Martino della Torre
Martino della Torre (died 1263) was an Italian condottiero and statesman.
Biography
Martino della Torre was a nephew of Pagano I, who had established the power of the della Torre (also known as Torriani) family in Milan. In 1241 he opposed to the nomination as podestà of the city of Paola Soresina.
Leader of the popular party, in 1259 he was elected in the Council of the Elder, but, when he abused of his power, the ousted nobles called the Ghibelline leader Ezzelino III da Romano against him. However, the latter was defeated at Cassano d'Adda by the Guelph league led by Martino and Oberto Pallavicino: della Torre obtained the seignories of Lodi, Como, Vercelli and Bergamo.
He subsequently struggled, with success, against the election of Ottone Visconti as archbishop of Milan by Pope Urban IV. After having defeated the allies of the Visconti, he received the ruler of Novara also.
Martino della Torre died in Lodi in 1263.
References
- Elio Rosati and Anna Maria Carassiti, Dizionario delle battaglie, Newton Compton, Rome, 1996.