Speaker 1: Romberto Malatesta loved a good banquet. He had long thought
Speaker 1: nothing could top the magnificent banquet he had thrown with
Speaker 1: his cousin Farentino and his uncle Pandolfo back in thirteen
Speaker 1: twenty four. On that occasion, they had invited Ramberto's other cousin, Uberto,
Speaker 1: who had not only become an obstacle for them politically,
Speaker 1: but had also represented the deep cutting betrayal perpetrated by
Speaker 1: Uberto's father Paulo against Ramberto's own father back around twelve
Speaker 1: eighty five. They all had a lovely meal together, and
Speaker 1: then they killed Uberto. Ramberto was very proud of that
Speaker 1: little bit of well executed political intrigue, and he had
Speaker 1: thought it cemented a good relationship with his other cousin
Speaker 1: Farentino and uncle Pandolpho. So it's no surprise really that
Speaker 1: two or so years later, when Pandolpho died and cut
Speaker 1: Romberto out of the line of succession of Reminy, the
Speaker 1: oh so successful banquet they had all thrown together was
Speaker 1: on Ramberto's mind. What better revenge, he must have thought,
Speaker 1: than to stage a repeat performance. So Ramberto planned another
Speaker 1: banquet and invited his entire family to join in the revelry.
Speaker 1: This time there would be no one left to sully
Speaker 1: his good name or challenge his power. Ramberto was going
Speaker 1: to kill them all. I'm Dana Schwartz and this is
Speaker 1: noble blood. Uberto Maltesta grew up in the shadow of
Speaker 1: his father's death. When Uberto was a teenager, his father, Paulo,
Speaker 1: was killed alongside his lover Francesca de Polenta. The murder
Speaker 1: was perpetrated by Paolo's own brother, Jianchoto, who also happened
Speaker 1: to be Francesco's husband. Gianchoto had caught them in flagrante
Speaker 1: after what was apparently a year's long passionate affair. After
Speaker 1: the murder of Uberto's father, Uberto was brought along with
Speaker 1: his mother and younger sister, into the household of his
Speaker 1: father's murderer, where Uberto lived under Gianchoto's tutelage. This was
Speaker 1: evidently and understandably an unbearable arrangement. By twelve ninety seven,
Speaker 1: Uberto fled Remini, and he took refuge with a family
Speaker 1: of Gibelines, enemies of his gwelp sympathizing family. Just as
Speaker 1: a reminder, the Ghibelines and Guelphs were rival groups here,
Speaker 1: with the Guelphs supporting the Pope and the Ghibelines supporting
Speaker 1: the Holy Roman Emperor. In Uberto's new surroundings, he developed
Speaker 1: a Ghibeline leaning that mixed well with his desire for
Speaker 1: revenge against his family. He participated in numerous military campaigns
Speaker 1: with the Ghibelines, including one in thirteen hundred in which
Speaker 1: he defeated his own uncle Malatstino, conquering the city of Chesna.
Speaker 1: A few years later, Uberto became the Pudesta and captain
Speaker 1: of Chesna, although he was apparently run out of the
Speaker 1: city not long after for showing some tyrannical tendencies. Some
Speaker 1: sources say that in thirteen oh four Uberto got the
Speaker 1: ultimate revo by killing his uncle John Choto. Supposedly, he
Speaker 1: was able to hide the murder by killing his uncle
Speaker 1: in battle under the guise of their Gwelph Gibbeline animosities.
Speaker 1: In a bloody moment in Italian history. It would have
Speaker 1: been the perfect murder, really hidden in plain sight. Unfortunately, though,
Speaker 1: we're pretty sure of Jannchoto's date of death, and we
Speaker 1: have no sources verifying how he died or the role
Speaker 1: Uberto may or may not have played in it, but
Speaker 1: the fact that the story has endured speaks to the
Speaker 1: dangerous ways political and familial tensions could and did intersect
Speaker 1: during this period. In any case, for the next couple
Speaker 1: of decades, Uberto seems to have committed himself to conquering
Speaker 1: more and more land on behalf of the Gibeline faction
Speaker 1: and of course himself. In thirteen twenty one, he allied
Speaker 1: with the Montrafelto family in an attack on Remani. By then,
Speaker 1: Uberto's uncle Pandolfo had become the city's Podesta, and he
Speaker 1: had appointed Uberto's cousin Ferantino to lead in the defense
Speaker 1: against the invasion. They defeated Umberto and his Gibelin forces handily.
Speaker 1: This was the last straw for Uberto. Dealing with his
Speaker 1: family had felt like one betrayal after another, and so
Speaker 1: a plan began to form in his head, the ultimate retribution.
Speaker 1: For a few years he continued to operate as usual,
Speaker 1: but all the while he was dreaming of taking over Remany. Finally,
Speaker 1: in thirteen twenty four, he decided to put his plan
Speaker 1: into action. He reached out to his cousin Ramberto Romberto
Speaker 1: was the son of Jianchoto by his second wife, Sambrasina
Speaker 1: de Zambrasi. We don't know his exact birth year, but
Speaker 1: it's possible that he was born while Uberto was still
Speaker 1: under his uncle's care. They might have been living in
Speaker 1: the same house. By now, Ramberto would have been at
Speaker 1: least nineteen years old. Ramberto had evidently inherited the power
Speaker 1: hungry tendencies of his male family members, and Uberto bet
Speaker 1: that he could get him to turn on the family. Together,
Speaker 1: the two cousins made a plan to depose their uncle
Speaker 1: Pandolfo and take remedy for themselves. But as we know
Speaker 1: if you remember the names in the introduction, Ramberto had
Speaker 1: other plans. He informed Pandolpho and Farentino of Uberto's treacherous proposal,
Speaker 1: and together they planned to exact their revenge for Uberto's
Speaker 1: various betrayals of the family and, by proxy, his fathers.
Speaker 1: They invited Uberto to a banquet. Uberto came, thinking that
Speaker 1: he was the one in cahoot with Ramberto. It was
Speaker 1: a double cross. He was wrong. The assassination of Uberto
Speaker 1: Malatesta complete the three murderers. Ramberto Farantino, and Pandulfo quickly
Speaker 1: set about covering up their crime. Although they were between
Speaker 1: the three of them powerful enough to get away with murder,
Speaker 1: it was still important to be smart about it, especially
Speaker 1: given that the person that they had just murdered was
Speaker 1: not only their kinsmen, but also an ally of their
Speaker 1: most powerful enemy, the Montefeltro family. The three of them
Speaker 1: cleaned up the banquet and placed Uberto's body in a
Speaker 1: sack before burying him in a nearby town. Ramberto, Farantino,
Speaker 1: and Pandulfo don't seem to have ever faced any consequences
Speaker 1: for the cold blooded murder they committed. It's likely the
Speaker 1: murder scandalous, as it was simply faded into the background
Speaker 1: of ever present violence, much of it straddling the boundaries
Speaker 1: between personal and political. Was it murder or was it warfare?
Speaker 1: And who was going to prosecute the murder? The magistrates
Speaker 1: in charge were the very people who were murdering their
Speaker 1: relatives to gain political power. In any case, With their
Speaker 1: crime unpunished, the murderers went about their business, fighting the
Speaker 1: Ghibelins and attempting to expand their power in various bloody ways.
Speaker 1: Ramberto was sure that he had cemented his good standing
Speaker 1: in the family by foiling his wayward cousin's treasonous plot.
Speaker 1: How could he not have He had had a chance
Speaker 1: to betray them when Umberto proposed his plan, and he
Speaker 1: didn't take it. He double crossed Uberto. Surely he would
Speaker 1: be rewarded for his loyalty with the rest of the family.
Speaker 1: Two years after Uberto's death, in thirteen twenty six, Pandulfo
Speaker 1: Maltesta died. He was the last remaining son of Malitesta
Speaker 1: de Verrocchio, after Paolo and John Choto, the adulteress and
Speaker 1: murderous brothers. The only other son, Maltestino, had died about
Speaker 1: ten years earlier, and so Pandolfo had inherited the better
Speaker 1: part of the Malitesta dominions. Before he died, he dictated
Speaker 1: his wishes for the successions of his vast holdings and
Speaker 1: most importantly, the lordships of Pesaro and Remy. He left
Speaker 1: the lordship of Pesaro to his own son, Maltesta. The
Speaker 1: second riminy he left to his nephew and co conspirator
Speaker 1: in the murder of Uberto Farantino, to Ramberto. He left nothing.
Speaker 1: We don't know why. Ramberto was excluded in this way,
Speaker 1: he does seem to have been something of a rogue
Speaker 1: element of the family. We have no clear evidence that
Speaker 1: he ever married, and while he clearly held several properties
Speaker 1: and engaged in all sorts of military campaigns and intrigue,
Speaker 1: he doesn't seem to have ever held any real power.
Speaker 1: His father had been the Lord of Pesaro. Perhaps he
Speaker 1: might have inherited it himself had he been older at
Speaker 1: the time of his father's death, but he was just
Speaker 1: a child, and unlike the monarchies in northern Europe, where
Speaker 1: a child could inherit a throne with which the regency,
Speaker 1: during this period in the Italian city states, it was
Speaker 1: more common for another family member to well just take
Speaker 1: the power for themselves outright, and so when Pandolpho died,
Speaker 1: Ramberto was left with nothing in a cruel twist of fate.
Speaker 1: Perhaps now he knew how Uberto must have felt deeply
Speaker 1: betrayed by his own family and angry enough to retaliate
Speaker 1: where Uberto had gone off and joined his family's political
Speaker 1: enemies in warfare. However, Ramberto decided to make his revenge
Speaker 1: a little more personal. In July thirteen twenty six, not
Speaker 1: long after Pandolpho's death, Ramberto planned another banquet, this time
Speaker 1: at his home right in Rimany. He invited practically the
Speaker 1: whole family, or at least any member of the family
Speaker 1: who could either inherit anything or exact vengeance. That is,
Speaker 1: all of the men. Historians agree that his plan was
Speaker 1: most likely to execute a mass family murder, a brutal,
Speaker 1: bloody and theatrical end to any branch of the Malatesta
Speaker 1: line but his own. But his plan quickly hit a snag.
Speaker 1: Farantino showed up, but along with his family members, but
Speaker 1: Malatesta the Second was away fighting ghibelines along the eastern
Speaker 1: shores of the Marque. Although a few of his family
Speaker 1: members still attended, Ramberto knew he could not execute his
Speaker 1: plan while someone was still alive to avenge the murders,
Speaker 1: especially not someone as powerful as Malatesta the Second, not
Speaker 1: to mention as ruthless. He had to think on his feet.
Speaker 1: He couldn't kill them, but maybe there was another way
Speaker 1: this could all work out. He decided to try to
Speaker 1: leverage his captives to get Mali Testa to help him
Speaker 1: get what he felt he deserved. Ramberto began by releasing
Speaker 1: the members of Maltesta's family. Maybe he thought he could
Speaker 1: get Malatesta to align with him willingly against Farentino to
Speaker 1: take reminy, and of course he could just deal with
Speaker 1: Malatesta himself later. It's possible Mali Testa considered his cousin's proposal.
Speaker 1: It would certainly not have been the first time he
Speaker 1: double crossed a relative, but will never know for sure, because,
Speaker 1: as it would turn out, Ramberto's half baked plan was
Speaker 1: foiled not by Malatesta or by Farentino, but by one
Speaker 1: of the female relatives. He seems to have completely forgotten about,
Speaker 1: Polentissana de Polenta, the wife of Farentino's son Mela Testino Novella.
Speaker 1: Apologies really for all of these names, but just know
Speaker 1: that this woman took to the straits of Remeny. She
Speaker 1: rallied the people against her cousin in law. He was
Speaker 1: holding her family, his own family hostage. He planned to
Speaker 1: take remedy for himself with not a thought for its people.
Speaker 1: It seems the support of the people, plus pressure from
Speaker 1: Polentisana's powerful family of origin, who were, as it happens,
Speaker 1: relatives of the long since murdered Francesca de Polenta convinced
Speaker 1: Mala Testa to bring an army into Rmany. Cornered, Ramberto
Speaker 1: freed his family members, slash hostages and fled to one
Speaker 1: of his estates in the country. But he wouldn't stay
Speaker 1: away from remedy for long. Ramberto was reconciled with his
Speaker 1: family about a year after his attempted family mass murderer
Speaker 1: coup in thirteen twenty seven, with the help of Cardinal
Speaker 1: Bertrand de Pouget, a papal diplomat. We don't know exactly
Speaker 1: how this truth came to be, but we can nonetheless
Speaker 1: appreciate the diplomat's clear skill. If a TV show had
Speaker 1: a priest character bringing a man who had only a
Speaker 1: year before attempted a mass murder of his whole family
Speaker 1: back into the fold, I think we would call it
Speaker 1: unrealistic writing. And yet here we are. And the craziest
Speaker 1: part is this happened twice. A year or so after
Speaker 1: this papal Diplomat's masterful reconciliation, Ramberto made an another attempt
Speaker 1: on remeny. This time he went more by the late
Speaker 1: Uberto's playbook and allied with a political enemy of the
Speaker 1: Malatestas he was aided by his brother, the archpriest Guido Maltesta,
Speaker 1: about whom we know very little, but who clearly also
Speaker 1: wished to topple his family's dynasty in Remeny. As you
Speaker 1: can probably guess, the attempted takeover of Remedy did not
Speaker 1: go well. Ramberto, Guido, and their supporters were soundly defeated
Speaker 1: and run out of the city. But before long the
Speaker 1: wayward Mala Testa brothers were once again inexplicably accepted back
Speaker 1: into the folds of their family, their trespasses apparently forgiven.
Speaker 1: Perhaps Romberto thought it was odd that he was given
Speaker 1: so many chances by his family. He had seen several
Speaker 1: of his relatives slaughtered for offenses much less grievous than
Speaker 1: his own. Maybe he thought that his failures to execute
Speaker 1: his various treacherous plans made them somehow less treacherous or
Speaker 1: less likely to be punished. When Malatistino Novello, the son
Speaker 1: of Ramberto's cousin Farentino, both of whom let's remember he
Speaker 1: had imprisoned in his home just a few years prior,
Speaker 1: invited Ramberto to his hunting lodge at Pujano in thirteen
Speaker 1: thirty for a few days of hunting and hawking. Perhaps
Speaker 1: Romberto thought he might finally really have a chance to
Speaker 1: truly and fully be restored to his family's good graces.
Speaker 1: As sources would later tell it, Ramberto arrived at the
Speaker 1: lodge in the early evening. Malatustino wasn't there. It was January,
Speaker 1: and so Ramberto sat by the fire, staving off the chill,
Speaker 1: waiting for his host to arrive. When Mali Testino finally
Speaker 1: strolled in, as dusk settled over the palazzo, Ramberto fell
Speaker 1: to his knees before him, he begged Mala Testino's forgiveness
Speaker 1: for the kidnapping, for the treachery, for all of it.
Speaker 1: Did he mean it? Was he truly sorry? To Mala Testino,
Speaker 1: it didn't matter. As he placed one hand on his
Speaker 1: cousin's shoulder, he used his other hand to reach for
Speaker 1: his dagger. At this point, Ramberto must have realized this
Speaker 1: invitation had been a trap. The banquet murderer had lost
Speaker 1: at his own game. While the rest of the family
Speaker 1: had sincerely or otherwise made amends with Ramberto, Malatestino had
Speaker 1: long since decided that he had had enough of the
Speaker 1: endless plots, machinations, and betrayals. He had lured Ramberto here
Speaker 1: with promises of a good hunt, a good meal, and
Speaker 1: perhaps forgiveness. But this had been the plan all along.
Speaker 1: Without a word, Malatistino plunged his dagger into Ramberto's neck,
Speaker 1: killing him almost instantly. It was a fitting end for
Speaker 1: a man who represented a gruesome and dramatic era of
Speaker 1: his family's history. He lived his life tangled in the
Speaker 1: personal and the political. Is violence, guided by a craving
Speaker 1: for power and a thirst for vengeance that he shared
Speaker 1: with nearly every member of his family, much as they
Speaker 1: might have denied it. He had a flare for the theatrical,
Speaker 1: perhaps inherited from his father, whose murder of his own
Speaker 1: wife and brother became one of the best known stories
Speaker 1: of star cross lovers in history and had set the
Speaker 1: tone for half a century of parricide. That's the end
Speaker 1: of the story of the many murders and betrayals plaguing
Speaker 1: the Malatesta family. But keep listening after a brief sponsor
Speaker 1: break to hear about a few more. For good measure.
Speaker 1: I would love to end this episode by saying that
Speaker 1: Ramberto's murder closed the chapter of bloody violence in this
Speaker 1: family's history, but it very much did not. It would
Speaker 1: only be a few years before the Malatestas turned on
Speaker 1: each other again. Mali Testa, the second an uncle of Ramberto's,
Speaker 1: was known for much of his life by a nickname
Speaker 1: guas the Familia, as with John Chotto before him, whose
Speaker 1: nickname was Scunchot, though, which was a reference to his
Speaker 1: supposed ugly appearance. Guilsta Familia's nickname was a nod to
Speaker 1: his most notable attribute, it means family ruiner. As it
Speaker 1: would turn out, Ramberto was not the only member of
Speaker 1: the family with designs on remeny, perhaps harboring some resentment
Speaker 1: that his cousin Farantino had inherited the powerful dominion upon
Speaker 1: his father's death in thirteen thirty, he this family ruiner
Speaker 1: concocted a series of intrigues to have the Papal legate
Speaker 1: ban Farentino from Rimini and allow him to take control
Speaker 1: of the city. That worked well enough until April thirteen
Speaker 1: thirty three, when Maltesta and his brother Gallioto, who seems
Speaker 1: to have managed to stay out of the previous decades
Speaker 1: of family drama, were both captured in battle. When they
Speaker 1: were freed some time later, they had to reconquer Rumeny,
Speaker 1: and they fought alongside the papal troops to expand the
Speaker 1: family's dominion to Fossombrone and Fano. In the meantime, they
Speaker 1: temporarily reinstated Farentino as Lord of Remedy. Farentino ruled Remedy
Speaker 1: again from thirteen thirty four until thirteen thirty five, when
Speaker 1: Malitesta made his move. He captured Farentino, his son Maltstino Novello,
Speaker 1: the one who, if you remember, had murdered Ramberto knife
Speaker 1: in the neck, and his grandson Guido. It's likely that
Speaker 1: Malitesta murdered Mala Testino and Guido during their imprisonment. Farentino
Speaker 1: was eventually freed Bynulfo de Montrefelto the latest in a
Speaker 1: long line of Montefeltro enemies of the Malatesta family, and
Speaker 1: that sparked a war that ended in papal intervention. In
Speaker 1: thirteen forty two, Maltesta and Gallioto signed a piece with
Speaker 1: the Pope confirming Gallioto as Lord of Fano. Mala Testa
Speaker 1: lord of Remeny, and his sons were given dominion in Pesaro.
Speaker 1: Farentino was left out in the cold. His last dominion
Speaker 1: Montiano would be taken not long after by Malatesta and
Speaker 1: Gallioto when they themselves betrayed the pope and allied with
Speaker 1: the Ghibelins. It's all very complicated, but what you need
Speaker 1: to know is Farentino died in thirteen fifty three, having
Speaker 1: lost pretty much all of his power, but also having
Speaker 1: seemingly managed to avoid being murdered by his cousin. Mala
Speaker 1: Testa and Gallioto continued their bloody crusades, even having to
Speaker 1: pay a ransom in thirteen fifty to retain remedy after
Speaker 1: one of their enemies attacked it in vengeance. In something
Speaker 1: of a twist, in thirteen sixty three, mala Testa retired,
Speaker 1: leaving remedy to be shared between his sons and his
Speaker 1: brother Gallioto. Gallioto, it turns out, would go on to
Speaker 1: outlive his nephews the normal way, not the classic Maltesta
Speaker 1: murder way, and he would inherit the entirety of the
Speaker 1: Malatesta dominions, with the line of succession now much simpler,
Speaker 1: contained in one set of sons rather than spread between
Speaker 1: brothers and nephews and cousins. It seems that the infighting
Speaker 1: between malatestas finally ceased, and so instead they began to
Speaker 1: turn their gaze outward to patronage of literature and the arts,
Speaker 1: a series of advantageous political marriages, legitimizing children they had
Speaker 1: out of wedlock, fighting in all manner of wars, and
Speaker 1: hosting banquets where nobody got murdered. Noble Blood is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey.
Speaker 1: Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional
Speaker 1: writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy
Speaker 1: Hit and Julia Milaney. The show is edited and produced
Speaker 1: by Jesse Funk, with supervising producerrima Ill Kali and executive
Speaker 1: producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.