The first attested marquis of Ceva, lord of the upper Tanaro gorge where the roads from the Langhe and Mondovi climb to the Ligurian passes.
He swore to Savona's sworn association (compagna) in 1188, accepting its consuls as arbiters in his disputes with the Bosco and Ponzone marquises. He plays Alba and Asti against each other. Later in 1200 he and the bishop of Asti take the new settlement of Mondovi (date in the year not pinned).
Who he is
- Name
- Guglielmo I of Ceva
- Title
- Marquis of Ceva
- Since
- 1178, on the death of his father Anselmo (it.wikipedia, Marchesato di Clavesana)
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Del Vasto Aleramici: son of Anselmo, marquis of Ceva (died 1178); brother of Bonifacio I of Clavesana. His son Guglielmo II marries Maria of Saluzzo (date not pinned). After his death his sons hold Ceva as a consortium.
- Confidence
- medium
it.wikipedia Marchesato di Ceva and Marchesato di Clavesana; it.wikipedia Mondovi for 1200.
Overlord
The emperor.
What it holds
- Ceva and its castle
- The upper Tanaro valley (Bagnasco, Nucetto, Priola, Garessio; held in 1200 not pinned)
- Montezemolo, Sale delle Langhe, Priero and the hills between the Tanaro and the Bormida (not pinned)
How it was acquired
Inherited from Anselmo (died 1178).
Allies and rivals
Savona (sworn 1188); the bishop of Asti (allied against Mondovi in 1200); kin and in-laws: Clavesana, Saluzzo. Rivals: the communes of Alba and Asti, the new commune of Mondovi.
How things stand that morning
Holds Ceva and the upper Tanaro; at odds with the new settlement of Mondovi on the bishop of Asti's land.
Wealth
Tolls on the road from Piedmont over the Ligurian passes to Savona and Albenga.
Military
Castles of the upper Tanaro; no figures.
Threats
- Asti and Alba
- The new free settlements (Mondovi)
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1200 (date not pinned)With the bishop of Asti he takes the new settlement of Mondovi (Monte di Vico).Depends on: Mondovi's weakness and the bishop's will to recover his men. Stopped by: Help for Mondovi from Asti's commune or other allies.
- 1204 (beyond 1200)Joins the alliance with Alba against Asti and Cuneo.Depends on: Asti's protection of Cuneo. Stopped by: A settlement.
Places of note
- Ceva castle: Seat of the marquisate on the Tanaro.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Holder certain; the extent of his lands and the 1200 Mondovi episode rest on it.wikipedia only.
On the map: Rough block of the marquisate's later core.
Primary sources for Empire
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.
- Annals of Marbach (compiled to 1238, the section on 1198 to 1210 written in the early 13th century). Alsatian annals on the Staufen side of the Upper Rhine. Read online
- Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of Reinhardsbrunn; Chronicle of St Peter's, Erfurt (Erfurt chronicle in the 13th century; Reinhardsbrunn compilation about 1340 to 1349 from older annals). The two Thuringian chronicles. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. Read online
- Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
- Marchesato di Ceva (it.wikipedia)
- Marchesato di Clavesana (it.wikipedia)
- Mondovi (it.wikipedia)
- Marchesato di Ponzone (it.wikipedia), for the 1188 oath to Savona
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.