. Francesco Sforza, founding member of Rene of Anjou’s Order of the Crescent. Double wedding orchestrated by Leonardo da Vinci)
Gian Galeazzo Sforza + Isabella of Naples (a masque entitled Il Paradiso, with words by Bernardo Bellincioni and sets and costumes by Leonardo da Vinci at their wedding)
Bona Sforza (1494 – 1557) + Sigismund I the Old
Sigismund II Augustus + Barbara Radziwiłł (accused of promiscuity and witchcraft)
Sigismund II Augustus
Anna Jagiellon + Stephen Báthory (sponsor of John Dee and uncle of Elizabeth Báthory, the “Blood Countess”)
Catherine Jagiellon + John III of Sweden
Sigismund III Vasa (from whom the Vasa kings of Poland were descended. Raised by Jesuits, sponsored alchemist Sendivogius)
ALFONSO I D’ESTE + LUCREZIA BORGIA (daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattaneia, double wedding orchestrated by Leonardo da Vinci)
Alice of Saluzzo, who married Richard Fitzalan, 8th Earl of Arundel