margraviate · Italy
March of Montferrat
Origins
In 967 Otto I confirmed Aleramo, a nobleman of Frankish descent, as margrave of lands in the hills south of the Po between Turin and Genoa, later called Montferrat. His descendants, the Aleramici, ruled it for more than three centuries.
Rule and society
The Aleramici were famed crusaders: Conrad of Montferrat defended Tyre and was elected King of Jerusalem in 1192, and Boniface I led the Fourth Crusade and became King of Thessalonica. In 1306 the march passed to Theodore I Palaiologos, son of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II, whose family ruled until 1533. Casale Monferrato became the capital in the 15th century. The territory produced grain and wine.
Decline and legacy
After the last Palaiologos died in 1533, Charles V awarded Montferrat to Federico II Gonzaga of Mantua in 1536. In 1574 Emperor Maximilian II raised it to a duchy. The Gonzaga held it until 1708, when it passed to Savoy.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- March of Montferrat was part of Kingdom of Italy (medieval)967 CE – 1574 CE
- March of Montferrat in personal union with Duchy of Mantua1536 CE – 1574 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). March of Montferrat. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/march-of-montferrat
- MLA
- “March of Montferrat.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/march-of-montferrat. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “March of Montferrat.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/march-of-montferrat.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘March of Montferrat’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/march-of-montferrat (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻