Page 144 - Lanzarotto Malocello from Italy to the Canary Islands

144 from Italy to the Canary Islands

of Varazze to the city of Genoa.
This same series of passages and transfers is outlined very concisely
on page 36 of Mario Garea’s book Varazze (Il Fauno Editore, Florence),
which seems to follow Nicola Russo’s historical reconstruction of 1908.
Now that we have finished listing all these passages, we ought to reflect
on them properly.
Since no mention is made of Lanzarotto Malocello in these deeds, or
even of his parents or grandparents, the only way we can solve the mystery
is by subscribing to the hypothesis once put forward by Delfino (Benedetto
Tino Delfino, Dizionario Biografico dei Varazzini [Biographical Dictionary
of the People of Varazze], Centro Studi Jacopo da Varagine, Varazze
1999), whereby our Lanzarotto belonged to a cadet branch which stayed in
Varazze and committed itself to building ships there.
The hypothesis is appealing, to say the least; however, we cannot ignore
the fact that there is no proof of this, as there are no documents confirming
the existence of this cadet branch, just as there are no clues which might
enable us to identify at least the parents or a forefather of our Lanzarotto.
Nevertheless, as an argumentum a contrariis, we can turn all the
aforesaid statements around and remark that precisely because the names
of Lanzarotto and his immediate predecessors do not appear in any deed
amid those nine transfers above, we should consider them as a cadet
branch, i.e. a collateral branch, which – in turn – did not enjoy the rights of
vassalage on the four assets identified in the division between the four sons
of Guglielmo Malocello in 1290.
Delfino states that he is from Varazze: we do not have very precise
documents proving this, either; however, it is easy to believe that the
probabilities of this being true are extremely high. After all, the “State”
founded by Guglielmo Malocello covered three towns: Varazze, Celle and
Albissola. What is more, they are three adjoining towns whose geography
was probably different in 1200-1300 from an administrative viewpoint.
In order to move on to the last observation we would like to make,
we need to return to the sentence of the abovementioned Benedetto Tino
Delfino, according to whom the cadet branch of the Malocello family
committed itself to shipbuilding in Varazze.
Even under that second aspect (Malocello as a shipbuilder?) the
hypothesis is appealing, but – unfortunately – without confirmation in this
case, too.
Without a doubt, the fact that Lanzarotto Malocello could fit out a