Milo of Verona

It is unclear how Milo came to prominence at Verona—possibly he arrived in the retinue of Ingelfred[2]—but he was to spend the rest of his life based out of the city.

[1] In November 910, Milo was one of ten vassals of the king who acted as a judicial "college" during two placita (public hearings) held at Cremona by Berengar.

These placita marked the resumption of public royal justice after it had fallen in abeyance during years of civil war between rivals for the throne.

On 1 December 914, Milo witnessed a gift of Ingelfred, who since 906 had become count of Verona, to the nunnery of San Zaccaria in Venice.

On 15 November 927, he undersigned the testament of Notker, bishop of Verona, being accompanied as a witness by one of his vassals, as per Lombard law.

Two local judges, Walpert and Everard Gezo, were plotting to assassinate the king in collaboration with some dissident nobles during one of Hugh's visits to the capital, Pavia.

Only briefly did he let it go: on 11 July 929, he and Valperga gave the decima of Ronco and the church dedicated to the Virgin that they had founded there to the canons of Verona in accordance with Frankish law.

[2] In June 931, the archbishop of Milan, Lambert, died and was succeeded by Hilduin, bishop of Verona, who was replaced by Rather by August.

The election of Rather as bishop of Verona was the supported by Pope John XI and all the leading men of Italy, including Milo, but it was strongly opposed by Hugh.

Milo and Rather actively recruited Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to come to Italy with an army to install his son, Eberhard, on the throne.

[3][4] According to Liutprand of Cremona, Arnulf and his army were welcomed "gleefully" (libenter) by the count and the bishop and a party of "the most noble men" (honestiores), but were forced to retreat in the face of Hugh's vigorous opposition.

In order to salvage something from his defeat, Arnulf intended to take Milo, the instigator of the enterprise, back to Bavaria as a hostage.

In revenge Arnulf captured Milo's brother Manfred, who had been defending the citadel of Verona against the Bavarian army.

He was replaced at Verona by Manasses, the king's nephew, who already held the dioceses of Trent and Mantua and controlled the revenues and defences of the newly created "Tridentine march".

He transferred Margrave Anscar II to the duchy of Spoleto in central Italy, and began distributing lands in the county of Parma to rival families.

In his own letters, Rather calls his treatment under Milo a "martyrdom" that lasted two years while the count tried to keep him from exercising his office fully.

Posing as the "advocate and protector"[f] of the diocese, Milo prevented Rather from managing ecclesiastical properties, implementing clerical reforms and, most importantly, convoking a diocesan synod.

With the consent of Pope Agapetus II, he had his young nephew Milo, son of the count of Lomello, made bishop of Verona.

In 951, Otto I invaded Italy, married Adelaide himself and subjected the marches of Verona, Istria and Friuli to the Duchy of Bavaria under Duke Henry I.

At the time he possessed lands in Verona, including a church dedicated to Saint Paul, and three strategically placed castles at Ronco all'Adige, San Bonifacio and Begosso.

His will refers to earlier "written letters of instruction" (paginae preceptoriae), probably charters recording grants of land from the king.

[1] Acting as a Frank and in accordance with the Salic law, Milo named as heirs to his lands his brother Manfred and nephew Egelric.

[1] Milo's career has been compared to that of Gandulf of Piacenza, since both rose through the ranks from royal vassal to count to margrave.