Guglielmo II, marchese di Ceva

• https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guglielmo-di-ceva_(Dizionario-...

Ci sembra utile mettere in evidenza come qualche anno dopo, il 20 sett. 1222, alcuni dei figli del C. , Manuele, Leone, Bonifacio, Benedetto, Giorgio e Guglielmo (III) di Ceva chiederanno al vescovo d'Asti l'autorizzazione a cedere Boves, in cambio del castello e città di Mombasiglio, che il vescovo aveva ricevuto in dono dai signori di Carassone nel 1134 (G. Assandria, doc. CCXXXVI):

..Il C. ebbe numerosi figli: ai summenzionati Manuele, Leone, Bonifacio, Benedetto, Giorgio e Guglielmo, vanno aggiunti anche Raimondo, Oddone, Michele e Pagano (Codex Astensis, I, all. 7, quadro V).

Medlands: "Monferrato, Saluzzo, Savona"

a) GUGLIELMO [II] (-after 25 Nov 1228). The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified. Marchese di Ceva. "Dominus Willelmus, D. Manuellus, D. Leo, D. Bonefacius et D. Georgius fratres omnes Marchiones de Ceva" exchanged property with Giacopo Bishop of Asti by charter dated Sep 1222[857]. "Otto marchio de Careto et Oddonus eius nepos marchiones de Vasto et Guielmus marchio de Ceva et Manuellus eius frater suo et fratrum suorum…Raymundus marchio de Busca…et fratrum suorum et Gratapalea…et Henrici di Careto soceri sui…" made an alliance with Asti against Alexandria and Alba by charter dated 25 Nov 1228[858].

m --- di Saluzzo, daughter of MANFREDO II Marchese di Saluzzo & his wife Alasia di Monferrato. The primary source which confirms her parentage and marriage has not yet been identified.

Guglielmo [II] & his wife had one child:

• i) ALOISIA di Ceva (?–[22 Aug 1291/1293], bur Revello Santa Maria)....
  m TOMASO I Marchese di Saluzzo, son of MANFREDO III Marchese di Saluzzo & his wife Béatrix de Savoie (-3 Dec 1296).

  ---

NOTE: As of 12 Oct 2023, Medlands doesn't support the presently hyperlinked children as belonging to Guglielmo II. (Ken Shelley)

as for 2022 note of Anselmo I del Vasto, 1°marchese di Ceva :
{please don't abuse the copy / paste of whole pages of generic text, maybe even duplicated in automatic translation .. it's free but annoying and very very noob. }

2023 note: Browsers apart from the "copy & paste" command, also have the "translate" command, and the "find text" command..

Treccani Enciclopedia: Dizzionario Biographico degli Italiani, Vol. 24 (1980)
CEVA, Guglielmo di, di Laura De Angelis

Note: The following auto-translated text is for persons who can't read Italian. No claim is made that it is wholly accurate.

Second of this name, he lived between the end of the 12th century and the first quarter of the 13th; he was the eldest son of Guglielmo (I), from whom he inherited the title of marquis of Ceva, and he had three brothers: Anselmo il Molle, also lord of Ceva, Bonifacio Tagliaferro, marquis of Albenga and Oddone, marquis of Clavesana.

Ceva, seat of the marquisate since 1125, is located in a strategically important geographical position astride the Ligurian Apennines along the road that leads from Albenga, on one side, to Turin, on the other, to Asti and near the Tanaro river. Anselmo (I) had been the first marquis of Ceva (as such he is remembered in an act dated July 1140 [Tallone, doc. 21] which attests to an agreement with the Municipality of Genoa), taking advantage of a bequest from Bonifacio del Vasto whose possessions had been divided among the seven sons (the eighth Bonifacio d'Incisa appears to have been disinherited), as shown by the will received and drawn up on 5 October. 1125 in Loreto, currently in the province of Asti (ibid., doc. 16). Anselmo (I) had two sons: Guglielmo (I), who retained the title of Marquis of Ceva, and Bonifacio who became the first Marquis of Clavesana. The policy of the lords of Ceva was conditioned in particular, from the beginning, by family ties and the location of the marquisate: this determined on the one hand the need to seek agreements with the cities of greatest influence in the area, such as Asti, Alba, Genoa, Mondovì, on the other the opportunity to maintain constant ties with the collateral branches of the family.

During the 12th century, the territorial boundaries of the marquisate had undergone a notable expansion; at the time when C., upon the death of his father, took over the leadership (around 1190), the following localities were part of the territorial jurisdiction of Ceva: Montegrosso (Guasco, III, p. 1075), Pamparato (ibid., II, p. 1206), a part of Loreto (ibid., II, p. 922), Lisio (ibid., II, p. 906), Lesegno (ibid., II, p. 896), Lequio (ibid., II, p. 892), Igliano (ibid., II, p. 851), Gottasecca (ibid., II, p. 823), Cengio (ibid., I, p. 509), Cortemiglia, which Boniface di Cortemiglia had left in inheritance to the brothers Guglielmo, marquis of Busca, Anselmo, marquis of Ceva, Ottone of Savona and Manfredo of Saluzzo (ibid., II, p. 646), Montezemolo (Codex Astensis, II, doc. 560), and Miroaldo (ibid.).

C.'s policy aimed to include the marquisate within the predominant political forces and sought the support of the Municipality of Asti. However, while for some families in the area — such as the da Gorzano or the Castellinaldo, whose political affirmation dates back to a period preceding the one considered — it was possible to note a balanced insertion first into the feudal clientele of the bishop and then into that of the Municipality, although regarding the Cevas, however, we note a prevailing propensity towards the Municipality, justified by the fact that at the end of the 12th century the episcopal power was going through a moment of crisis.

C. stipulated the first agreement with the Municipality of Asti on 27 May 1190 (Codex Astensis, II, docs. 256, 559-561). On the basis of it he renounced Montezemolo and Miroaldo (which he had received as an inheritance from Bonifacio di Cortemiglia) and the loyalty of the men and feudal lords of the aforementioned places, as well as the churches, mills, woods etc., included therein, and the Municipality of Asti reinvested him with the same lands, placing certain conditions on him. C., in fact, undertook to protect the citizens of Asti in transit through his territories and not to demand any "teloneum nec pedagium nec guidonagium nec curadiam" [tr. tolls, no tolls, no guidance, no curation] from them; he promised not to divide the lands inherited from Boniface of Cortemiglia, nor to sell, alienate or enfeoff them without first having consulted the consuls of Asti. He also undertook to purchase a house in the city worth one hundred Asti lire with the obligation not to sell it without consular authorization, as well as to assume Asti citizenship and to pay a fee of three hundred lire every time he was asked to do so. The Municipality also required that he stay at least two months a year in the city in peacetime and continuously in wartime with ten soldiers. Once a year, then, for a month and at his own expense, he had to be present in the city army with ten knights and two hundred infantry. For his part, the Municipality undertook to support the Marquis's forces for one month a year with twenty knights and two hundred infantry and to help him in case of need. From this document it is clear that under the leadership of C. the marquisate of Ceva had risen to an important position within the political forces of southwestern Piedmont, while the Municipality of Asti represented one of the most established powers in the same area. Asti, moreover, was implementing in those years a policy of widespread penetration into the areas which until then had been of exclusive episcopal predominance. The agreement between C. and the Municipality of Asti therefore fits into this framework, which presents, moreover, accentuated characteristics of an alliance for military purposes, rather than a real insertion of the marquis into the context of city life. The Municipality, moreover, through the use of the institution of the oblate fiefdom and the stipulation of the citizenry, had the possibility of attracting into its sphere of action some of the most powerful feudal families who donated their fiefdoms to the Municipality (being immediately reinvested ), obtaining in turn adequate defense guarantees, regular sources of revenue and guarantees regarding commercial traffic routes. Furthermore, the considerable economic advantages that the Municipality enjoyed thanks to the exemption from any toll on the lands of its feudal lords and the collection of a substantial fee must also be highlighted.

The importance achieved at this point by the Marquisate of Ceva is further confirmed by a document relating to an agreement stipulated between the Municipality of Asti and the Marquis of Savona on 12 April. 1191. The act makes a precise reference to C. and underlines how the new clauses leave unchanged all the agreements already in force for some time between the lords of Savona and those of Ceva (Codex Astensis, III, doc. 929).

C. therefore deserves the credit of having consolidated the position of his house. During the years of his dominion (1190-1220) he carried out a complex public activity which must be analyzed by highlighting the underlying reasons: the donations to the Casotto charterhouse, the relations with Asti, the search for agreements with new allies, first of all the Municipality of Alba.

He was, in fact, among the benefactors of the Casotto charterhouse: in 1188 he donated a vineyard to it (Barelli, doc. VIII) and some mountain pastures (ibid., doc. IX); in 1211, together with his sons Guglielmo (III) and Manuele, he confirmed the sale made in favor of the charterhouse by Ottone di Carassone of the Buschera chestnut grove (ibid., doc. XXX) and in 1213 he receipted an old credit of one hundred lire boasted in against the prior of S. Maria di Casotto for a previous loan (ibid., doc. XXXVI).

The analysis of the data relating to the relationships between C. and his family and the Municipality of Asti in the period in question is more complex. In 1191 Asti came into conflict with the Marquis of Monferrato. The war lasted until 1206 in an alternating game of alliances in which the Cevas were also involved. They sided with the Municipality and, moreover, the traditional good relations with the latter appear further strengthened: by an act of 25 August. 1191, which certifies the achievement of a truce between the contenders, C. appears to hold the podestarial office (Codex Astensis, II, doc.194). Vergano (see p. 42) states that C. was the second mayor of the Municipality having been elected after Guido di Landriano.

In a phase of the conflict unfavorable to Asti, Anselmo il Molle, marquis of Ceva and brother of C., invested Lanfranco Niello of Alba (who among other things was part of the arbitration commission between Asti and the marquis of Monferrato) of his share in Castagnole and one eighth of Loreto including woods, meadows, vineyards, "et omnes iurisdictiones et potestates" [tr. and all jurisdictions and powers]. This transfer by the Ceva family is very significant: it was probably determined by the fact that almost all of Loreto belonged to Manfredi Lancia, marquis of Busca and, count of Loreto, ally of the marquis of Monferrato in the ongoing conflict against Asti. On Nov. 13. 1196 (Codex Astensis, II, doc. 33) Manfredi had, moreover, ceded Loreto itself and other localities to the lord of Monferrato and had become its feudal lord. From all this we deduce that the coexistence between the Cevas and Manfredi Lancia must have been extremely difficult, given their different sides in the ongoing struggle, and that for this reason they were forced to give up their part of the committee (as regards on the dispute relating to the possession of Loreto see Vergano, p. 49; Cognasso, pp. 306, 339 ff.; Codex Astensis, II, doc. 47).

The alliance between C. and the Municipality of Asti appears, however, to crack in the early years of the century. XIII. In fact, while the war between Asti and the Marquis of Monferrato was approaching a conclusion decidedly favorable to the Municipality, C. joined the alliance promoted by Alba to the detriment of Asti, an alliance which also included Cuneo, Mondovì, Guglielmo Marquis of Monferrato, Manfredo marquis of Saluzzo, Ottone and Enrico del Carretto, Bonifacio of Clavesana and other lords, as well as the mayors of Astisio and Bagnasco. The treaty stipulated on 3 September. 1204 (E. Milano, doc. However, C., who continued to be formally among Asti's allies, despite being attracted by the new alliance, at the same time avoided breaking an agreement that had already dated back for many years. And, in fact, the document specifies that he undertook to respect all agreements as long as he was not involved in conflicts waged against Asti or Mondovì. The guarantees that Manfredo di Saluzzo demanded for Ottone and Enrico del Carretto and for C., amounting to two hundred marks of silver (a very high sum), and similar guarantees requested from other lords for variable sums attest to the fluidity of the political situation and the uncertainty of the behavior of the lords of Ceva and the del Carretto as well as their consorts.

In the same period C. also sought new alliances: on 12 August 1196, together with Bonifacio of Clavesana, he stipulated an agreement with the Municipality of Alba. On the basis of it, the marquises undertook to stipulate the citizenship agreement with Alba and to purchase a house in the city worth sixty Asti lire, with the clause not to sell or dispose of it. Furthermore, the two sides committed to helping each other in case of need, intervening with ten knights and two hundred infantry, who would have to be supported at the expense of the one who needed help.

Similar relationships probably existed between the Municipality of Mondovì and the Cevas. We know, in fact, that Anselmo il Molle, brother of C., was mayor of Mondovì in 1200. He is in fact remembered as such in an act dating back to 8 November. 1200 (G. Assandria, doc. CCXCVII).

The sagacious and balanced policy that C. had implemented in all these years is confirmed by the observation of the further expansion of the territorial borders of the Marquisate of Ceva. At the end of the 12th century the localities of San Michele Mondovì were annexed to it, sold to C. by the bishop of Asti on 12 October. 1198 (Guasco, IV, p. 1488), Garessio, for the submission of the Ricci, lords of the place, to the marquises of Ceva in 1202 (ibid., II, p. 784), Bagnasco (ibid., I, p. 125 ), Battifollo (ibid., I, p. 181) and Borgomale (ibid., I, p. 271).

Particularly interesting, especially due to the persistence of the noble jurisdictions in the full municipal period, appear some documents drawn up between 1214 and 1218. From an act dated 5 May 1214 it appears that Manfredi Lancia, marquis of Busca, invested C. and his legitimate heirs of the Boves fiefdom. The deed provided for the dependence of C. and his heirs on Manfredi Lancia and the bishop of Asti, as long as the former was alive, and subsequently only on the latter. Furthermore, C. also ceded the fiefdom of Pamparato to Bishop Guidotto and his son Guglielmo (III), in swearing an oath of loyalty on behalf of his father, was invested with both fiefdoms. This episode is significant because it marks the entry of the marquises of Ceva among the vassals of the bishop of Asti. However, beyond appearances, this is not a radical and definitive reversal of the political trend of the Cevas, who, as we have seen, had until now preferred to link their fortunes to those of the Municipality rather than to those of the bishop, but rather than a necessary new relationship determined by the restoration policy pursued by the city Church (G. Assandria, doc. CCXXXIV).

It seems useful to us to highlight how a few years later, on 20 September. 1222, some of C.'s sons, Manuele, Leone, Bonifacio, Benedetto, Giorgio and Guglielmo (III) of Ceva will ask the bishop of Asti for authorization to cede Boves, in exchange for the castle and city of Mombasiglio, which the bishop had received as a gift from the lords of Carassone in 1134 (G. Assandria, doc. CCXXXVI): Leone di Ceva undertook to give the bishop the oath of loyalty for the aforementioned city. We can advance the hypothesis that the sons of C. preferred to be enfeoffed of Mombasiglio, which is located a few kilometers from Ceva, rather than of Boves located in the immediate vicinity of Cuneo, a city which was also an antagonist of the lords of Ceva. It seems appropriate to also underline that precisely in these years the bishops of Asti were implementing a policy aimed at strengthening the position of the Church in the context of south-western Piedmont, and furthermore, in order to prevent the ecclesiastical fiefdoms from detaching themselves from the episcopal authority for join the causes of the Municipality or other lay lords, they had obtained from Frederick II to consider "irritas et inanes" "all the alienations of lands or castles of the church of Asti, made without the express consent of the bishop... with the right of recovery of the assets themselves" (L. Vergano, pp. 82 s.).

C. is remembered for the last time in a deed from 1218, which attests to a new agreement between the lords of Ceva and the Municipality of Alba. In November of that year he delegated his son Guglielmo (III) to make contact with the mayor of Alba Guglielmo Burro (E. Milano, doc. CCLXXIV) and on 3 November of the same year the two parties established the terms of the agreement valid for a three-year period and renewable for three years in three years (ibid., doc. CCLXXV). The Cevas undertook to purchase a house in Alba worth one hundred lire and land for a similar sum, by the following January and to invest, within a total of two years, another four hundred lire in land; William (III) promised to personally stay in Alba (or have one of his brothers stay there in his stead) with armed companions to participate in any military expeditions in the city. Among the commitments that the lords signed were: participation in the army with ten knights and two hundred infantry for fifteen days a year and in reconnaissance with twenty-five knights twice a year for eight days; military aid against the enemies of the Municipality, with the exception of the bishop of Asti - to whom they were linked, as we have seen, by vassal ties for the fiefdom of Mombasiglio - and the marquises of Clavesana, del Carretto, Lancia, Battifollo, with which involved kinship ties, as long as they were not part of larger alliances. The Municipality, for its part, promised similar interventions alongside the Cevas, except against Alessandria, Bene and the emperor.

C. had numerous sons: to the aforementioned Manuele, Leone, Bonifacio, Benedetto, Giorgio and Guglielmo, Raimondo, Oddone, Michele and Pagano must also be added (Codex Astensis, I, all. 7, panel V). From the documents at our disposal we deduce that the administration of the marquisate of Ceva, upon C.'s death, was held collegially by some of his numerous sons. The documents most frequently mention George, Manuel, Leo and William (III). C.'s sons actively continued the policy started by their father. Their presence is constantly noted on the one hand in causes or disputes of a certain importance (see Codex Astensis, II, docs. 258 and 528; Tallone, Regesto..., docs.292, 294; Barelli, doc. LXVI), on the other, alongside Asti in the struggles that saw it engaged against Alba and Alessandria and their numerous allies, including Milan, Tortona and Vercelli (all traditionally anti-imperial cities). In this regard it seems useful to remember the agreement stipulated between Asti and some important lords including the marquises of Vasto, Ottone del Carretto, Ottone del Vasto, Manfredo (III) of Saluzzo, Guglielmo (III) of Ceva and his brothers the Nov. 25, 1228. The new agreement annulled the peace treaties previously stipulated between these lords and Alba and established the terms of the new alliance. The marquises of Ceva committed themselves to fighting alongside Asti, to prevent the passage of men from enemy cities through their territories, as well as through those of their vassals; to avoid commercial exchanges with adverse forces and not to grant them any "guidonagium" [tr. guidance]; to maintain one hundred armed men for the entire duration of the conflict to face the forces of Alba and Alessandria. The lords of Ceva and the Municipality of Asti, in particular, mutually undertook not to make claims for any compensation for damages suffered in past conflicts. Furthermore, the former undertook to have the agreements stipulated also signed by the Municipalities of Montezemolo, Miroaldo, Castelnuovo and Cortemiglia. Asti, for its part, promised to help defend its allies and to include them in any peace negotiations, as well as to continue hostilities until Enrico del Carretto had recovered the castle of Sinio, the city of Novello and two parts of Monteforte, the marquis of Saluzzo Lequio and his part of Monteforte, Ottone del Carretto Paderno, and the lords of Manzano Manzano. The documents relating to this agreement also provided for the annual renewal of the oath (Codex Astensis, II, docs. 528 and 261; Tallone, Regesto..., doc. 301).

Once the war between Asti and Alba ended in 1250, the lords of Ceva proceeded to stipulate new agreements with the latter, partly referring to those already concluded in 1218. The act drawn up on 17 April. 1252 established that the marquises of Ceva assumed the citizenship of Alba and also undertook to buy a house in the city, to invest in lands and to help the Municipality with their own militias, making them available to the Municipality's army for fifteen days a year, ten knights, and two hundred infantry to be supported at their own expense and participating in the armed reconnaissance of the Municipality with twenty-five knights for eight days. The Cevas, however, promised to be neutral in case of attacks against the bishop of Asti, and their traditional allies. Alba, for his part, promised not to attack the Municipality of Asti and to help the Cevas in case of need with ten knights and two hundred infantry for fifteen days a year.

In the decade 1250-60, the lords of Ceva were involved in new conflicts. First, we find them allied with Asti against Thomas II of Savoy (see Codex Astensis, III, docs. 903 and 904; Tallone, Regesto ..., doc. 423), and then alongside Alba against Mondovì.

Fonti e Bibl.: qui de Malabayla commun. nuncupatur, a cura di Q. Sella, Roma 1880, II, doc. 33, 47, 194, 253, 256, 258, 261, 528, 559, 560, 561; III, doc. 903, 904, 929; E. Milano, Il "Rigestum comunis Albe", Pinerolo 1903, doc. XI, CCLXXIV s.; Il Libro verde della chiesa d'Asti, a cura di G. Assandria, Pinerolo 1907, doc. CCXXXIV, CCXXXVI, CCXCVII; Reg. dei marchesi di Saluzzo…, a cura di A. Tallone, Pinerolo 1906, doc. 16, 21, 292, 294, 301, 423; G. Barelli, Cartario della certosa di Casotto (1172-1326) , Torino 1957, doc. VIII s., XXX, XXXVI, LXVI; G. Cordero di San Quintino, Osservaz. crit. sopra alcuni particolari delle storie del Piemonte e della Liguria nei secc. XI e XII, in Mem. d. R. Acc. d. scienze di Torino, s. 2, XVIII (1853), pp. 3 ss.; A. Manno, Bibliogr. stor. d. Stati della monarchia di Savoia, IV, Torino 1892, pp. 240 s.; L. Usseglio, I marchesi del Vasto, in Riv. stor. ital ., X (1893), pp. 423 ss.; E. Morozzo della Rocca, La storia dell'antica città di Monteregale ora Mondovì in Piemont e, Mondovì 1894-95, II, pp. 312 ss.; C. Desimoni, Sulle Marche d'Italia e sulle loro diram. in marchesati, in Atti della Soc. ligure di storia patria, XXVIII (1806), pp. 221 ss.; F. Guasco, Diz. feudale degli antichi Stati sardi e della Lombardia , Pinerolo 1911, I, pp. 125, 181, 271, 509; II, pp. 648, 784, 823, 851, 892, 896, 906, 922; III, pp. 1075, 1206; IV, p. 1488; G. Manzoni, Ceva ed il suo marchesato , Ceva 1911, pp. 5-13; A. Tallone, Tomaso I,marchese di Saluzzo (1244-1296), Pinerolo 1916, p. 104; F. Gabotto, Gli Aleramici fino alla metà del sec XII, in Riv. di storia, arte ed. archeologia per la prov. d'Alessandria e Asti, XXVIII (1919), pp. 1-36; L. Vergano, Storia d'Asti, ibid . LX-LXI (1951-52), pp. 42, 55, 64, 82 ss., 114; G. Da Bra, Ceva in tutti i temp i, Cuneo 1959, pp. 51-97; F. Cognasso, Il Piemonte nell'età sveva , Torino 1968, pp. 306, 308, 312, 332, 339, 392, 466 s. Vedi inoltre R. Bordone, L'arist. militare del territorio di Asti: i signori di Gorzano, in Bollettino storico-bibliografico subalpino , LXIX (1971), pp. 357-446; LXX (1972), pp. 489-544; Id., Una valle di transito nel gioco politico dell'età sveva. Le trasformazioni del potere e dell'insediamento nel comitato di Serralonga, ibid., LXXIII (1975), pp. 109-79.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
it.Wikipedia: Marchesato di Ceva (auto-translation)

The Marquisate of Ceva was an ancient Aleramic state of medieval Italy, which arose from the dismemberment of the territories that belonged to Bonifacio del Vasto. It was located in what is now southern Piedmont and the capital of the marquisate was the city of Ceva.

Having entered the sights of the Municipality of Asti, to which he lent vassalage for the first time in 1295, he then followed the changing events between the Viscounts, the Orléans and the Savoys for two centuries, who sometimes kept the descendants of the marquises as their governors, until Emperor Charles V put an end to this ballet by decreeing its definitive ownership to the Duchy of Savoy on 3 March 1531.

The origin of the marquisate can be traced back to Bonifacio del Vasto, lord of Savona, member of the so-called Aleramici family. Upon his death, his sons fought over the inheritance, and Anselmo became the first marquis of Ceva. Among the other sons, Manfredo I became lord of Saluzzo, Guglielmo took possession of Busca, Ugone was marquis of Clavesana, Bonifacio went to Cortemilia, Enrico became lord of Savona and finally, Oddone Boverio was master of Loreto.

The territories of Ugo di Clavesana became an integral part of those belonging to Anselmo di Ceva: when the latter died, the title of Marquis of Ceva went to his son Guglielmo, while that of Marquis of Clavesana went to his other son Bonifacio.

The Marquisate of Ceva[1] did not take long to divide into numerous small potentates, William having had many children, and the fortune and glory of the marquisate began to decline. In fact, in order to try to stop the continuous war between members of the family, the Marquis Giorgio II, known as the Dwarf, had to submit to the people of Asti, who had already helped the previous Marquis Guglielmo II to significantly extend the territory of Ceva during the 12th century.

This act was of capital importance, and occurred after a devastating war for power over the marquisate between William IV and his brother, the aforementioned George II, so that Ceva in 1296 came under the vassalage of Asti (with the marquis Giorgio II formally maintained as feudal lord), forever losing its total independence and closely linking the fate of Ceva with those of Asti, even if over the centuries there was no shortage of continuous attempts to change its colors. After Asti, now weakened by wars and fratricidal struggles, the marquisate became a vassal of Amedeo V of Savoy on 22 February 1313.

Following the vicissitudes that saw the lordships of Monferrato and Saluzzo pitted against the Angevins (who had settled in Asti) in the 14th century, Ceva paid allegiance to John II of Monferrato and therefore remained for a certain time under the vassalage of the lordship of marquises of Monferrato.

After these it was therefore the turn of the Viscounts of Milan, in 1352: in fact, considering that a close agreement with the city of Asti had been violated, the Milanese invaded the territories of the marquisate and besieged Ceva, at the time defended only by a small castle and the city walls, which fell into the hands of the Viscounts. In January 1356 the marquises attacked the invaders and expelled them from the city. Subsequently, the lords of Ceva still paid allegiance to John of Monferrato and Amadeus VIII of Savoy, but then eventually returned to the Viscounts orbit, through their control over Asti.

Eventually, in the 15th century, the territory of Ceva was so divided between members of the marquis family that it is difficult to establish a chronology of the actual rulers. On the other hand, already in 1457 the jurisdiction of the marquisate was divided into twelve parts called Dozeni or Capitanati, headed by the marquises or men designated by them.

Following the marriage of Valentina Viscounts, Ceva and Asti passed as a dowry to the French dukes of Orleans and finally, in 1535, to the Savoy family. With the arrival of the Savoys, any semblance of independence that had remained to the marquisate came to an end and the Aleramic dynasty of the marquises came to an end, being replaced by that of the Pallavicinos. The founder of this family was Giulio Cesare Pallavicino,[2] the first to be appointed governor of Ceva and to obtain the title of marquis, which he passed on to his descendants.[3]