io8 Violante's Later Life 



monster, Otto, Marquis of Montferrat, commonly called Secon- 

 dotto, then a lad of 15 to 1 8 years old.* He lived a year and 

 four months — at least once in that period inflicting a wound on 

 Violante^ — and died as a result of his own cruelty on Dec. 

 16, i378.« 



Corio, p. 491), and an instrument confirming it drawn up on June 15 

 (R. L S. 23. 594; cf. Muratori 8. 2i77), the object of the whole being to put 

 an end to hostilities between Galeazzo and Montferrat (cf. il/. //. P., p. 1025. 

 The wedding took place in Pavia, 500 gentlemen being present. The 

 marriage was not consummated till November, 1377 {R. L S. 23. 596; cf. 

 Corio, p. 492). After remaining for a few days with Violante at Pavia, 

 after the manner of bridegrooms ('secondo il solito de i maritati'), he 

 rode away to Asti, in charge of which he had left a brother of his 

 guardian {R. L S. 23. 596; Corio, pp. 492-3). Being instigated thereto 

 by Galeazzo {R. I. S. 23. 596), the latter refused Secondotto admission. 

 In hot haste the Marquis returned to Pavia, and requested help from 

 Galeazzo, who sent 300 lances (900 men), under the command of Gian 

 Galeazzo, to his assistance. The joint army advanced to Asti, which they 

 entered on Feb. 6, 1378. In the end, as Gian Galeazzo remained in 

 possession of the city, and would not yield it up to the Marquis, the latter 

 betook himself to Pavia, and made complaint to Galeazzo. This applica- 

 tion resulting in nothing, he left Pavia in high dudgeon {R. L S. 23. 

 596-7; Corio, p. 493). 



^ The evidence is somewhat contradictory: R. I. S. 16. 511, 541 (and so 

 Giulini 5. 596), 762-2,] M. H. P., p. 1339 (and so Magenta i. 136). 



'" 'Etiam vulneravit dictam Dominam Violantem uxorem suam' {R. I. S. 

 16. 541). 



'' Riding away from Pavia, as we have seen above, Secondotto directed 

 his course toward Cremona, and thence into the diocese of Parma {R. L S. 

 23- 597; Corio, p. 493), intending by that route to enter Montferrat 

 (Corio; but Piedmont, R. I. S., p. 770), in order to avoid passing through 

 the territories of Galeazzo (Corio). Arrived at Lang(h)irano (R. L S. 

 16. 770; 23. 597; but Mataleto, Corio), 15 miles south of Parma, he was 

 about to hang, or strangle ('laqueo suspendere') a little lad of his suite 

 ('infantem ejus ragazium,' R. I. S. 16. 770; Muratori 8. 383, 'un ragazzo di 

 suo seguito' ; Giulini 5. 596, perhaps without sufficient warrant, 'un ragazzo 

 di un certo soldato Tedesco', and so Leo 3. 322), when a {lit. another, 

 'unus alter") German servant of his, roused to desperation, drew his 

 sword, and struck Otto such a blow on the head that he died four days 

 afterward. This is the account of the Milanese annalist {R. L S. 16. 770), 

 who explains that, carried away by an access of rage, the Marquis, as he 

 passed along, was wont to slay with his own hands men, boys, and infants, 

 and in this manner did actually kill considerable numbers. The Chronicle 

 of Piaccnza (R. L S. 16. 541) says that as he was seeking to kill some 

 of his servants, they, in defending themselves, gave him wounds of which 



