The Ligurian half of the Clavesana marquisate: the coast between Albenga and Sanremo and its valleys, with the castle of Andora (the Paraxo) as the marquis's residence.
Bonifacio I has held it since 1178; in 1192 he made a treaty with the consuls of Genoa. Diano broke free of the marquis's jurisdiction as a commune in 1172. The family sells its coast to Genoa only in 1228 (four castles), 1233 (Dolcedo, Porto Maurizio, Diano and the land between Taggia and Cervo) and 1252 (Andora).
Who he is
- Name
- Bonifacio I of Clavesana
- Title
- Marquis of Clavesana
- Since
- the death of his father Anselmo, marquis of Ceva and Clavesana, in 1178
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Aleramici (Clavesana line); his only daughter Berta will marry William VI of Montferrat (1202 or 1211); he dies at Andora in 1221
- Confidence
- medium
it.wikipedia (Marchesato di Clavesana); the Piedmont researcher (pie) writes the family.
Overlord
The emperor; a treaty with Genoa's consuls in 1192 (DBI Ogerio Pane)
What it holds
- Andora with the castle (Paraxo), his residence
- Cervo; Taggia (Clavesana since at least 1153)
- Porto Maurizio and Dolcedo [Porto Maurizio governs itself as a commune bound to Genoa; the marquis's rights there in 1200 not pinned]
- Overlordship of Diano (a commune since 1172)
- Vassal lordships inland: Pornassio, Cosio, Armo, Rezzo, Zuccarello; the Ranzo valley shared with Ceva
How it was acquired
Inheritance from Bonifacio del Vasto's descendants: Ugo of Clavesana (died 1170), then Anselmo of Ceva (died 1178).
Allies and rivals
Genoa (treaty of 1192); Albenga (neighbour); the bishop of Albenga (Oneglia); the counts of Ventimiglia.
How things stand that morning
Holds his castles and rights on the coast and inland; the coastal communes (Diano, Porto Maurizio) are slipping from his grasp.
Wealth
Olive oil and coastal trade at Porto Maurizio and Diano; rents and tolls.
Military
Castles at Andora, Cervo, Taggia, Pornassio.
Threats
- Genoa's purchases
- the coastal communes
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.
- 1228-1252Sale of the coast to Genoa in stages.Depends on: Genoa's pressure and the family's needs. Stopped by: Nothing likely.
Places of note
- Andora (Paraxo): Clavesana residence
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Holdings are listed undated in the source; the 1192 treaty's terms are not known.
On the map: Drawn from the list of Clavesana lands and the sales of 1228-1252.
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 Clavesana (it.wikipedia)
- Taggia (it.wikipedia)
- Andora (it.wikipedia)
- Diano Castello (it.wikipedia)
- Ogerio Pane, DBI (Treccani)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.