Ulric Manfred II of Turin
Encyclopedia
Ulric Manfred II was the Margrave of Turin and Susa in the early 11th century.
, Ulric Manfred was the son of Manfred I
. Ulric Manfred inherited a vast march centred on Turin (1000), which had been created from the lands of Arduin Glaber
. By a charter dated 31 July 1001, the Emperor Otto III confirmed his possessions and granted him several privileges. This grant was requested by Hugonis marchionis, probably Hugh the Great
, margrave of Tuscany.
Ulric Manfred, immediately upon his succession, began to consolidate his power vis-à-vis Arduin
of the March of Ivrea
on one hand and the Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II
on the other. In the fight over the regnum Italicum, he gained a great deal of territory at the expense of the Eporedian march. By the preserved notarial deeds of a priest named Sigifred (1021 and 1031), a precise catalogue of the cities under his control can be known: Turin
, Ivrea
, Albenga
, Ventimiglia
, Auriate
, Tortona
, and Vercelli
. In all the wars between Arduin and Henry, Ulric Manfred prudently avoided any confrontation with the two leaders and gradually extended his territories by arms (he was at war with the margrave of Tuscany, Boniface III
, in 1016) and by increasing his authority within his proper domains. In 1024, following the death of Henry, he opposed the election of Conrad II
and instead invited William V of Aquitaine
to take the Italian throne, but to no avail.
Ulric Manfred, though his capital was Turin, rarely resided in that strategic, but small city. He lived an itinerant life typical for an early eleventh century feudal lord, moving from castle to castle in order to maintain his control and to effect the administration of his dominions. His daughter Adelaide abandoned Turin as a capital and the itinerant baronial lifestyle for setting up house in Susa
.
Ulric Manfred restored the old church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Susa and Novalesa Abbey
. He also founded, in 1029, a new Benedictine abbey in Susa, for the relics of Saint Justus of Novalesa and also dedicated to him. The church of the Abbey of San Giusto is now Susa Cathedral
. He fortified the villages of Exilles
and Bardonecchia
. He died at Turin and was buried there in the cathedral.
, daughter of Oberto II, in 1014. That year, the Emperor Henry confirmed their joint donation to the abbey of Fruttuaria
. On 29 December 1037, the Emperor Conrad confirmed a donation to San Giusto expressly without her. She must therefore have died in the meanwhile. Other than his aforementioned heir, Adelaide, Ulric Manfred had two other daughters:
Biography
Born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Ulric Manfred was the son of Manfred I
Manfred I of Turin
Manfred I or Maginfred was the second Margrave of Turin from 977. He inherited the county of Auriate and the vast marca Arduinica in the Susa Valley from his father Arduin Glaber. In his reign, the marca extended from the Alps to the Ligurian Sea and the Po Valley. Under him, Pavia became a...
. Ulric Manfred inherited a vast march centred on Turin (1000), which had been created from the lands of Arduin Glaber
Arduin Glaber
Arduin Glaber was the Count of Auriate from c. 935 and Margrave of Turin from c. 950. He placed his family, the Arduinici, on a firm foundation and established the march of Turin through conquests and royal concessions...
. By a charter dated 31 July 1001, the Emperor Otto III confirmed his possessions and granted him several privileges. This grant was requested by Hugonis marchionis, probably Hugh the Great
Hugh of Tuscany
Hugh the Great was the Margrave of Tuscany from 961 to his death and Duke of Spoleto and Camerino from 989 to 996. He was the son and successor of Humbert of Tuscany, who was also briefly Duke of Spoleto, and Willa, a daughter of Boniface I of Spoleto...
, margrave of Tuscany.
Ulric Manfred, immediately upon his succession, began to consolidate his power vis-à-vis Arduin
Arduin of Italy
Arduin of Ivrea was Margrave of Ivrea and King of Italy. He was the son of Dado, Count of Pombia. Arduin succeeded to the northern Italian Margraviate of Ivrea in 990 on dubious grounds. He was excommunicated for the murder of the Bishop of Vercelli in 997.He was made King of Italy after the death...
of the March of Ivrea
March of Ivrea
The March of Ivrea was a large frontier county in the northwest of the medieval Italian kingdom from the late 9th to the early 11th century. Its capital was Ivrea in present-day Piedmont, and it was held by a Burgundian family of margraves called the Anscarids...
on one hand and the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Henry II
Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry II , also referred to as Saint Henry, Obl.S.B., was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of the Germans in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004...
on the other. In the fight over the regnum Italicum, he gained a great deal of territory at the expense of the Eporedian march. By the preserved notarial deeds of a priest named Sigifred (1021 and 1031), a precise catalogue of the cities under his control can be known: Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Ivrea
Ivrea
Ivrea is a town and comune of the province of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley , it straddles the Dora Baltea and is regarded as the centre of the Canavese area. Ivrea lies in a basin that, in prehistoric times, formed a great lake...
, Albenga
Albenga
Albenga is a city and comune situated on the Gulf of Genoa on the Italian Riviera in the Province of Savona in Liguria, northern Italy.left|thumb|220px|Towers of Albenga.The economy is mostly based on tourism, local commerce and agriculture-History:...
, Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia is a city and comune in Liguria, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia. It is located southwest of Genoa by rail, and 7 km from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts...
, Auriate
Auriate
Auriate was a county in medieval Italy on the eastern slopes of the Western Alps lying between Cuneo and Saluzzo. The county existed from the late ninth century to the middle of the tenth...
, Tortona
Tortona
Tortona is a comune of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines.-History:...
, and 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...
. In all the wars between Arduin and Henry, Ulric Manfred prudently avoided any confrontation with the two leaders and gradually extended his territories by arms (he was at war with the margrave of Tuscany, Boniface III
Boniface III of Tuscany
Boniface III , son of Tedald of Canossa and the father of Matilda of Canossa, was the most powerful north Italian prince of his age...
, in 1016) and by increasing his authority within his proper domains. In 1024, following the death of Henry, he opposed the election of Conrad II
Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor
Conrad II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1027 until his death.The son of a mid-level nobleman in Franconia, Count Henry of Speyer and Adelaide of Alsace, he inherited the titles of count of Speyer and of Worms as an infant when Henry died at age twenty...
and instead invited William V of Aquitaine
William V of Aquitaine
William V , called the Great , was Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou from 990 until his death. He was the son and successor of William IV by his wife Emma of Blois, daughter of Theobald I of Blois. He seems to have taken after his formidable mother, who ruled Aquitaine as regent until 1004...
to take the Italian throne, but to no avail.
Ulric Manfred, though his capital was Turin, rarely resided in that strategic, but small city. He lived an itinerant life typical for an early eleventh century feudal lord, moving from castle to castle in order to maintain his control and to effect the administration of his dominions. His daughter Adelaide abandoned Turin as a capital and the itinerant baronial lifestyle for setting up house in Susa
Susa, Italy
Susa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...
.
Ulric Manfred restored the old church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Susa and Novalesa Abbey
Novalesa Abbey
Novalesa Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in Piedmont, Italy. It was founded in 726, and dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Andrew.Novalesa is in the Val di Susa, on the route to the Mont Cenis Pass. The founder, Abbo of Provence, was a local Frankish governor. The abbey stands on the former Via...
. He also founded, in 1029, a new Benedictine abbey in Susa, for the relics of Saint Justus of Novalesa and also dedicated to him. The church of the Abbey of San Giusto is now Susa Cathedral
Susa Cathedral
Susa Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Susa, Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Susa and is dedicated to Saint Justus of Novalesa ....
. He fortified the villages of Exilles
Exilles
Exilles is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km west of Turin, on the border with France...
and Bardonecchia
Bardonecchia
Bardonecchia is an Italian town and comune located in the Province of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley....
. He died at Turin and was buried there in the cathedral.
Family
Ulric Manfred married Bertha (born 997) of the ObertenghiObertenghi
The Obertenghi were a family of Italian nobility descended from Count Obert I of Luni, the first margrave of Milan and Eastern Liguria, a march called the marca Januensis, marca Obertenga or march of Genoa....
, daughter of Oberto II, in 1014. That year, the Emperor Henry confirmed their joint donation to the abbey of Fruttuaria
Fruttuaria
thumb|300px|Bell tower of the abbey.Fruttuaria is an abbey in the territory of San Benigno Canavese, about twenty kilometers north of Turin, northern Italy.-History:...
. On 29 December 1037, the Emperor Conrad confirmed a donation to San Giusto expressly without her. She must therefore have died in the meanwhile. Other than his aforementioned heir, Adelaide, Ulric Manfred had two other daughters:
- Irmgard (also Emilia or Immula; died 28 January 1078), married Otto III, Duke of SwabiaOtto III, Duke of SwabiaOtto III , called the White and known as Otto of Schweinfurt, was the margrave of the Nordgau and duke of Swabia . He was the son of Henry of Schweinfurt, margrave of the Nordgau, and Gerberga of Henneberg...
- Bertha (died after 1050), inherited VastoVastoVasto is a town and comune on the Adriatic coast of the Province of Chieti in southern Abruzzo, Italy. The population is now just over 40,000.-History:According to tradition, the town was founded by Diomedes, the Greek hero...
and Busco, married Otto, Marquis of Liguria (a great-grandson of Aleram) and was the mother of Boniface del VastoBoniface del VastoBoniface del Vasto was the margrave of Western Liguria from 1084 to 1125, the son and successor of Otto. He was of the Aleramici family, which also furnished the margraves of Montferrat...
Sources
- Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Northern Italy, 900–1100.
- Trillmich, Werner. Kaiser Konrad II und seine Zeit.