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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <h3>Reign of the Scaligeri in Verona 1259 - 1387, 1404</h3> <p>When <a href="/facts/Ezzelino_III_da_Romano/5N0NkeeE">Ezzelino III da Romano</a> was elected <i><a href="/facts/Podest%C3%A0/5KxGaXjX">podestà</a></i> of the commune in 1226, he was able to convert the office into a permanent lordship. Upon his death in 1259 the Great Council elected as <a href="/facts/Podest%C3%A0/5KxGaXjX">podestà del popolo</a> <a href="/facts/Mastino_I_della_Scala/344mYyvt">Mastino I della Scala</a>, who succeeded in converting the <i>signoria</i> (seigniory) into a family inheritance, governing at first with the acquiescence of the <a href="/facts/Communes_of_Italy/Bxsc8IYY">commune</a>, then, when they failed to re-elect him in 1262, he effected a <a href="/facts/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat/eUK9HBw7">coup d'état</a> and was acclaimed <i>capitano del popolo</i> ("people's captain"), at the head of the commune's troops. In 1277 Mastino was killed by a faction of the nobles. The reign of his son <a href="/facts/Alberto_I_della_Scala/Ktm1VQI7">Alberto I della Scala</a> as <i>capitano</i> (1277–1302) was an incessant war against the counts of <a href="/facts/San_Bonifacio/JjjpXs1u">San Bonifacio</a>, who were aided by the <a href="/facts/House_of_Este/ukSvFVF6">House of Este</a>. Of his three sons, <a href="/facts/Cangrande_I_della_Scala/kgwySdl0">Cangrande I della Scala</a> inherited the podestà position in 1308, only the last shared the government (1308) and made a name as warrior, prince and patron of <a href="/facts/Dante_Alighieri/rXX7fIg0">Dante</a>, <a href="/facts/Petrarch/sbLMjk0u">Petrarch</a> and <a href="/facts/Giotto_di_Bondone/jctU6AFj">Giotto</a>. By war or treaty he brought under his control the cities of <a href="/facts/Padua/7yw19UVp">Padua</a> (1328), <a href="/facts/Treviso/qwpV1SjK">Treviso</a> (1329), and <a href="/facts/Vicenza/0vWc4ukH">Vicenza</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <p>Cangrande I was succeeded by his nephews <a href="/facts/Mastino_II_della_Scala/xms5dKVc">Mastino II della Scala</a> (1329–1351) and <a href="/facts/Alberto_II_della_Scala/jmd3kKYN">Alberto II della Scala</a>. Mastino, the richest and most powerful prince of his generation in Italy, continued his uncle's policy, conquering <a href="/facts/Brescia/Cq7QnCxX">Brescia</a> in 1332 and carrying his power beyond the <a href="/facts/Po_(river)/jtwDSkgw">Po river</a>. He purchased <a href="/facts/Parma/q95VPYJF">Parma</a> (1335) and <a href="/facts/Lucca/DDc1cTB6">Lucca</a> (1339). A powerful league was formed against him in 1337: Florence, Venice, the <a href="/facts/Visconti_of_Milan/awxAdGaQ">Visconti</a>, the Este and the <a href="/facts/House_of_Gonzaga/gHSeMdDb">Gonzaga</a> all joined, and <a href="/facts/Scaliger_War/YPYbhv0a">after a three-year war</a>, the Scaliger dominions were reduced to Verona and Vicenza. </p><p>Mastino II's son <a href="/facts/Cangrande_II_della_Scala/bwGwmHYM">Cangrande II della Scala</a> (1351–1359) was a cruel and suspicious tyrant; not trusting his own subjects, he surrounded himself with German mercenaries, but was killed by his brother <a href="/facts/Cansignorio_della_Scala/P2nyvjfq">Cansignorio della Scala</a> (1359–1375), who beautified Verona with palaces, provided it with <a href="/facts/Aqueduct_(water_supply)/jnSsVRYd">aqueducts</a> and bridges and founded the state treasury. He also killed his other brother, <a href="/facts/Paolo_Alboino_della_Scala/yeJUe626">Paolo Alboino della Scala</a>. <a href="/facts/Fratricide/y76KKn2V">Fratricide</a> among the Scaligeri continued when <a href="/facts/Antonio_della_Scala/En3JdwJk">Antonio della Scala</a> (1375–1387), Cansignorio's natural son, slew his brother Bartolomeo. This aroused the indignation of the people, who deserted him when <a href="/facts/Gian_Galeazzo_Visconti/XKVF5osW">Gian Galeazzo Visconti</a> of Milan made war on him. Having exhausted all his resources, he fled from Verona at midnight (19 October 1387), thus ending the Scaliger domination.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <p>His son <a href="/facts/Canfrancesco_della_Scala/y6kvFJv0">Canfrancesco della Scala</a> attempted fruitlessly to recover Verona (1390) and is believed to have died in 1392. <a href="/facts/Guglielmo_della_Scala/6oPDYluR">Guglielmo della Scala</a> (died 1404), natural son of Cangrande II, was more fortunate: with the support of the people, he drove out the Milanese, but he died ten days thereafter, and Verona then submitted to Venice in the <a href="/facts/War_of_Padua/qwG4IYKD">War of Padua</a> (1405). </p> <h3>Later Scaligeri</h3> <p>The last representatives of the Scaligeri lived at the imperial court and repeatedly attempted to recover Verona by the aid of popular uprisings. After the Scaligeri had been ousted, two self-proclaimed members of the family, <a href="/facts/Giulio_Cesare_della_Scala/X4zG3ddT">Giulio Cesare della Scala</a> (also known as <a href="/facts/Julius_Caesar_Scaliger/X4zG3ddT">Julius Caesar Scaliger</a>) and his son <a href="/facts/Joseph_Justus_Scaliger/MK778eXP">Joseph Justus Scaliger</a>, made a reputation as <a href="/facts/Humanism/lM8R0wLs">humanist</a> scholars, though their relationship to the historic Scaliger family is disputed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> Guglielmo's sons dispersed widely: Brunoro [it] went to Germany, while Nicodemo [it] followed an ecclesiastical career, becoming <a href="/facts/Bishop_of_Freising/BNjyLTBT">Bishop of Freising</a>; most of the siblings died and were buried in <a href="/facts/Vienna/NSpIURsA">Vienna</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Paolo [it] married Amalia von Frauenberg and founded the Bavarian <i>von der Leiter</i> branch of the family, which survived until 1598.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h3>Tombs</h3> <p>The church of <i><a href="/facts/Santa_Maria_Antica/6gnff1Db">Santa Maria Antica</a></i> in Verona is surrounded with the <a href="/facts/Scaliger_Tombs/nsAlVkBJ">tombs</a> (<i>arche</i>) of the Scaligeri in the form of Gothic shrines, or <i>tempietti</i>, enclosing their sarcophagi: Cangrande della Scala is memorialized with an equestrian statue; Cansignorio by a marble <a href="/facts/Gothic_art/zsR9z4WC">Gothic</a> monument by Bonino da Campione, 1374.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="family-tree-of-della-scala-scaliger">Family tree of della Scala (Scaliger)</h2> <table><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">ArduinoDELLA SCALA</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">Balduino∞ Caradina Gabrielli</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">Leonardo</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Jacopino_della_Scala/DrmWH8v6">Jacopino della Scala</a>∞ Elisa Superbi</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Mastino_I_della_Scala/344mYyvt">Mastino I della Scala</a></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Alberto_I_della_Scala/Ktm1VQI7">Alberto I della Scala</a>∞ Verde of Salizzolo</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Bartolomeo_I_della_Scala/v4c6ohV8">Bartolomeo I della Scala</a>∞ Constanca of Antioch</td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Alboino_I_della_Scala/2zQmIQwG">Alboino della Scala</a>∞ 1.Caterina Visconti2.Betrice da Corregio</td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Cangrande_I_della_Scala/kgwySdl0">Cangrande I della Scala</a>∞ Giovanna di Svevia</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">(2) <a href="/facts/Alberto_II_della_Scala/jmd3kKYN">Alberto II della Scala</a></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">(2) <a href="/facts/Mastino_II_della_Scala/xms5dKVc">Mastino II della Scala</a>∞ Taddea da Carrara</td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Cangrande_II_della_Scala/bwGwmHYM">Cangrande II della Scala</a>∞ Elizabeth of Bavaria</td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Cansignorio_della_Scala/P2nyvjfq">Cansignorio della Scala</a>∞ <a href="/facts/Agnes_of_Durazzo/9Flz3EmP">Agnes of Durazzo</a></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Paolo_Alboino_della_Scala/yeJUe626">Paolo Alboino della Scala</a></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td colspan="2"></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">(illeg.)<a href="/facts/Guglielmo_della_Scala/6oPDYluR">Guglielmo della Scala</a>∞ Onesta Mortone</td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">(illeg.)<a href="/facts/Antonio_I_della_Scala/En3JdwJk">Antonio I della Scala</a>∞ Samaritana de Polena</td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">(illeg.)<a href="/facts/Bartolomeo_II_della_Scala/PuIpLEwr">Bartolomeo II della Scala</a></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td></tr><tr></tr><tr><td colspan="6" rowspan="2">Antoinio II della Scala</td><td colspan="2" rowspan="2"></td><td colspan="6" rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Canfrancesco_della_Scala/y6kvFJv0">Canfrancesco della Scala</a></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Zavarise/G5R0egf7">Zavarise</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Verona/tquPI1yc">Verona</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Veneto/ejrBn3n0">Veneto</a></li></ul> <h2 id="sources">Sources</h2> <ul><li>Mennini Ippolito, Antonio (1986). "Della Scala". <i><a href="/facts/Lexikon_des_Mittelalters/mmpnCDts">Lexikon des Mittelalters</a>, III: Codex Wintoniensis bis Erziehungs- und Bildungswesen</i> (in German). Stuttgart and Weimar: J. B. Metzler. col. 676–678. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 3-7608-8903-4.</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Verona Scaligera". Verona.com. <a href="https://verona.com/it/verona/verona-scaligera/" target="_blank">https://verona.com/it/verona/verona-scaligera/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"La Famiglia della Scala". Verona.net. <a href="https://www.verona.net/it/storia/la_famiglia_della_scala.html" target="_blank">https://www.verona.net/it/storia/la_famiglia_della_scala.html</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Storia di Verona: la famiglia della scala". www.verona.net (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-05-01. <a href="https://www.verona.net/it/storia/la_famiglia_della_scala.html" target="_blank">https://www.verona.net/it/storia/la_famiglia_della_scala.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Gli Scaligeri: origine e ascesa - Storia di Verona". www.veronissima.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01. <a href="http://www.veronissima.com/sito_italiano/html/storia-di-verona-gli-scaligeri.html" target="_blank">http://www.veronissima.com/sito_italiano/html/storia-di-verona-gli-scaligeri.html</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Storia di Verona: la famiglia della scala". www.verona.net (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-05-01. <a href="https://www.verona.net/it/storia/la_famiglia_della_scala.html" target="_blank">https://www.verona.net/it/storia/la_famiglia_della_scala.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Mennini Ippolito 1986, cols. 677–678. - Mennini Ippolito, Antonio (1986). "Della Scala". Lexikon des Mittelalters, III: Codex Wintoniensis bis Erziehungs- und Bildungswesen (in German). Stuttgart and Weimar: J. B. Metzler. col. 676–678. ISBN 3-7608-8903-4. <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Mennini Ippolito 1986, col. 678. - Mennini Ippolito, Antonio (1986). "Della Scala". Lexikon des Mittelalters, III: Codex Wintoniensis bis Erziehungs- und Bildungswesen (in German). Stuttgart and Weimar: J. B. Metzler. col. 676–678. ISBN 3-7608-8903-4. <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Della Scala". Storia Rinascimentale (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-05-01. <a href="https://www.storiarinascimentale.it/dinastie/della-scala/" target="_blank">https://www.storiarinascimentale.it/dinastie/della-scala/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>