The House of Balbo Bertone is a Piedmontese family that held a preeminent position in the politics of medieval and early Renaissance Chieri, a Piedmontese city republic within the Holy Roman Empire, which starting from the late eleventh century struggled for independence from its Imperial liege overlords: at various times the Bishops of Turin, the Counts of Biandrate, and the Marquis of Montferrat.
As the city grew in power and prosperity, it became with its sister Republic of Asti an important centre of commerce on the trade route from Genova and Italy to France, up until the 15th century.
A close friend and advisor of Julius Caesar and of the first Emperor, Augustus, Balbus was a military officer, politician and financier born in Gabes, of Carthaginian origins and Phoenician name.
This, he argues, is suggested by their family name but corroborated by the fact that their power did not stem from the number of castles and armies commanded around the lands of Chieri, but by their centuries long civic service to its republic.
The command of the armed forces of the Republic of Chieri was shared among four ministers, one of which was traditionally a member of the Balbo family and the holder of the official seal of war.
[8] The 1179 act is cited by Marguerite de Lussan as one of the main evidences of their presence in Chieri in the past centuries and of the hereditary nature of their positions at the head of the city council.
She quotes the latin script "...sicuti per faecula praeterita uti conflueverant illi de Balbis" in regards to those rights, and argues that this locates them at the head of the Cherese Republic since at least the ninth century.
[9] In 1191, with the Bishop replaced by Arduino of Valperga, the city grew bolder and some of its citizen (of the Benso and Mercadilli families) purchased the castle and lands of Santena, while the city's consuls, Guglielmo and Signorino, paid the imperial tax (fodro) directly to the Imperial legate Tommaso di Nono, a powerful symbol of its growing independence from its ecclesiastical liege lord.
[11] In 1191, the successor Bishop Arduino di Valperga allowed the consuls of the republic of Chieri, Gugliemo Balbo and Signorino Balbo, to pay the imperial taxes (fodro) directly to the Emperor's emissary Tommasi di Nono, tacitly confirming the independence of the city from both the Bishop and the Counts of Biandrate.
In part as a measure to put an end to such struggles in the Republic, on 26 March 1311 Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor issued a decree to reform the Statuti of Chieri, the documents comprising the rights and laws of the city, which were redacted[clarification needed] in 332 chapters.
His forces included men from Asti, Pavia, Milano, and the exiled nobles of Chieri: the lords of Veregnano, of Moncucco, Pietrino Balbo and Antonio Bertone de Balbi.
The Guelph defeat ended the Angevin presence in Piedmont, and as a consequence the Republic of Chieri pledged itself to the House of Savoy for protection against the lords of Milan, the Marquess of Montferrat and their allies.
[15] By the 1370s, the Albergo de Balbi had regained importance and power and a new feud arose when two of the Gribaldi, Lords of Alegnano, wounded Giorgino Balbo.
To avenge this event Franceschino and Villichino de Bertoni, with their men, took possession of the castle of Santenotto and murdered Isnardo Gribalfi, its lord.
In 1455, a law promulgated by Louis, duke of Savoy, targeted at reducing the prerogatives of the Balbi, removed the precedence of seniority of the oldest Alberghi of the city.
[18] In 1497 Giaffredo Lanfranco Balbo, doctor in law and vicar of the archbishop of Turin, published a compendium of legal decisions of judges.
In 1369 Aymone di Cossonay, bishop of Losanna, received for ten years in his city Bartolomeo Bertone de Balbi, Lombard, and other merchants of Chieri.
Throughout the centuries members of the house of Balbo Bertone, along with other prominent families of the city, provided donations for the church of Santa Maria della Scala, rebuilt in 1405 and commonly referred to as the Duomo of Chieri.
In 1622 Silvio Balbo Bertone commissioned Giovanni da Trino an ancona, while in 1832 Carlo Gabriele provided for its renovation and a new series of paintings from Pietro Zalli, a painter from Chieri.
His wife was Esmaregle del Carretto, from the family of the marquis of Savona[27][28] Salio Bertone is mentioned as Podesta' (mayor) of Vercelli in 1207.
Reinaldo Bertone, the son of Guido and Esmaregle and mentioned in an act of April 10, 1244 declaring in front of notary Pierre Torel his intention to share the use of his inherited fortresses with other members of the house of Balbo.
[29][28] Confirmed as a son of Raymond by the acts of 1289 and 1290, Melan Bertone, had a brother named Corrado and married Sibille Rivalta of the Piedmontese house of Orsini.
[30] Knight of Rhodes, born in 1486, Paolo Simeone de Balbi was stationed on the Greek island of Leros which he defended from the raid of the privateer Kemal Reis.
Then he gathered all children, women and elderly, and whomever he could find, dressed them in red garments, and painted white crosses on them.
Thirty-three years later, Simeone de Balbi was imprisoned with 6,000 Christians in the castle of Tunis of Hayreddin Barbarossa, Sultan of Algiers.
[33] Gioffredo Balbo was professor of law, and author of the Tractatus plurimarum decisionum per modum conclusionum qui semita recta causidicorum et iudicum appellatur, published in Turin 1497, and in Milan in 1538 as Iaffredi Lanfranci Balbi magni iurisconsulti insignisque Cherianorum practici observationes nonnularum in iure decisionum.
He was Senator in Turin and author of the Tractatus foecundus et perutilis quod de praescriptionibus inscribitur editus per praeclarum I V D Io Franciscum Balbum de Avilliana civem Taurin etc published in Lugduni 1542 Koln in 1561 Venice 1564[35] Nicolo Balbo was professor of law at the university of Turin, a statesman and advisor to Charles III, Duke of Savoy, and eventually to his son Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.
He was sent in 1535 as an ambassador to Emperor Charles V to argue the rights of succession to the March of Montferrat, his argument is preserved in a Parere, dedicated to the Duke.
Serving the Duchy of Savoy he held the offices of Collaterale del Consiglio residente a Torino, riformatore dello Studio, president of the Senate.