Aleram was the marquess of Montferrat and Liguria

Liguria

Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...

 (the marca Aleramica) in Northern Italy until his death. He was son of William I of Montferrat and is mentioned in documents for the first time in 933 when he received a fief near Vercelli

Vercelli

Vercelli is a city and comune of about 47,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around the year 600 BC.The city is situated on the river Sesia in the plain of the river...

 by Hugh of Italy

Hugh of Italy

Hugh of Arles was King of Italy from 924 until his death. He was a Bosonid. During his reign, he empowered his relatives at the expense of the aristocracy and tried to establish a relationship with the Byzantine-Roman Empire...

. In 955 he was invested of lands in what is now the province of Alessandria

Province of Alessandria

The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....

.

In 958 he was appointed as marquess by Berengar II of Italy

Berengar II of Italy

Berengar of Ivrea , sometimes also referred to as Berengar II of Italy, was Margrave of Ivrea and usurper King of Italy from 950 until his deposition in 961, the last before Italy's incorporation into the Holy Roman Empire...

, whose daughter Gerberga he had married. Three years later, however, Aleram sided for emperor Otto I

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor

Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...

, who gave him further lands in the Langhe

Langhe

The Langhe is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy....

 and from the Tanaro, the Orba

Orba

Orba may refer to:*Orba, Alicante, a town in eastern Spain*Orba , a torrential stream in northern Italy*Orba , a High King of Ireland...

 and the Ligurian Sea

Ligurian Sea

The Ligurian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Italian Riviera and the island of Corsica. The sea is probably named after the ancient Ligures people.-Geography:...

. The new grants had been favoured by Adelaide of Burgundy

Adelaide of Italy

Saint Adelaide of Italy , also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor...

, wife of Otto I from 951 and previous wife of Lothair II

Lothair II of Italy

Lothair II , often Lothair of Arles, was the King of Italy from 948 to his death. He was of the noble Frankish lineage of the Bosonids, descended from Boso the Elder...

, and also daughter of Rudolph II of Burgundy

Rudolph II of Burgundy

Rudolph II was king of Upper Burgundy , Lower Burgundy , and Italy . He was the son of Rudolph I, king of Upper Burgundy, and it is presumed that his mother was his father's known wife, Guilla of Provence...

.

When Italy came under the direct control of the Holy Roman Empire

Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 in 962, Aleramo's titles were confirmed by the Emperor Otto I

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor

Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...

.

Family

Aleramo had three sons from his first wife, one Adelaide:

• William II, died before 967, co-ruler with his father
• Otto, died 991. His son William III succeeded to Montferrat
• Anselm, who succeeded to Liguria

He was buried in Grazzano Badoglio

Grazzano Badoglio

Grazzano Badoglio is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km east of Turin and about 15 km northeast of Asti. It was the birthplace of Pietro Badoglio, for whom it was later renamed....

, in the Province of Asti

Province of Asti

The Province of Asti is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the north west it borders on the province of Turin; to the south west it borders on the province of Cuneo. To the east it borders on the province of Alessandria, while in the south it...

. His tomb, restored in the 16th and 20th centuries, is marked by a mosaic

Mosaic

Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...

depicting mythological beasts.

Sources

• Circolo Culturale I Marchesi del Monferrato (external link to website devoted to dynastic history)