Margraves and marquises · Contested ground · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Marquises of Gavi

The marquises of Gavi hold the castle and village of Gavi on the Lemme, where the Genoese road over the Bocchetta reaches the plain.

Henry VI's diploma of 30 May 1191 confirmed to Genoa, as an imperial fief, the castle and borgo of Gavi, and Genoa kept a castellan, Nicola Squarciafico, in the castle. In 1198 Marquis Guido plotted with the Tortonesi and slipped into the castle while the castellan was away; the Genoese podestà marched to Gavi and took Serravalle from Tortona. In 1202 the marquises, tired of fighting, gave up all their rights in Gavi to Genoa for a price; Alberto, told to come and live in Genoa, fled and went back to raiding.

On 1 January 1200 the castle and its district are in dispute between the marquises and Genoa.

Who he is

Name
Guido, marquis of Gavi, and his kinsman Alberto (named in 1198 and 1202)
Title
Marquises of Gavi
Since
not pinned
Family
A branch of the Obertenghi, styled marquises of Gavi from the 12th century
Confidence
medium

T. Repetto, from the Genoese annals and Libri iurium.

Overlord

The emperor, who granted the castle and borgo to Genoa in fief on 30 May 1191; Genoa claims overlordship

What it holds

  • Rights in Gavi and its castle (contested with Genoa)
  • Parodi [held for Genoa by 1204; status in 1200 not pinned]
  • Shares in Voltaggio with Genoa and the bishop of Tortona (reported; not pinned)

How it was acquired

Obertenghi inheritance.

Allies and rivals

Tortona (allied in 1198); Genoa (rival and claimant).

How things stand that morning

Contested: Genoa's podestà recovered the district in 1198 [whether he retook the castle is not pinned]; the marquises still hold rights and land that they sell in 1202.

Wealth

The Gavi toll on the Genoa road (taken from Alberto after 1202).

Military

The castle of Gavi.

Threats

  • Genoa

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.

  1. 1202The marquises cede all their possessions and rights in Gavi to Genoa for a price; Alberto refuses to live in Genoa, flees and resumes raids, and loses the Gavi toll.Depends on: Exhaustion after the war of 1198. Stopped by: A Tortonese or Alessandrine intervention.

Places of note

  • Gavi castle: Contested castle on the Lemme

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Repetto summarises the annals for 1198 and 1202; the state of the castle in 1199-1200 is not pinned.

On the map: The district is a rough guess from the places named with Gavi.

Sources and studies

  1. T. Repetto, Relazioni tra Genova e Alessandria nel secolo XIII
  2. Gavi (it.wikipedia)
  3. Forte di Gavi (it.wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.