Rabodo (or Rapoto) was the

imperial vicar An imperial vicar (german: Reichsvikar) was a prince charged with administering all or part of the Holy Roman Empire on behalf of the emperor. Later, an imperial vicar was invariably one of two princes charged by the Golden Bull with administerin ...

and

marquis of Tuscany The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region. Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface :These were origin ...

from 1116 until his death in battle in 1119. A

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

count, Rabodo was appointed by the Emperor Henry V after the death of the Marchioness

Matilda of Tuscany Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as ...

(1115) in order to break the practice of hereditary succession in the Tuscan marquisate. He was a much weaker ruler than his predecessor, unable to dominate the many disparate forces opposed to direct imperial (or German) rule. This weakness is often associated with the rise of autonomous city government in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. In a document of 11 September 1116, Rabodo is called "marquis of Tuscany owing to imperial largesse", but in one dated to 1119 he is said to rule "

by God's grace By the Grace of God ( la, Dei Gratia, abbreviated D.G.) is a formulaic phrase used especially in Christian monarchies as an introductory part of the full styles of a monarch. For example in England and later the United Kingdom, the phrase was f ...

", using the same formula used by Matilda. He moved the Tuscan capital from Florence, where it had been since 1057, to the fortified town of

San Miniato al Tedesco San Miniato is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. San Miniato sits at an historically strategic location atop three small hills where it dominates the lower Arno valley, between the valleys of E ...

, thereafter the seat of the imperial vicars into the 13th century. He brought with him a German entourage, referenced with contempt in many contemporary documents merely as the ''Teutonici'' (Germans). In 1116 Rabodo pledged the castle of

Bientina Bientina () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany. History The toponym Bientina is attested the first time in 793 as Blentina and probably comes from the Etruscan name Plitine. Geography Ter ...

to Archbishop

Pietro Moriconi Pietro Moriconi (died 1119) was the Archbishop of Pisa_from_1105,_succeeding_ Dagobert._According_to_tradition_he_belonged_to_the_noble_lineage_of_Moriconi_of_ Dagobert._According_to_tradition_he_belonged_to_the_noble_lineage_of_Moriconi_of_Vicopisa ...

of Pisa and the Pisan judge (''iudex'') and operator (''operarius'') Ildebrando. This pledge was witnessed by four consuls of the commune of the city of Pisa. Rabodo disputed the jurisdictional claims of the commune of Florence and established an alliance with the city's rivals, the

Alberti counts Alberti may refer to: Leon Battista Alberti, the Renaissance architect Places * Alberti Partido, a partido of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina * Alberti, Buenos Aires, the main town of the partido * Alberti (Buenos Aires Underground), a railway ...

. He took the castle of

Monte Cascioli Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...

, which was coveted by the Alberti, from the Florentines in 1119. The Florentines assaulted the castle twice, and Rabodo was killed defending it. The castle was burnt to the ground. His successor,

Conrad of Scheyern Conrad (german: Konrad, it, Corrado) was the margrave of Tuscany from 1119/20 until 1129/31. He was a German (''Teutonicus'' in contemporary records), appointed by the Emperor Henry V to bring Tuscany back under imperial control. During the long I ...

, another German, was in office by 1120.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Margraves of Tuscany 1119 deaths