The San Bonifacio are the descendants of the old counts of Verona, with their castles east and south-east of the city.
Count Sauro was the commune's podesta in 1180, 1182 and 1183 and was murdered by a kinsman in the castle of San Bonifacio in 1189. His son Bonifacio leads the counts' party (pars comitum) in Verona against the Monticoli. The party intervened in Vicenza in 1196 and will intervene in Ferrara in 1200; its alliance with Azzo VI d'Este becomes open in 1206-07.
Who he is
- Name
- Bonifacio di San Bonifacio, son of Count Sauro
- Title
- Count (styled count of Verona)
- Since
- After his father Sauro's murder in 1189
- Born
- Not pinned; his son Rizzardo was born about 1190
- Family
- San Bonifacio, the old comital house of Verona
- Confidence
- medium
Treccani DBI, San Bonifacio entry
Overlord
The Empire for the comital title; citizens of Verona
What it holds
- San Bonifacio castle on the Alpone
- Ronco all'Adige
- Begosso on the lower Adige
- A power base round Soave (DBI, undated)
- Houses, towers and vassals in Verona
How it was acquired
Inherited comital lands, kept when the commune took the count's public rights in the 1130s.
Allies and rivals
Rivals: the Monticoli (Montecchi) and their friends, Ezzelino II and, in 1200, the Ferrarese Salinguerra. Friends: the Este (alliance pinned from 1206-07), Mantua (undated in the DBI).
How things stand that morning
Bonifacio holds the family castles and leads the counts' party, which is out of the commune's top offices in 1200 (Salinguerra is podesta, with the Monticoli Turrisendi brothers in Ferrara and Treviso). His son Rizzardo is about ten.
Wealth
Rents of the eastern Veronese plain and the Adige villages, tolls and mills on the Alpone and the Adige.
Military
The castles of San Bonifacio, Ronco and Begosso and the family's vassals and urban following. No figures.
Threats
- The Monticoli in the city
- Ezzelino II as the Monticoli's friend
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.
In 1200
- 1200 (not pinned)The counts' party intervenes in Ferrara (DBI).Depends on: The Este and Torelli quarrel. Stopped by: Peace in Ferrara.
Later, on the likely course
- 1206-07With Azzo VI the counts drive out the Monticoli (1207), after being driven out themselves.Depends on: Open faction war in Verona. Stopped by: A settlement between the parties.
Places of note
- Begosso: Family castle on the lower Adige
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The DBI gives the family's dates; the exact holdings in 1200 are reconstructed.
On the map: Castles and rights inside Verona's contado; the drawn block is the castle country, not a closed lordship.
Primary sources for Verona
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.
- 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
- Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online
- Documents on the older commercial and political history of the Republic of Venice, part 1, 814 to 1205 (documents of 814 to 1205, edited 1856). Venice's treaties and privileges in full text. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.