Alberto Azzo II (997 or July 10, 1009, in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label= Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and '' comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. A town, and seat o ...

– August 20, 1097, in Modena),

Margrave of Milan The March of Genoa or Eastern Liguria was created in 961 by the Emperor Otto I. It was originally called either the ''marca Obertenga'' after its first holder, Oberto I, or the ''marca Januensis'' after its original capital and chief city, Genoa. I ...

, and

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

, Count of Gavello,

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

Rovigo Rovigo (, ; egl, Ruig) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of Northeast Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. Geography Rovigo stands on the low ground known as Polesine, by rail southwest of Venice and south-southwest ...

Lunigiana The Lunigiana () is a historical territory of Italy, which today falls within the provinces of Massa Carrara, Tuscany, and La Spezia, Liguria. Its borders derive from the ancient Roman settlement, later the medieval diocese of Luni, which no long ...

, Monselice, and

Montagnana Montagnana is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Padova, in Veneto (northern Italy). Neighbouring communes are Borgo Veneto, Casale di Scodosia, Urbana, Bevilacqua, Pojana Maggiore Pojana Maggiore is a town and '' comune'' in the pro ...

, was a powerful nobleman in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

. He is considered the founder of Casa d'Este (

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

), having been head of the first family to be master of Este, a town of Padua.

Life

Alberto Azzo II was the only son of

Albert Azzo I, Margrave of Milan Albert Azzo I ( it, Alberto Azzo or ''Adalberto Azzo'') (c. 970 – 1029) was an Italian nobleman. He was a member of the Obertenghi (or Adalbertini) family. From 1014 onward, he was margrave of Milan and count of Luni, Genoa and Tortona. Life ...

and Adela of Milan. He inherited his father's offices around 1029, and continually increased his properties in northern Italy. Around 1073 he made a castle at Este his residence, from which the

took its name. Before his building project, Este was little more than a village. In the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops ( investiture) and abbots of mona ...

between

Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the ...

, and

Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII ( la, Gregorius VII; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana ( it, Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint ...

, Azzo attempted to mediate, but later he joined the side of the pope.

First marriage

Azzo II married

Kunigunde Kunigunde, Kunigunda, or Cunigunde, is a European female name of German origin derived from "kuni" (clan, family) and "gund" (war). In Polish this is sometimes Kunegunda or Kinga. People with such names include: * Kunigunde of Rapperswil (c. early ...

(also called Chuniza), the daughter of Welf II, Count of Altdorf, in 1035/6. Azzo's son with Chuniza, Welf, moved first to Carinthia and then to Bavaria, giving rise to one of the most important families in European history, the Guelphs. Albert Azzo II tomb - Vangadizza Abbey - Badia Polesine

Albert Azzo II tomb - Vangadizza Abbey - Badia Polesine

With his first wife, Chuniza, Azzo had: * Welf (died November 6, 1101,

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of P ...

) Duke of Bavaria from 1070 to 1077 and from 1096 to his death who was the first member of the Welf branch of the

Second marriage

Around 1050, Azzo married again, to Garsende, daughter of Herbert I, Count of Maine. In 1069–1070, he tried to acquire

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

for his son Hugh, because his wife, Garsende, was a co-heiress of the previous counts of Maine. With his second wife, Garsende, Azzo had: *

Fulco I, Margrave of Milan Fulco I d’Este (c. 1070 – 15 December 1128)According tC. Frison: ''Folco.'' In: ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani''he possibly still lived in 1134 was the ancestor of the Italian line of the House of Este. Life Fulco was a son of Alber ...

(died 1128), ancestor of the Italian branch of the House of Este made the first documented use of the title "Marquis d'Este." * Hugh V, Count of Maine (died 1131), was declared count of Maine, but he could not prevail against Robert, the Duke of Normandy. Some sources say he also married Vitalia Orseolo, daughter of

Peter Orseolo Peter Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian ( hu, Velencei Péter; 1010 or 1011 – 1046, or late 1050s), was the King of Hungary twice. He first succeeded his uncle, King Stephen I, in 1038. His favoritism towards his foreign courtiers caused an u ...

. They had a daughter: Itta. He had an extra-marital affair with, or perhaps married, Matilda, sister of William/Guglielmo, Bishop of Pavia (r.1069-1102/3), with whom he had a daughter named Adelasia, who married Guglielmo Adelardi.

Death

Alberto Azzo II lived to at least his 90s. He died in August 1097 at the monastery of Vangadizza (

Badia Polesine Badia Polesine is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about west of Rovigo. It is part of the upper Polesine, and is bounded by the Adige river, which sepa ...

), where he was buried.L.A. Muratori, ''Della antichità estensi'', p. 316
.

Notes

References

*H. Bresslau, ''Jahrbücher des deutschen Reiches unter Konrad II.'' vol. 1 (Leipzig, 1879). * * * * * *

External links

(in German)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert Azzo 02, Margrave of Milan House of Este 11th-century Italian nobility Year of birth uncertain 1097 deaths