Ezzelino I da Romano, also known as Ezzelino il Balbo (died 1189) was an Italian nobleman of the

Ezzelini The Ezzelini were a noble family in medieval Italy. The family was founded by Ecelo (Ezzelo), who received the fiefs of Romano d'Ezzelino and Onara * Ezzelino I da Romano (died 1189), called ''il Balbo'' ** Ezzelino II da Romano (died 1235), ca ...

family, who was lord of Onara,

Romano Romano may refer to: Food * Pecorino Romano, a hard, salty Italian cheese * Romano cheese, an American English and Canadian English term for a class of cheeses Places Italy Municipalities in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Latium * Arcinazzo Ro ...

, Bassano and Godego.

Biography

The son of Alberico and the grandson of the family's founder, Ecelo, in 1148 he took part in the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1147–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crus ...

along

Louis VIII of France Louis VIII (5 September 1187 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As a prince, he invaded Kingdom of England, England on 21 May 1216 and was Excommunication in the Catholic Church, excommunicated by a ...

and

Conrad III of Germany Conrad III (; ; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III, and from 1138 until his death in 1152 King of the Romans in t ...

, fighting in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and Ashkalon. At his return to Italy, he received the fiefs of

Oderzo Oderzo (; ) is a ''comune'', with a population of 20,003, in the province of Treviso, in the Italian region of Veneto. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about to the northeast of Venice. Oderzo is crossed by the Monticano river, a tri ...

and

Mussolente Mussolente is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is north of SS248 state road. History Mussolente consists of two distinct zones: a hilly area in the northern part and flatlands with an abundance of water in the souther ...

. In 1173 he was appointed as ''

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

Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...

and, in the same period, he was also ''podestà'' of Vicenza. In 1175, together with Anselmo of Dovara, he commanded the

Lombard League The Lombard League (; ) was an alliance of cities formed in 1167, and supported by the popes, to counter the attempts by the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman emperors to establish direct royal administrative control over the cities of the Kingdom of It ...

army who halted

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

's march near

Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...

. In 1176 he led the Treviso troops in the

battle of Legnano The battle of Legnano was a battle between the imperial army of Frederick Barbarossa and the troops of the Lombard League on 29 May 1176, near the town of Legnano, in present-day Lombardy, Italy. Although the presence of the enemy nearby was al ...

. After the

peace of Constance The Peace of Constance (25 June 1183) was a Privilege (law), privilege granted by Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, and his son and co-ruler, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, King of the Romans, to the members of the Lombard League to end th ...

, he switched his allegiance from the

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, ...

to the Ghibelline party, and reconciled with the emperor. Ezzelino died in 1189 and was succeeded by his son Ezzelino II.

Sources

* 12th-century births 1189 deaths Ezzelino 01 Nobility from Veneto Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines Christians of the Crusades 12th-century Italian nobility {{italy-noble-stub