Castello Carrarese

The Carrarese Castle of Este is a military structure that dates back to the early forties of the fourteenth century and dominates the town of Este from the southern tip of the Euganean Hills . Already in 1483 it appeared a sad and uninhabitable ruin after more than a century of neglect and its origins are lost in legend [1] . The castle was built by Ubertino da Carrara on the ruins of the previous fortification, destroyed in 1249 by the troops of Ezzelino II da Romano [2] . The first castle would have been built in 1056as a fortified residence of a feudal lord, who took its name from Este and became, thanks to his wisdom and longevity, the progenitor of the famous Este family . Over time, the castle has changed its appearance, its original function has changed and its name has also changed; the oldest name is '' Castello Marchionale '', but later took the name of '' Castello dei Carraresi '' name given by the lords of Padua who rebuilt the fortress after the Marquises of Este had moved to Ferrara . Having become the property of the municipality of Este, it is commonly called Castello di Este . [3]

The castle Edit The historical events concerning the castle are not perfectly known, but plausible events can be traced. The first erection of the castle can be placed around the year 1056 and was ordered by the Marquis Alberto Azzo II . Most likely the building was not a castle in the strict sense of the word, but a fortified residence protected by the walls located above the promontory of the city. It is also assumed that, thanks to the wealth inherited from various marriages, the city has assumed a different physiognomy from the one it had in ancient Ateste destroyed by the barbarians and the floods of 589 AD, even if only in 958.AD we will again talk about Este. The fortification of the castle is assumed to have occurred by Folco I who, due to discord with his older half-brother Guelph, who became Duke of Bavaria, and due to the increasingly intense clash between the papacy and the empire, had to fortify the palace and create new defenses. [3]

During the period of the Marquis Azzo VI the court became a destination for troubadours and Este was transformed into a system of castles that surrounded the main citadel, dominated by the Estense weapon in which a white eagle was represented in a blue background. On the death of Azzo VI he was succeeded by his son Aldobrandino who had to undergo the first and real assault on the castle by Ezzelino II . Este had many assailants from Padua , Vicenza and Verona that Aldobrandino was unable to stop but was able to stand up to him in the fortress. But this is not enough since he had no external help, so he was forced to surrender and recognize himself as a citizen of Padua. [3]

Aldobrandino died two years later and was succeeded by his brother Azzo VII who was a good leader against Ezzelino and obtained an important revenge on Padua, as, thanks to the Emperor Frederick II, the reconstruction of the castle was at the expense of the municipality of Padua.

In 1238 there was a new assault supported by the further reinforced walls but the men fell and for this reason the fortress changed again its owner. It was revived by Azzo but suffered another assault in 1249 by Ezzelino. The story of the Ezzelini ended in Cassano d'Adda in 1259 with the Marquis of Este who came out as the winner. Este was recovered but since Azzo VII and his nephew Obizzo IV left the city for Ferrara she was forced to bow to Padua. [3]

In 1317 there was a new assault by CanGrande I della Scala which struck the castle, destroying walls and towers, with this conquest the Veronese dominion began. Meanwhile Jacopo da Carrara was elected general and gave life to the lordship of the Carraresi which led to the clash with the Scaligeri , which ended with the intervention of Venice in 1388 and Este remained Paduan territory. Furthermore, it was Umbertino da Carrara who rebuilt the walls and towers still existing today. The Carrara dominion was put in crisis by the arrival of Galeazzo Visconti of Milan who took dominion.