Page 118 - Lanzarotto Malocello from Italy to the Canary Islands

118 from Italy to the Canary Islands

merchants and position itself as mediator with the powerful families.
In the aftermath of the fall of Boccanegra, the foreign Podestà was rein-
stated, of course flanked by eight noblemen. It was in fact the return of the
aristocracy that Boccanegra himself had segregated. The new governors
were concerned with keeping the people far away from power. As we have
just seen regarding that desire to mitigate the climate of democratisation,
so we come to the reform of the Institutions.
The situation in Genoa is a dispute between family groups, Fieschi and
Grimaldi on one side and Doria and Spinola on the other. The war in Italy
between Manfredi and Charles of Anjou saw Genoa in a position of ef-
fective neutrality. Bearing in mind what Boccanegra had already thought
with regard to Sicily, or rather of the importance of the island for Genoa’s
movements on the sea, the new governors implemented a policy of under-
standing with Manfredi; however, at the same time, they did not break off
with Charles of Anjou, even guaranteeing him passage in the territory of
the Republic and in its ports, as long as in this transit Anjou did not intend
to wage war against Frederick II’s son.
We have seen how in the aftermath of Boccanegra’s dismissal and the
return to power of his enemies, governing Genoa was nothing but a con-
tinuous conflict between family potentates. The excessive power of the
Grimaldi family led Oberto Spinola to seek the support of the common
people, thus trying the election of two podestà from the city, Guido Spinola
and Nicola Doria. Right in that short period of rule of these two families,
Charles of Anjou would be banned from passing through the lands of the
Republic.
To get to the episode of the Diarchy, we first need to look at what had
happened before that and not only in the city of Genoa. Genoa had first
lined up in favour of Manfredi (thanks to the treaties of 1257, 1259 and
1261) and subsequently, in 1269, with Charles of Anjou (the creators of
this alliance were the powerful Guelph families – the Grimaldis and the
Fieschis). Participation in the eight crusade ended in disaster for Genoa.
This submission of the Angionian and the acts of true “insolence” of the
Grimaldi family (including the appointment of Luchetto Grimaldi as po-
th
destà of Ventimiglia), favoured the outbreak of the revolt of 28 October
1270. After conflict between the factions, the Guelph podestà, Rolando
Putagio, was overthrown and Oberto Spinola and Oberto Doria were in-
stalled. “Therefore two Captains of the People were commissioned with
the supreme government of the State, to whom were added an Abbot of