Manfred I Lancia

Manfred I Lancia or Lanza (Italian: Manfredi or Manfredo; fl. 1160–1214) was the second Margrave of Busca, famous for his financial difficulties. He was also an Occitan troubadour. He was the first person to adopt the surname Lanza (or Lancia).

Name

The reasons behind Manfred's adoption of the surname Lancia are unknown. Early commentators, like Iacopo d'Acqui and Antonio Astesano, wrote that he adopted it in order to distinguish himself from his relatives the Margraves of Saluzzo. It is also said that he was the lancifero or capitano della grande lancia of the Emperor Frederick I. Still others record the name as being adopted by a certain Conrad, who acquired the Holy Lance in the Holy Land.

The first recorded instance of the surname Lancia dates to 2 July 1210 at Turin, at a meeting with the Emperor Otto IV.

Career

Manfred was born in the early twelfth century, the eldest son of William, the second son of Boniface del Vasto, of a branch of the Aleramici family. He inherited part of the city of Loreto, between Tanaso and Belbo, from his uncles Boniface of Cortemiglia and Ottone Boverio. He subsequently divided it with his elder brother Berengar and other relatives. He initially held the castle of Busca but left it to Berengar in order to make his seat at Dogliani.

In 1160 he and Berengar held public office in Moretta. In 1168 he sold land near Dogliani, the first signs of financial trouble, and on 30 August 1187 he sold Dogliani for 1,150 lire to Manfred II of Saluzzo. In 1180 he bought back the rights to Busca. He incurred a debt of 1,033 lire genovesi in purchasing the rights the city of Alba possessed in Loreto. In 1191 he sold some woodland near Cortemiglia. On 19 March 1197, making use of a gift from the Emperor Henry VI, he finally paid 700 of the 1,033 lire he owed Alba. On 30 September 1195 Manfred sold the income from some tolls to Santa Maria di Pogliola.

In 1192 Manfred joined Asti in making war on Boniface I of Montferrat. In 1194 Asti sold her rights in Loreto to Boniface. On 3 November 1196 he sold all his lands in Lombardy to Boniface and became his vassal; he was granted the title Count of Loreto. Among his vassals were the Agliano, Laerio, and Canelli families, possibly relatives on his mother's side. His second son, Iordanus de Lança, had by 1218 taken the surname "di Agliano". In 1198 Boniface's enemies—Asti, Alessandria, and Vercelli—invaded the county of Loreto, conquered the town of Castagnole, and took Manfred captive. He was ransomed in exchange for the city of Costigliole. In 1206 he with his suzerain, now William VI of Montferrat, formally made Castagnole over to Asti along with the county of Loreto in exchange for 4,000 lire astigiani. Manfred died after 1214.

Besides his son Iordanus and his successor, Manfred II, he had a daughter, Bianca, who was the mother of Bianca Lancia, in turn mother of Manfred of Sicily.

Poetry

Composed around 1195–6, the two-stanza song Emperador aven de tal maneira, referred to merely as coblas in the chansonnier, is ascribed to a certain "Lanza marques", clearly Manfred, the only margrave named Lanza at the time. It is a contrafactum of a piece by Peire Vidal, Quant hom honratz. The song is a short sirventes mocking Vidal for his boasting, based on a song, Quant hom es en autrui poder, in which he jokingly refers to himself as Emperaire dels Genoes (Emperor of the Genoese) because he was so well-received by them. Peire responded with Lanza marqes, paubresa e nesceira, a cobla esparsa, also a sort of sirventes, accusing Manfred of always being always poor: plus sovens vens castels e domejos / No fai vellia gallinas ni capos. These two short pieces are sometimes grouped as a tenso.^[1]

References

Bibliography

• "Lancia, Manfredi I." Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Rome.
• Manfred I Lancia at FMG

Notes

1. ^ Frank M. Chambers (1985), An Introduction to Old Provençal Versification (DIANE), 142–43.