Scaliger
The House of Della Scala, whose members were known as Scaligeri or Scaligers, was the ruling family of Verona and mainland Veneto from 1262 to 1387, for a total of 125 years.
History
Reign of the Scaligeri in Verona 1259 - 1387, 1404
When Ezzelino III da Romano was elected podestà of the commune in 1226, he was able to convert the office into a permanent lordship. Upon his death in 1259 the Great Council elected as podestà del popolo Mastino I della Scala, who succeeded in converting the signoria into a family inheritance, governing at first with the acquiescence of the commune, then, when they failed to re-elect him in 1262, he effected a coup d'état and was acclaimed capitano del popolo, at the head of the commune's troops. In 1277 Mastino was killed by a faction of the nobles. The reign of his brother, Alberto I della Scala as capitano was an incessant war against the counts of San Bonifacio, who were aided by the House of Este. Of his three sons, Cangrande I della Scala inherited the podestà position in 1308, only the last shared the government and made a name as warrior, prince and patron of Dante, Petrarch and Giotto. By war or treaty he brought under his control the cities of Padua, Treviso, and Vicenza.Image:Scaligeri1336.png|thumb|250px|left|Territories held by the Scaligeri in 1336
Cangrande I was succeeded by his nephews Mastino II della Scala and Alberto II della Scala. Mastino, the richest and most powerful prince of his generation in Italy, continued his uncle's policy, conquering Brescia in 1332 and carrying his power beyond the Po river. He purchased Parma and Lucca. A powerful league was formed against him in 1337: Florence, Venice, the Visconti, the Este and the Gonzaga all joined, and after a three-year war, the Scaliger dominions were reduced to Verona and Vicenza.
Mastino II's son Cangrande II della Scala was a cruel and suspicious tyrant; not trusting his own subjects, he surrounded himself with German mercenaries, but was killed by his brother Cansignorio della Scala, who beautified Verona with palaces, provided it with aqueducts and bridges and founded the state treasury. He also killed his other brother, Paolo Alboino della Scala. Fratricide among the Scaligeri continued when Antonio della Scala, Cansignorio's natural son, slew his brother Bartolomeo. This aroused the indignation of the people, who deserted him when Gian Galeazzo Visconti of Milan made war on him. Having exhausted all his resources, he fled from Verona at midnight, thus ending the Scaliger domination.
His son Canfrancesco della Scala attempted fruitlessly to recover Verona and is believed to have died in 1392. Guglielmo della Scala, natural son of Cangrande II, was more fortunate: with the support of the people, he drove out the Milanese, but he died ten days thereafter, and Verona then submitted to Venice in the War of Padua.