Otto de Bonvillano

Who is Otto de Bonvillano?

Otto de Bonvillano was a citizen of the Republic of Genoa and a count in the Kingdom of Castile–León. The principal source for his life and activities is Cafarus’ Ystoria captionis Almarie et Turtuose.

Otto took part in the reconquista of the Muslim port city of Almería by a league of Genoa and Castile–León with their respective allies in 1147. When the Siege of Almería began in August 1147, the Castilian king, Alfonso VII the Emperor, was away campaigning against the Muslims in the region of Jaén. The Genoese delegated Otto to go to his camp and remind him of his duty to his allies:

They sent Oto de Bonovillano as a legate to the Emperor who was at Baeza. The Emperor had already dismissed his army and did not have any more than 400 knights and 1000 foot soldiers. When he heard that the Genoese fleet had arrived, the Emperor regretted that he just dismissed his army. He said he would come, but he took his time.

The city fell, after the king's arrival, on 17 October and Alfonso invested the Genoese a third of the city as per their prior agreement. On 11 November the republic leased out its third for a period of thirty years to Otto, who had played such a prominent rôle in the negotiations and the conquest, who in turn swore fealty to Genoa and agreed to pay the city a small sum annually. He also swore to keep an army of three hundred in the city at all times and not to charge any tolls on traders from Liguria. Otto is the first example of a private citizen of Genoa holding the republic's territory for it as a vassal. This was the initial, indirect way in which Genoa managed its overseas dependencies.