Marquisate of Saluzzo, 1 January 1200

The second great Aleramic house of Piedmont, lords of the upper Po plain and the valleys of the Po and the Varaita under Monte Viso, with Carmagnola on the plain toward Turin.

Manfred II, old and long-reigning, is the brother-in-law of Boniface of Montferrat and stands in his orbit. The house is building a principality out of castles, valleys and the patronage of the Cistercian abbey of Staffarda, founded by Manfred I in 1135, and is pressing on the plain where in 1198 the new free settlement of Cuneo was founded on ground the Saluzzo claim through the 1197 Stura grant. Of the quarrel with Cuneo, only the later stages are dated: war with Asti and Cuneo in 1204, Manfred's submission to Asti in 1206 and his destruction of Cuneo in 1210.

Who rules

Name: Manfred II (Manfredo II)
Title: Marquis of Saluzzo
Since: 1175, on the death of his father Manfred I
Born: About 1140 (it.wikipedia); about sixty on 1 January 1200
Family: Aleramici of the Del Vasto line: son of Manfred I (son of Boniface del Vasto, who got the Saluzzo lands in the division after his death about 1142) and Eleonora. Wife: Alasia (Azalais, Adelaide) of Montferrat, daughter of William V and so sister of Boniface I of Montferrat; married before June 1182 (a charter of that month records her consent as his wife, fmg.ac). A patron of troubadours with her brother. Children born by 1 January 1200: Boniface, the heir (born about 1184 by it.wikipedia), who on 6 December 1197 received the Stura valley in fief from his uncle Boniface of Montferrat (DBI) and later marries Maria of Torres (marriage date not pinned; their son Manfred III is born about 1204); Maria, later wife of Guglielmo II of Ceva; Agnes (alive in 1219); others named by it.wikipedia (Tommaso, Margherita, an illegitimate son) are not dated. Manfred outlives his son and dies in February 1215.
Confidence: medium

it.wikipedia Manfredo II di Saluzzo; fmg.ac Monferrato, Saluzzo, Savona; DBI on Boniface of Montferrat for the 1197 Stura grant.

Overlord

The emperor; the counts of Savoy claim overlordship of parts of his lands (claims made good only after his death, when his widow agrees to pay them a yearly tribute).

What the realm holds

Saluzzo with its castle (the marquis did not reside only there)
Revello, the house's other chief castle at the mouth of the Po valley
The upper Po valley (Paesana, Sanfront, Crissolo, Oncino)
The Varaita valley as far as Sampeyre (Venasca, Brossasco); the upper valley's position in 1200 is not pinned
Manta, Verzuolo, Costigliole Saluzzo, Lagnasco, Scarnafigi, Cardè (castle) on the plain
Carmagnola, the house's town on the road to Turin
Racconigi and Dogliani, named by it.wikipedia among his seats of power (their status in 1200 is not pinned; the Clavesana also hold Dogliani)
Patronage of the abbey of Staffarda and its granges
His son Boniface's fief of the Stura valley (from Boniface of Montferrat, 6 December 1197)
By 1206 he is lord of Villafalletto, Costigliole, Centallo and Romanisio, whose men he forbids to move to Cuneo

How it was acquired

Inherited from Manfred I (died 1175), who held the western share of the Del Vasto lands after about 1142.

Allies and rivals

Kin and ally of Boniface of Montferrat (brother-in-law) and of the Ceva (his daughter Maria's marriage). Rivals: the counts of Savoy and the bishop of Turin on the plain, the new commune of Cuneo and its protectors (the abbot of San Dalmazzo and the bishop of Asti), and later the commune of Asti. The marquises of Busca are his cousins and neighbours in the Maira and Varaita country.

The realm that morning

Rules his valleys and plain castles in person. No war of his is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200. Cuneo stands on the plain below the Stura, a year and a half old, resented but not yet attacked.

Wealth

Valley dues, Alpine pasture and passes toward the Dauphine and Provence, tolls on the Po plain roads, demesne castles. No mint of his is attested for 1200.

Military

Vassals and castle garrisons of the valleys; no figures.

Threats

Savoy's claims to overlordship
The new commune of Cuneo drawing his villagers away
Asti's expansion southward, which will force his submission in 1206

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.

1201 (beyond 1200)Alba, pressed by Asti, demands a meeting of the marquises of Montferrat, Saluzzo and Busca to settle Manfredi Lancia's debts.Depends on: Lancia's creditors and Asti's pressure on Alba. Stopped by: Lancia paying or Asti losing interest.
1204 to 1210 (beyond 1200)War with Asti and Cuneo (1204), submission to Asti (1206), destruction of Cuneo with William of Montferrat (1210).Depends on: Cuneo's growth and Asti's protection of it. Stopped by: A settlement of Cuneo's status or a stronger Asti.

Places of note

Saluzzo castle: Seat of the marquisate.
Revello: Castle at the mouth of the Po valley.
Abbey of Staffarda: Cistercian abbey founded by Manfred I in 1135; the house's abbey.
Carmagnola: The house's town on the plain.

Where the sources disagree

it.wikipedia (Manfredo II) says the Saluzzesi founded Cuneo in 1198 to strengthen the marquis's power, and gives the opposite account too; the Cuneo article gives the settlers fleeing the marquises and protected by the abbot of San Dalmazzo and the bishop of Asti. We follow the second, which fits Manfred's later destruction of the town.
Manfred II's birth year 1140 and the children's birth years come from it.wikipedia and are not confirmed by fmg.ac.

Evidence: The marquis and his marriage are certain; the list of castles held in 1200 is reconstructed from later possessions and the 1206 act, and may overstate the plain holdings.

On the map: Outline drawn from the valleys and plain castles the house held in the early thirteenth century; holdings on the plain in 1200 are not pinned in detail.

Sources and studies

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