The noble von Arco family
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The first traces of the Arco family go back to the 12th century. The family name derives from the town of Arco in the province of Trento (Italy).
The town of Arco is faced on one side by sheer limestone cliffs jutting up like a wall protecting it and its ancient castle. The area was inhabited already before the Middle Ages, the castle was said to have been built by the citizens and only later becoming the property of the local nobles. The name Arco is possibly deducted from the Latin word arcus (bow), thus referring to the form of the old town of Arco. The coat of arms of the Arco family shows three bows. The name could also be a deduction of the Latin word arx (fortress). |
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The first generations (-1210)
In 1124 a Fridericus de Archo (Friedrich von Arco), son of Riprandus de Arcu (Riprand von Arco), is mentioned in a charter.[1] Although this is the first trace of a member of the von Arco family, it is clear that their origin lies in the Kingdom of Italy and that they belonged to a very old and noble dynasty.
In this early period we find: Friedrich and Odolrich, brothers of the deceased Riprand von Arco; Odolrich and Friedrich von Arco, sons of the late Albert von Arco; Odolrich von Arco and his nepos (nephew) Odolrich; Odolrich von Arco, son of the late Albert, and his nephew (son of his sister) Albert Mitifocus; Friedrich von Arco and his son Odolrich, …[2] The genealogy for the first generations is not entirely clear (e.g. what is the connection between Riprand and Albert?).
We start the family history of the Lords of Arco with Odolrich and Friedrich, sons of Albert. They also had a sister Gisla, who was married to Montenarius de Brenna; her son was called Albert Mitifocus.
28 May 1164: Odolrich and Friedrich (sons of Albert) promised that they would help the German emperor Frederik Barbarossa in his fight against the towns of Verona, Vicenza, Padua and Venice. Through this contract the Lords of Arco became vassals of the German emperor.[3]
30 March 1186: Odolrich and Friedrich von Arco became vassals of the Bishop of Trient.[4]
11 August 1194: inauguration by Bishop Konrad of Trento (1189-1205) of the hospital between Riva and Arco, founded by Odolrich von Arco (dominus Odolricus senior de Arco).[5] This concerns the San Tommaso hospital, a leprosarium, dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury.[6] The reason why the hospital was dedicated to this saint was probably the parallel between the murder of Thomas Becket (1170) and the murder of Bishop Adelpret (1172).
The Prince-Bishops of Trento were Holy Roman Empire princes, and enjoyed the right to take part in Imperial diets. The princes of Trento maintained a strong allegiance to the Emperor, even when the latter was excommunicated: this because they needed his protection against the growing power of subjects like the counts of Tyrol, who controlled the area around Bozen, those of Eppan, and others. In one of the attempts to reassure his temporal authority over these lesser but fierce nobles, Bishop Adelpreto was slaughtered at Arco, on 20 September 1172, by the lords of Castelbarco. The supremacy of the Prince-Bishops was, however, re-established by Emperor Frederik Barbarossa in 1179.
Around the same time the chapel in the castle of Arco was inaugurated and dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. The 12th century relief, representing scenes from Genesis, that used to be in this chapel can now be seen in the Museo Diocesano Tridentino (Trento).
28 July 1196, in castro Arci, in palco domini Federici: Friedrich von Arco, son of the late Lord Albert von Arco, states that the castle of Arco is allodial property of the community of Arco, but that he owns the honor et districtus, as did his father, his grandfather and his forefathers.[7]
Odolrich died without issue in 1196; his brother Friedrich died in 1197. Friedrich had two sons: Odolrich (the oldest son) and Friedrich. Odolrich married Mabilia, sole daughter of the very rich Trentinus de Gando, who inherited all her father’s possessions.[8]
1200-1210: Odolrich has a long lasting and serious conflict with Friedrich von Wangen, Bishop of Trento. On 11 September 1210, in the field between Tenno and Vargnano, in the presence of most of the “Stiftsadel” (vassal nobility of the Bishop): the reconciliation between Lord Odolrich von Arco and Bishop Frederik of Trento is ratified.[9] With this treaty the Bishop took the opportunity to seriously diminish the power of the Arco’s. Next to the payment of huge sums of money and the confiscation of several mills, they lost their Edelfreiheit and became Ministeriales. Their rights were reduced:
Even though he wanted to, the Bishop could not take possession or claim the fortress of Arco, since this was allodial property of the Arco family. The Bishop undoubtedly was the winner of this conflict. The Arco’s lost almost everything they had gained in the previous ten years. But very soon the situation changed again. The Arco’s were reluctant to pay the money the Bishop demanded and they never handed over the charters. They also regained the mills and tolls.
The change from edelfrei to ministeriales was, however, irreversible. Edelfrei or hochfrei meant, in simple terms, that someone was a member of an ancient, dynastic aristocratic line. Free noble families were independent of legal obligations of a secondary nature, and they were not subordinated to any other families or dynasties, apart from the king or emperor. The number of edelfreie families was limited. A new social order, the ministeriales now arose rapidly. These officials, who were mostly unfree in their origins, managed within a century to elevate themselves to the lesser nobility. The differences between ministeriales and the old aristocratic families began increasingly to blur. Over the course of the 13th century their status was slowly assimilated to that of the free nobility. Also for the Arco’s this change did not imply a loss of social status, possessions or wealth.
24 December 1210: Testament of Lord Odolrich, son of the late Friedrich von Arco.[10] He wrote down his last will through which he tried to avoid the disintegration of his possessions. His two sons Adalpret and Riprand had not yet reached the age of 12 and therefore he appointed Warimbert von Cagnò, canon of Trient, as their guardian. Odolrich’s nephew Albert Mitifocus became the curator of his brother Friedrich, who had not reached the age of 25. His wife Mabilia was to take care of all the possessions. Odolrich decided to leave a considerable amount of money to his loyal collaborators and he also set free some of his servants. He also endowed the church of Arco and other ecclesiastical institutions.
Odolrich probably died the next day. The family was left without an heir of age. A new era was about to begin …
[1] F. Huter, Tiroler Urkundenbuch, I (Innsbruck, 1937), p. 69, nr. 150.
[2] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus. Unrkundenbuch des Hochstiftes Trient (Vienna, 1852), nrs. 5, 6, 7, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 40 (Fontes rerum Austriacarum, II/5). A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima illustrissimorum Comitum Arci prosapia, atque ipsius origo privilegiorum, diplomatum, investiturarum, et aliorum iurium in tempora digestorum (1164-1497), nrs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Manuscript, Mantua, Fondazione d’Arco). Regesta Imperii, IV, 2, 2, nr. 1361. J. von Hormayr, Geschichte, nrs. 27, 28, 32, 39, 44. Regesta Imperii, IV, 2, 4, nr. 2645, 2755.
[3] B. Waldstein-Wartenberg, Geschichte der Grafen von Arco im Mittelalter. Von der Edelfreiheit zur Reichsunmittelbarkeit (Innsbrück – München, 1971), pp. 20-22.
[4] Ibid., pp. 23-24.
[5] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus, nr. 57. A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima, nr. 6. J. von Hormayr, Geschichte, nr. 62.
[6] L. Rosati, Il priorato di San Tommaso fra Arco e Riva (Rovereto, 1908).
[7] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus, nr. 59.
[8] A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima, nr. 7, 8, 9, 12.
[9] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus, nr. 88. Regesta Imperii, V, 2, 4, nr. 12376.
[10] A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima, nr. 13.
In this early period we find: Friedrich and Odolrich, brothers of the deceased Riprand von Arco; Odolrich and Friedrich von Arco, sons of the late Albert von Arco; Odolrich von Arco and his nepos (nephew) Odolrich; Odolrich von Arco, son of the late Albert, and his nephew (son of his sister) Albert Mitifocus; Friedrich von Arco and his son Odolrich, …[2] The genealogy for the first generations is not entirely clear (e.g. what is the connection between Riprand and Albert?).
We start the family history of the Lords of Arco with Odolrich and Friedrich, sons of Albert. They also had a sister Gisla, who was married to Montenarius de Brenna; her son was called Albert Mitifocus.
28 May 1164: Odolrich and Friedrich (sons of Albert) promised that they would help the German emperor Frederik Barbarossa in his fight against the towns of Verona, Vicenza, Padua and Venice. Through this contract the Lords of Arco became vassals of the German emperor.[3]
30 March 1186: Odolrich and Friedrich von Arco became vassals of the Bishop of Trient.[4]
11 August 1194: inauguration by Bishop Konrad of Trento (1189-1205) of the hospital between Riva and Arco, founded by Odolrich von Arco (dominus Odolricus senior de Arco).[5] This concerns the San Tommaso hospital, a leprosarium, dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury.[6] The reason why the hospital was dedicated to this saint was probably the parallel between the murder of Thomas Becket (1170) and the murder of Bishop Adelpret (1172).
The Prince-Bishops of Trento were Holy Roman Empire princes, and enjoyed the right to take part in Imperial diets. The princes of Trento maintained a strong allegiance to the Emperor, even when the latter was excommunicated: this because they needed his protection against the growing power of subjects like the counts of Tyrol, who controlled the area around Bozen, those of Eppan, and others. In one of the attempts to reassure his temporal authority over these lesser but fierce nobles, Bishop Adelpreto was slaughtered at Arco, on 20 September 1172, by the lords of Castelbarco. The supremacy of the Prince-Bishops was, however, re-established by Emperor Frederik Barbarossa in 1179.
Around the same time the chapel in the castle of Arco was inaugurated and dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. The 12th century relief, representing scenes from Genesis, that used to be in this chapel can now be seen in the Museo Diocesano Tridentino (Trento).
28 July 1196, in castro Arci, in palco domini Federici: Friedrich von Arco, son of the late Lord Albert von Arco, states that the castle of Arco is allodial property of the community of Arco, but that he owns the honor et districtus, as did his father, his grandfather and his forefathers.[7]
Odolrich died without issue in 1196; his brother Friedrich died in 1197. Friedrich had two sons: Odolrich (the oldest son) and Friedrich. Odolrich married Mabilia, sole daughter of the very rich Trentinus de Gando, who inherited all her father’s possessions.[8]
1200-1210: Odolrich has a long lasting and serious conflict with Friedrich von Wangen, Bishop of Trento. On 11 September 1210, in the field between Tenno and Vargnano, in the presence of most of the “Stiftsadel” (vassal nobility of the Bishop): the reconciliation between Lord Odolrich von Arco and Bishop Frederik of Trento is ratified.[9] With this treaty the Bishop took the opportunity to seriously diminish the power of the Arco’s. Next to the payment of huge sums of money and the confiscation of several mills, they lost their Edelfreiheit and became Ministeriales. Their rights were reduced:
- They lost the Blutsgerichtbarkeit or the right to hold a criminal court inflicting bodily punishment, including the death penalty. The Arco’s were forced to break down the scaffold.
- They had to hand over all the charters concerning their Edelfreiheit.
- They were forbidden to have contact with the towns of Verona and Brescia.
Even though he wanted to, the Bishop could not take possession or claim the fortress of Arco, since this was allodial property of the Arco family. The Bishop undoubtedly was the winner of this conflict. The Arco’s lost almost everything they had gained in the previous ten years. But very soon the situation changed again. The Arco’s were reluctant to pay the money the Bishop demanded and they never handed over the charters. They also regained the mills and tolls.
The change from edelfrei to ministeriales was, however, irreversible. Edelfrei or hochfrei meant, in simple terms, that someone was a member of an ancient, dynastic aristocratic line. Free noble families were independent of legal obligations of a secondary nature, and they were not subordinated to any other families or dynasties, apart from the king or emperor. The number of edelfreie families was limited. A new social order, the ministeriales now arose rapidly. These officials, who were mostly unfree in their origins, managed within a century to elevate themselves to the lesser nobility. The differences between ministeriales and the old aristocratic families began increasingly to blur. Over the course of the 13th century their status was slowly assimilated to that of the free nobility. Also for the Arco’s this change did not imply a loss of social status, possessions or wealth.
24 December 1210: Testament of Lord Odolrich, son of the late Friedrich von Arco.[10] He wrote down his last will through which he tried to avoid the disintegration of his possessions. His two sons Adalpret and Riprand had not yet reached the age of 12 and therefore he appointed Warimbert von Cagnò, canon of Trient, as their guardian. Odolrich’s nephew Albert Mitifocus became the curator of his brother Friedrich, who had not reached the age of 25. His wife Mabilia was to take care of all the possessions. Odolrich decided to leave a considerable amount of money to his loyal collaborators and he also set free some of his servants. He also endowed the church of Arco and other ecclesiastical institutions.
Odolrich probably died the next day. The family was left without an heir of age. A new era was about to begin …
[1] F. Huter, Tiroler Urkundenbuch, I (Innsbruck, 1937), p. 69, nr. 150.
[2] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus. Unrkundenbuch des Hochstiftes Trient (Vienna, 1852), nrs. 5, 6, 7, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 26, 28, 29, 40 (Fontes rerum Austriacarum, II/5). A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima illustrissimorum Comitum Arci prosapia, atque ipsius origo privilegiorum, diplomatum, investiturarum, et aliorum iurium in tempora digestorum (1164-1497), nrs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Manuscript, Mantua, Fondazione d’Arco). Regesta Imperii, IV, 2, 2, nr. 1361. J. von Hormayr, Geschichte, nrs. 27, 28, 32, 39, 44. Regesta Imperii, IV, 2, 4, nr. 2645, 2755.
[3] B. Waldstein-Wartenberg, Geschichte der Grafen von Arco im Mittelalter. Von der Edelfreiheit zur Reichsunmittelbarkeit (Innsbrück – München, 1971), pp. 20-22.
[4] Ibid., pp. 23-24.
[5] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus, nr. 57. A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima, nr. 6. J. von Hormayr, Geschichte, nr. 62.
[6] L. Rosati, Il priorato di San Tommaso fra Arco e Riva (Rovereto, 1908).
[7] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus, nr. 59.
[8] A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima, nr. 7, 8, 9, 12.
[9] R. Kink, Codex Wangianus, nr. 88. Regesta Imperii, V, 2, 4, nr. 12376.
[10] A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima, nr. 13.
Sources and literature
A.F. Arcensis, Antiquissima illustrissimorum Comitum Arci prosapia, atque ipsius origo privilegiorum, diplomatum, investiturarum, et aliorum iurium in tempora digestorum (1164-1497) (Manuscript, Mantua, Fondazione d’Arco).
F. Huter, Tiroler Urkundenbuch, I (Innsbruck, 1937).
R. Kink, Codex Wangianus. Unrkundenbuch des Hochstiftes Trient (Vienna, 1852) (Fontes rerum Austriacarum, II/5).
Regesta Imperii (http://www.regesta-imperii.de).
H. von Voltelini, ‘Die gefälschten Kaiserurkunden der Grafen von Arco’, in: Mitteilungen des Instituts fur Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, 38 (1920), pp. 241-281.
B. Waldstein-Wartenberg, Geschichte der Grafen von Arco im Mittelalter. Von der Edelfreiheit zur Reichsunmittelbarkeit (1971) (Schlern-Schriften 259).
F. Huter, Tiroler Urkundenbuch, I (Innsbruck, 1937).
R. Kink, Codex Wangianus. Unrkundenbuch des Hochstiftes Trient (Vienna, 1852) (Fontes rerum Austriacarum, II/5).
Regesta Imperii (http://www.regesta-imperii.de).
H. von Voltelini, ‘Die gefälschten Kaiserurkunden der Grafen von Arco’, in: Mitteilungen des Instituts fur Österreichische Geschichtsforschung, 38 (1920), pp. 241-281.
B. Waldstein-Wartenberg, Geschichte der Grafen von Arco im Mittelalter. Von der Edelfreiheit zur Reichsunmittelbarkeit (1971) (Schlern-Schriften 259).
