Oldofredi

Oldofredi was an Italian noble family rather than a modern commercial brand. The family originated in the Brescia area and was traditionally associated with Manerbio, Franciacorta, Iseo, and Lake Iseo. Its probable founder was Oldofredo, a feudal lord of the castle of Chiari who died in 1212. During the thirteenth century, the family became prominent in the political and military life of the territory around Lake Iseo and acquired control or influence over a number of strategic locations, including Iseo and the island settlement of Peschiera Maraglio on Monte Isola. The latter possession contributed to the family’s association with the titles da Ysé or d'Isei. The Oldofredi were Ghibellines and generally aligned with Milanese power, placing them in sustained opposition to the expansion of the Republic of Venice. Several members served as podestàs, military commanders, political agents, and ambassadors. Giacomo III Oldofredi, who lived from 1251 to 1325, was lord of Iseo and Franciacorta, podestà of Milan, and a military commander connected with the House of Visconti. Other family members held public office in Lombard cities and participated in conflicts involving the region’s competing communes and dynasties. The family’s political position changed sharply in the fifteenth century. After the Venetian commander Carmagnola captured Iseo in 1426, authority in the locality was transferred to the municipality of Iseo and the Oldofredi were banished, according to the historical account summarized in the family’s encyclopedia record. They relocated to Cesena while continuing to claim the designation Counts of Iseo. Despite their displacement, the family retained social standing and links to its former territory. In 1497, members of the family hosted Catherine Cornaro, the former Queen of Cyprus, at the castle of Peschiera Maraglio. In 1415, Giacomo II, also known as Giacomo the Younger, and his brother Giovanni received the marquisate of Iseo and its Riviera from Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. The family was also described as holding the hereditary title of Count from time immemorial and the oldest marquisal title in the Brescia area. These titles reflected the family’s historical role as a territorial aristocratic house rather than a commercial enterprise. The Oldofredi name also entered Italian literary and national history. Costanzo Ferrari’s historical novel Tiburga Oldofredi—Scene storiche del secolo XIII, first published in the nineteenth century, used two Oldofredi sisters, Tiburga and Imelda, as central figures in a story set in the thirteenth century. During the Risorgimento, Ercole Oldofredi Tadini, a descendant of the family, participated in the political process that led to Italian unification. He was active first in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia and later in the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Italy, where he became a senator. The family’s historical presence is also represented by surviving residences and fortified sites. These include Oldofredi Castle at Iseo, Oldofredi Castle at Peschiera Maraglio, Villa Oldofredi Tadini in Cuneo, and Villa Secco Oldofredi Tadini at Calcio in Lombardy. The name therefore survives primarily through genealogy, heraldry, historical scholarship, architecture, and place heritage. There is no reliable evidence in the supplied material that Oldofredi operates as an active consumer brand, corporation, product line, or contemporary commercial house.

The Oldofredi were an aristocratic family from the Brescia region of northern Italy. Their traditions connect them with Manerbio and with the feudal castle of Chiari. The probable founder, Oldofredo, died in 1212 and is described as lord of Chiari. From the thirteenth century onward, the family rose in prominence in Franciacorta and around Lake Iseo, acquiring territorial influence and political authority in the area. One of the family’s principal centers was Iseo. The Oldofredi also held the castle at Peschiera Maraglio on Monte Isola, an important location in Lake Iseo. This possession was linked to the family’s use of the territorial designations da Ysé and d'Isei. The family’s heraldic tradition included a red shield bearing a rampant silver or gold lion, with a gold chief carrying three black eagles. Variations in the recorded arms appear in historical descriptions. Politically, the Oldofredi were Ghibellines and favored Milanese influence. This alignment brought them into conflict with the Republic of Venice, whose authority expanded across the eastern Lombard territories. Members of the family acted as local lords, podestàs, military commanders, and political representatives. Giacomo III Oldofredi, who lived from 1251 to 1325, held lordship over Iseo and Franciacorta, served as podestà of Milan, and commanded forces for the Visconti. Oldofredo, who died in 1348, is recorded as a military commander and podestà in several Lombard cities. Giovanni, with support from Ghibelline forces in Val Camonica, was associated in 1378 with the destruction of Clusone, Roccafino, and Cerete. The family achieved a formal expansion of its titles in 1415. Giacomino Oldofredi and his brother Giovanni were granted the marquisate of Iseo and its Riviera by Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg. The family also claimed the title of Count from time immemorial. These honors placed the Oldofredi among the notable territorial houses of the Brescia area. Venetian conquest altered the family’s position. In 1426, after Carmagnola captured Iseo for Venice, political authority was transferred to the municipality and the Oldofredi were expelled from the locality. They moved to Cesena and continued to assert the title Counts of Iseo. The family nevertheless maintained connections with its former possessions. In 1497, it hosted Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus and sister of the podestà of Brescia, at its castle on Peschiera Maraglio. The Oldofredi legacy was later represented in literature and the Italian national movement. Costanzo Ferrari’s historical novel Tiburga Oldofredi—Scene storiche del secolo XIII, published in the nineteenth century, fictionalized the medieval family through the story of the sisters Tiburga and Imelda. Ercole Oldofredi Tadini, a nineteenth-century descendant, participated in the political developments of the Risorgimento, first under the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia and subsequently under the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Italy. He became a senator of the Kingdom of Italy and is among the best-documented later members of the lineage. Architectural sites associated with the name include Oldofredi Castle in Iseo, Oldofredi Castle in Peschiera Maraglio, Villa Oldofredi Tadini in Cuneo, and Villa Secco Oldofredi Tadini in Calcio, Lombardy. In modern reference usage, Oldofredi is best understood as a historical family name and noble house, not as an active commercial brand.

• 1877

  Death of Ercole Oldofredi Tadini

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  Ercole Oldofredi Tadini, a descendant involved in the Italian unification movement and later a senator of the Kingdom of Italy, died.

• 1846

  Historical novel about the family

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  Costanzo Ferrari published Tiburga Oldofredi—Scene storiche del secolo XIII, a historical novel centered on two Oldofredi sisters.

• 1497

  Catherine Cornaro hosted at Peschiera Maraglio

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  The family hosted Catherine Cornaro, former Queen of Cyprus, at its castle on Peschiera Maraglio.

• 1426

  Expulsion from Iseo

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  Following Carmagnola’s capture of Iseo for Venice, local authority was transferred to the municipality and the Oldofredi were banished.

• 1415

  Marquisate of Iseo granted

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  Giacomino Oldofredi and his brother Giovanni received the title Marquis of Iseo and its Riviera from Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg.

• Death of the probable founder

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  Oldofredo, traditionally regarded as the probable founder of the family, died as feudal lord of the castle of Chiari.

• Birth of Giacomo III Oldofredi

  [1]Oldofredien.wikipedia.org

  Giacomo III Oldofredi was born; he later became lord of Iseo and Franciacorta, podestà of Milan, and a military commander for the Visconti.

Historical and genealogical identity associated with an Italian noble family, its titles, heraldry, castles, villas, and role in the political history of Brescia and Lake Iseo.

1. 1Oldofredien.wikipedia.org