A Cremonese family of marquises of Obertengian descent, holding Viadana on the Po under an imperial grant of 1158.
In 1200 they are a second-rank house of the Cremonese nobility; their great days as lords of Cremona come after 1276. Viadana lay in the diocese of Cremona.
Who he is
- Name
- not pinned (the line of Sopramonte Cavalcabò, made marquis of Viadana by Frederick I in 1158)
- Title
- marquis of Viadana
- Since
- not pinned
- Family
- Cavalcabò, said to descend from the Obertenghi marquises
- Confidence
- low
it.wikipedia names Corrado 'called Cavalcabò' (marquis, first recorded 1116), his son Sopramonte, founder of the line, named marquis of Viadana by Frederick I (grant of 30 July 1158, per it.wikipedia Viadana, which calls the Cavalcabò the place's co-lords), and Guglielmo, marquis of Viadana and podestà of Parma in 1229. The head of the family on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
Overlord
The Empire (imperial grant of 1158); the family belongs to Cremona's nobility.
What it holds
- Viadana and its district on the Po (imperial grant, 30 July 1158; co-lordship)
- houses and rights in Cremona [not pinned]
How it was acquired
Imperial grant of Frederick I, 30 July 1158.
Allies and rivals
Part of Cremona's nobility; neighbours of the da Dovara (who also held property round Viadana), of Mantua and of Reggio across the Po.
How things stand that morning
Viadana sits on the Po between the Cremonese Casalasco and the Mantuan and Reggian lands; the Cavalcabò hold it from the emperor as Cremonese nobles [medium]. Who heads the family that morning is not pinned.
Wealth
Po river lands, crossings and fisheries [not pinned].
Military
Their own vassals and the Viadana castle [not pinned].
Threats
- Mantua and Reggio across the river
- Cremona's own factions
Where the sources disagree
- it.wikipedia (Viadana) places Viadana 'in the diocese of Cremona and the county of Brescia'; we draw it in Cremona's sphere.
Evidence: Only the 1158 grant and a late genealogy; nothing dated 1199-1200.
On the map: Drawn as the modern comune of Viadana only.
Primary sources for Cremona
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of Sicard, bishop of Cremona, Sicard of Cremona (about 1210 to 1213). A universal chronicle whose last part is a well-placed eyewitness account by a Lombard bishop who served emperors and popes. Read online
- The Lombard city annals of Piacenza, Milan, Cremona, Parma, Mantua and Verona (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries). The communes' own year lists. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.