Alberto I della Scala (died 3 September 1301) was lord of Verona from 1277, a member of the

Scaliger The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri () or Scaligers (; from the Latinized ''de Scalis''), was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto (except for Venice) from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years. History ...

family. The son of Jacopino della Scala, he was ''

podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...

'' of

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

in 1272 and 1275. In 1269 Alberto succeeded his brother, Mastino, who was the ''de facto'' ruler of

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

since 1259, to the office of that oversaw all production and commerce in the city. On 27 October 1277, after the assassination of Mastino, Alberto was elected by the people's assembly as the life-long "Captain and Rector" of the

gastald A gastald (Latin ''gastaldus'' or ''castaldus''; Italian ''gastaldo'' or ''guastaldo'') was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne (a gastaldate, ''gastaldia'' or ''castaldia'') with civil, martial, and judicial powers ...

s and the people of Verona. Unlike his brother, whose power was not vested in a specific title, Mastino used his position to become the lord of the city: all officials were required to swear an

oath of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...

to him, he built up a bureaucracy and established an armed bodyguard loyal only to him. Alberto further consolidated his position by marriage alliances with other Italian houses, treaties with

and the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, and the repulsion of a

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

attack on Verona in 1278–79. Alberto died in Verona in 1301 and was succeeded by his son

Bartolomeo Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo is a masculine Italian given name, the Italian equivalent of Bartholomew. Its diminutive form is Baccio. Notable people with the name include: * Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo (1824–1860), Italian paleobotanist and ...

, who had been associated as a ruler with his father for several years. His other sons Alboino and Cangrande were also lords of Verona from 1304 and 1312, respectively. His daughter Costanza married

Obizzo II d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara Obizzo II d'Este (c. 1247 – 13 February 1293) was Marquis of Ferrara and Ancona. Biography He was a Illegitimacy, bastard, the illegitimate son of Rinaldo d'Este (1221–1251), Rinaldo I d'Este – the only son and heir of the Margrave Azzo V ...

, as his second wife.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scala, Alberto 1 Della Scala, Alberto 1 Scala, Alberto 1 Alberto 1 Scala, Alberto 1 Burials at Santa Maria Antica, Verona Lords of Verona Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines