The Castle of Suvero

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Castle of Suvero The Castle of Suvero ROCCHETTA DI VARA Location: The castle of Suvero stands in the main square of the village, a hamlet in the municipality of Rocchetta di Vara, in the Vara valley close to the subsidiaries of the Cornoviglio river. Type of castle: Castle and residence. Construction period: Middle Ages Strategic role: the castle of Suvero was built in the 12th century by the Malaspina di Villafranca on a hill overlooking the village. The defensive function lasted until the Renaissance, when it became the residence of the Malaspina until 1797. Further use: It was abandoned after the abolishment of the imperial fiefs. Current condition: The building is well preserved. Viewing: Private property. It can’t be visited. The Castle of Suvero ROCCHETTA DI VARA History: When the marquisate was divided into smaller units, the castle of Suvero was Structure: The current structure, which probably stands on a pre-existing medieval building, assigned to the Este. In the 12th century the Malaspina di Villafranca conquered it slowly. is trapezoidal with three fortified corners and impressive fortified towers. On the western side During the 15th century it was assigned to the Campofregoso, after Genoa had conquered there is a circular fortified tower. In the 19th century the eastern fortified tower collapsed, the territories of the Malaspina. At the behest of King Louis XII, the Genoese returned it to and in 1921 the southern one was destroyed by the earthquake. Both have been restored. the original owners. After the death of Spinetta Malaspina, lord of Suvero, it became an independent fief assigned to Rinaldo Malaspina, who probably built the castle. There were then several lords of the Malaspina family: some of them shined for their governmental talent, while others provoked dissatisfaction among the subjects. In 1600 the villagers of Suvero decided then to submit to Spain and to Tuscany, but in the end they always returned under the rule of the Malaspina. After the beginning of the Renaissance the castle lost its defensive function and became definitively a residence. For over 200 years it was the residence of the lords of Suvero and was rarely involved in battles..
Recommended publications
  • Cardinals, Inquisitors, and Jesuits: Curial Patronage and Counter-Reformation in Cosimo I's Florence
    Cardinals, Inquisitors, and Jesuits: Curial Patronage and Counter-Reformation in Cosimo I’s Florence Gregory Murry Cet article analyse les motivations du duc de Florence Côme I qui l’ont amené à soute- nir l’inquisition et les activités des jésuites entre 1540 et 1560. À travers l’examen de la correspondance gouvernementale et des archives concernant les bénéfices Toscan, cette étude met en lumière les liens entre le mécénat de la curie et les instances de la réforme Catholique, sous trois aspects interreliés. Premièrement, Côme n’a pas rompu ses liens spirituels avec Rome, puisque cela aurait mis en danger les intérêts séculiers de son réseau de clients, qui ceux-ci avaient une grande activité au sein des États Papaux. Deuxiè- mement, étant donné cette restriction, le duc a dû établir des liens avec des cardinaux de la curie pouvant lui garantir des faveurs séculières et spirituelles pour son réseau de clients. Troisièmement, par la suite, ces mêmes cardinaux ont profité de leur position stratégique pour renverser le rapport de force et ainsi imposer l’inquisition et les Jésuites au gouvernement florentin réticent. ith its large, literate middle class and burgeoning capitalist economy, Florence Wshould have been a city ripe for reformation. Indeed, if sociological considera- tions alone mattered, Cosimo I’s nasty personal relationship with Pope Paul III would have exploded into outright revolt, and the networks of heretical opinion circulating among the city’s cultured elite would have found fertile ground on Tuscan soil.1 However, sociology seems ill-suited to explain why Italy stayed Catholic since Italy had its cities, artisans, merchants, and nascent capitalism long before England, France, or Germany.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature
    A Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature Robert A. Taylor RESEARCH IN MEDIEVAL CULTURE Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature Medieval Institute Publications is a program of The Medieval Institute, College of Arts and Sciences Bibliographical Guide to the Study of the Troubadours and Old Occitan Literature Robert A. Taylor MEDIEVAL INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS Western Michigan University Kalamazoo Copyright © 2015 by the Board of Trustees of Western Michigan University All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Taylor, Robert A. (Robert Allen), 1937- Bibliographical guide to the study of the troubadours and old Occitan literature / Robert A. Taylor. pages cm Includes index. Summary: "This volume provides offers an annotated listing of over two thousand recent books and articles that treat all categories of Occitan literature from the earli- est enigmatic texts to the works of Jordi de Sant Jordi, an Occitano-Catalan poet who died young in 1424. The works chosen for inclusion are intended to provide a rational introduction to the many thousands of studies that have appeared over the last thirty-five years. The listings provide descriptive comments about each contri- bution, with occasional remarks on striking or controversial content and numerous cross-references to identify complementary studies or differing opinions" -- Pro- vided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-58044-207-7 (Paperback : alk. paper) 1. Provençal literature--Bibliography. 2. Occitan literature--Bibliography. 3. Troubadours--Bibliography. 4. Civilization, Medieval, in literature--Bibliography.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume IV - C
    Cambridge University Press 0521414113 - The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume IV - c. 1024-c. 1198 Edited by David Luscombe and Jonathan Riley-Smith Index More information INDEX Aachen, 77, 396, 401, 402, 404, 405 Abul-Barakat al-Jarjara, 695, 700 Aaron, bishop of Cologne, 280 Acerra, counts of, 473 ‘Abbadids, kingdom of Seville, 157 Acre ‘Abbas ibn Tamim, 718 11th century, 702, 704, 705 ‘Abbasids 12th century Baghdad, 675, 685, 686, 687, 689, 702 1104 Latin conquest, 647 break-up of empire, 678, 680 1191 siege, 522, 663 and Byzantium, 696 and Ayyubids, 749 caliphate, before First Crusade, 1 fall to crusaders, 708 dynasty, 675, 677 fall to Saladin, 662, 663 response to Fatimid empire, 685–9 Fatimids, 728 abbeys, see monasteries and kingdom of Jerusalem, 654, 662, 664, abbots, 13, 530 667, 668, 669 ‘Abd Allah al-Ziri, king of Granada, 156, 169–70, Pisans, 664 180, 181, 183 trade, 727 ‘Abd al-Majid, 715 13th century, 749 ‘Abd al-Malik al-Muzaffar, 155, 158, 160, 163, 165 Adalasia of Sicily, 648 ‘Abd al-Mu’min, 487 Adalbero, bishop of Wurzburg,¨ 57 ‘Abd al-Rahman (Shanjul), 155, 156 Adalbero of Laon, 146, 151 ‘Abd al-Rahman III, 156, 159 Adalbert, archbishop of Mainz, 70, 71, 384–5, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ilyas, 682 388, 400, 413, 414 Abelard of Conversano, 109, 110, 111, 115 Adalbert, bishop of Prague, 277, 279, 284, 288, Aberconwy, 599 312 Aberdeen, 590 Adalbert, bishop of Wolin, 283 Abergavenny, 205 Adalbert, king of Italy, 135 Abernethy agreement, 205 Adalgar, chancellor, 77 Aberteifi, 600 Adam of Bremen, 295 Abingdon, 201, 558 Adam of
    [Show full text]
  • Tasselli Di Cultura...Castelli, Palazzi E Dimore Storiche
    AVVERTENZA Foreword Le schede dei siti e dei monumenti presenti su questa pubblicazione sono suddivise, attraverso l’utilizzo di colori diversi, per area geografica di appartenenza (zone di Acqui Terme – Ovada, Alessandria, Casale Monferrato – Valenza, Novi Ligure – Tortona); all’interno di ogni sezione gli articoli sono ordinati alfabeticamente per Comune di ubicazione dell’opera. All’interno della copertina è riportata una pratica legenda di tutti i simboli utilizzati. The pages of the sites and buildings in this publication are divided up by colour codes for each area (Acqui Terme – Ovada, Alessandria, Casale Monferrato – Valenza, Novi Ligure – Tortona); inside each section the sites are listed alphabetically according to the local town or village. On the inside cover is a key detailing all the symbols used. Recapiti Addresses Giorni e orario di apertura - Timetable; Condizioni ❼ domenica o di ingresso giorno festivo Conditions ❼ Sunday or of entrance holidays Modalità di pagamento Tickets Servizi Services COME-DOVE-QUANDO HOW-WHERE-WHEN In Piemonte, ad un’ora dedicarsi ad attività spor- In Piedmont, just an through tradition, art, di viaggio da Milano, Torino tive all’aria aperta. Autunno hour’s drive from Milan, food, wine and the spa e Genova e poco più ed inverno, invece, sono i Turin and Genoa, not far waters. Spring and distante dai confini con la mesi prediletti dai buongu- from the borders with summer Francia e la Svizzera, tra le stai che potranno assapo- France and are the Alpi ed il Mar Ligure, c’è la rare, in abbinamento ai Switzerland and best times provincia di Alessandria, pregiati vini, i prestigiosi between the Alps to che rappresenta uno dei “frutti” del territorio: tartufi, and the cuori culturali, artistici ed funghi, castagne, nocciole.
    [Show full text]
  • © in This Web Service Cambridge University Press
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-76474-2 - The Two Latin Cultures and the Foundation of Renaissance Humanism in Medieval Italy Ronald G. Witt Index More information Index Subject matter in the footnotes is indexed only where it is not already covered by entries for the main text on the same pages. Scholars’ names in the footnotes are indexed only where I draw attention to historiographical questions as such. For the balance of scholarly work that I simply marshal as evidence, please refer to the notes themselves, loc. cit. Personal names are alphabetized ignoring prepositions. People are arranged by their surnames if they have one; otherwise, by their given names, followed by epithets and other designations. For convenience, under major headwords references to people, places, and works are arranged at the end of the entry. A special entry for the Italian difference thematically arranges the main points of the book’s argument. a fortiori reasoning, 159 Adrian IV, pope, 233 Aachen, Council of (816), 34–35, 37, 38, 51n143, 224, 473 Adversus Catharos et Valdenses, by Moneta of Cremona, Ab urbe condita, by Livy, 86n53, 465n76 405, 409 abbeys. See monasteries advocati, 61, 285n68 Abbo of Fleury, 145, 159, 176n249 Aeneid, by Virgil, 137, 293, 294, 346, 443, 445; compare Roman abbots, 62, 306. See also hermitages; monasteries; and names of d’Aenéas individuals and monasteries Aesop, 446 Abbreviatio artis grammaticae, by Orso, 58, 260 Aganone, bishop of Bergamo, 46 Abelard, Peter, 248, 250, 266, 272, 276n33, 396n45, 406, 490n10; Agiographia, by Uguccio, 391 influence of, 263n143, 264, 265; prob.
    [Show full text]
  • Rewriting Dante: the Creation of an Author from the Middle Ages to Modernity
    Rewriting Dante: The Creation of an Author from the Middle Ages to Modernity by Laura Banella Department of Romance Studies Duke University Date: _______________ Approved: ___________________________ Martin G. Eisner, Supervisor ___________________________ David F. Bell, III ___________________________ Roberto Dainotto ___________________________ Valeria Finucci Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Romance Studies in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 ABSTRACT Rewriting Dante: The Creation of an Author from the Middle Ages to Modernity by Laura Banella Department of Romance Studies Duke University Date: _________________ Approved: ___________________________ Martin G. Eisner, Supervisor ___________________________ David F. Bell, III ___________________________ Roberto Dainotto ___________________________ Valeria Finucci An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Romance Studies in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 Copyright by Laura Banella 2018 Abstract Rewriting Dante explores Dante’s reception and the construction of his figure as an author in early lyric anthologies and modern editions. While Dante’s reception and his transformation into a cultural authority have traditionally been investigated from the point of view of the Commedia, I argue that these lyric anthologies provide a new perspective for understanding how the physical act of rewriting Dante’s poems in various combinations and with other texts has shaped what I call after Foucault the Dante function” and consecrated Dante as an author from the Middle Ages to Modernity. The study of these lyric anthologies widens our understanding of the process of Dante’s canonization as an author and, thus, as an authority (auctor & auctoritas), advancing our awareness of authors both as entities that generate power and that are generated by power.
    [Show full text]
  • Civic Genealogy from Brunetto to Dante
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2016 The Root Of All Evil: Civic Genealogy From Brunetto To Dante Chelsea A. Pomponio University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Pomponio, Chelsea A., "The Root Of All Evil: Civic Genealogy From Brunetto To Dante" (2016). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2534. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2534 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2534 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Root Of All Evil: Civic Genealogy From Brunetto To Dante Abstract ABSTRACT THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL: CIVIC GENEALOGY FROM BRUNETTO TO DANTE Chelsea A. Pomponio Kevin Brownlee From the thirteenth century well into the Renaissance, the legend of Florence’s origins, which cast Fiesole as the antithesis of Florentine values, was continuously rewritten to reflect the changing nature of Tuscan society. Modern criticism has tended to dismiss the legend of Florence as a purely literary conceit that bore little relation to contemporary issues. Tracing the origins of the legend in the chronicles of the Duecento to its variants in the works of Brunetto Latini and Dante Alighieri, I contend that the legend was instead a highly adaptive mode of legitimation that proved crucial in the negotiation of medieval Florentine identity. My research reveals that the legend could be continually rewritten to serve the interests of collective and individual authorities. Versions of the legend were crafted to support both republican Guelfs and imperial Ghibellines; to curry favor with the Angevin rulers of Florence and to advance an ethnocentric policy against immigrants; to support the feudal system of privilege and to condemn elite misrule; to denounce the mercantile value of profit and ot praise economic freedom.
    [Show full text]
  • A Translation of Dante's Eleven Letters
    .M.-X:V m '>':> IC'i^^' '^i-;-; :^. iv'^i-:^^^: m ^y^ m<^V<i d>^^?ni^ A TRANSLATION OF DANTE'S ELEVEN LETTERS WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES AND HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY CHARLES STERRETT LATHAM EDITED BY GEORGE RICE CARPENTER WITH A PREFACE BY CHARLES ELIOT NOR TO// ^tuDent'0 (SDition BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY Copyright, 1891, By HENRIETTA M. DWIGHT. All rights reserved. PREFACE. The work here printed was done under con- ditions which should be known to the reader. In 1883 Mr. Latham, then a student in Har- vard College, in the full flush of youth and health, was stricken by complete paralysis of his lower limbs. The blow was the heavier, because up to the time of his seizure he had been distinguished for physical vigor and activity. The attack put a sudden end to the enjoyments of youth, and to the hopes of life. All the resources of med- ical art were vain; and it became evident that there was hardly a chance even of partial recov- ery, that the prospect before him was of perma- nent bodily disability, and that his days were henceforth to be passed monotonously upon the bed, with the little variety of a change to the couch or the invalid's chair. A common spirit might well have been subdued by such a calamity. Mr. Latham faced his fate with composure and determination. He deter- mined not to be mastered by it. iv PREFACE. It was in the autumn of 1885 that I heard from my friend Professor Child that he had seen Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Small and Very Small States in Italy That Lasted Beyond 1700
    Small and Very Small States in Italy that PROCEEDINGS Lasted Beyond 1700 - A Vexillological Survey Roberto Breschi FFIAV Noli, Senarica, Cospaia, Seborga, Piombino, Massa, Tor- Examples of both types will be considered here. Some riglia and Masserano, were small residual principalities of these states are now forgotten, by history as well as by from the old feudal system, or free republics under the geography. Nevertheless, they did in fact exist and do not protection of a larger state. They lasted until 18th or 19th belong to the category of the suppositious or conjectural century. Their history is briefly described and several sym- states. They are shown on the map of Fig. 1. Let us start bols and flags are discussed and illustrated in 24 figures. with a small maritime republic. Most of these flags have been little-known until now. Introduction During several centuries a wide belt in the middle of Europe, from Denmark to Sicily, was divided into a mol- titude of small self-governing states. Two high authori- ties - the Pope and the Emperor - ruled over them from a distance. Germany and Italy, today’s major states in this region, achieved national unity in the second half of 19th century (Italy in 1861, Germany in 1870), much later than Spain, France, United Kingdom, or Russia. This fragmentation of Italy stimulated the appetite of greater powers and attracted foreign conquerors. As a result, through the 16th and 17th centuries the number of the separate states in Italy was dramatically reduced. The smaller (and weaker) ones were rubbed off the map so that around 1700 there were about 20 of them left in Italy while in Germany there were 300 or 400.
    [Show full text]
  • Colonization and the Church in High Medieval Sardinia
    Colonization and the Church in High Medieval Sardinia by Ann Wesson A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto © Copyright 2015 by Ann Wesson Colonization and the Church in High Medieval Sardinia Ann Wesson Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto 2015 Abstract This thesis investigates the role that the Church played in the political, spiritual and economic colonization of Sardinia in the high Middle Ages. By using Robert Bartlett’s conception of the European “center” and “periphery,” it shows that Sardinia represents an unusual case of a territory that was culturally both central and peripheral. Within this ambiguous cultural setting, and using papal letters, political treaties, chronicles, monastic documents, and onomastic evidence, the thesis examines the way Pisa, Genoa and the Roman pontiffs used Rome’s spiritual and cultural authority to strengthen their own political and economic claims in Sardinia. Specifically, by focusing on the archbishop of Pisa and the bishops and archbishops of Sardinia, it shows that the personnel of the Church, which are not commonly considered agents of colonization in Sardinia, were in reality fundamental to bringing Sardinian society closer to being a political and cultural extension of the Italian mainland. It also, however, investigates the ways in which local Sardinian rulers at times strongly resisted ecclesiastical pressures to conform to the norms of Rome, or used the spiritual prestige and cultural tools offered by the Roman Church to negotiate political advantages for themselves. In this way, the thesis finds that foreign cultural colonization in Sardinia was at times less effective than is generally assumed, and that in certain situations the personnel of the Sardinian Church could offer the means for resistance to foreign colonization.
    [Show full text]
  • Charter of Rome and National Parks
    CHARTER OF ROME AND NATIONAL PARKS First report on synergies between Natural and Cultural Capital CHARTER OF ROME AND NATIONAL PARKS First Report on sinergies between Natural and Cultural Capital TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 3 Introduction 4 Gran Paradiso National Park 6 Val Grande National Park 9 Stelvio National Park 13 Dolomiti Bellunesi National Parks 16 Cinque Terre National Park 19 Appennino Tosco Emiliano National Park 23 Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park 26 Arcipelago Toscano National Park 30 Monti Sibillini National Park 33 Circeo National Park 37 Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park 41 Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park 45 Majella National Park 48 Vesuvio National Park 52 Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park 56 Alta Murgia National Park 60 Gargano National Park 64 Appennino Lucano Val d’Agri Lagonegrese National Park 68 Pollino National Park 72 Sila National Park 76 Aspromonte National Park 79 Asinara National Park 83 La Maddalena National Park 86 Chart of Cultural Heritage in National Parks 89 Charter of Rome on Natural and Cultural Capital 90 Bibliography 94 2 CHARTER OF ROME AND NATIONAL PARKS First Report on sinergies between Natural and Cultural Capital PREFACE During our six-month experience of Italian Presidency, we promoted the initiative to valorise synergies between Natural and Cultural Capital. Thus, with the support of all States Member, Italy drew up the “Charter of Rome on Natural and Cultural Capital”. This document aims to combine the need for environmental conservation with the relaunch of a green economy. It identifies the development of our knowledge of sustainable investments and “green” jobs, based on the interconnections between Natural and Cultural Capital.
    [Show full text]
  • Massa, Ancient Fief of the Malaspina Family and the House of Este, Between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apuan Alps
    7 MAY 2015 CATERINA POMINI 3835 MASSA, ANCIENT FIEF OF THE MALASPINA FAMILY AND THE HOUSE OF ESTE, BETWEEN THE TYRRHENIAN SEA AND THE APUAN ALPS “Do you know that in Massa there is still a square entirely surrounded by double rows of orange trees? Do you know that my mother saw those rows when she was a newlywed and now I am watching them from my hotel window? I am watching them, I am watching the old green trees, the oranges are all gone now. They will come back. ...” - Giosuè Carducci In 1877, Giosuè Carducci wrote these lines to his friend Lidia as he was staying in Massa. His mother had gotten married in 1834 and certainly saw the first generation of these trees, which have adorned the three sides of Piazza Aranci – located in the very heart of the city - since 1819. On the fourth side of the Square is Palazzo Ducale, built around 1550, with its splendid flaming red façade; by taking Via Dante Alighieri, on the north side of the Square, you can easily reach the Cattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Francesco, better known as Duomo (1470). A little bit of history In the Early Middle Ages, Massa was a possession of the bishops of Luni and served as a rest stop for pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome. Located in the far north of Tuscany, 46 km north west of Lucca, unlike other Tuscan centres, it was never subject to the authority of the House of Medici and the management of the city's policy and internal affairs was much more similar to Europe's.
    [Show full text]