Ottobuono di Razzi (apr 29, 1302 – jan 13, 1315)

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Originally from Piacenza , he was first bishop of Padua ; raised to the rank of patriarch in 1302, his appointment was contested by Gherardo III da Camino , Gualtiero Bertoldo III, lord of Spilimbergo and other feudal lords supported by the Ortenburgs. Ottobuono, like his predecessors, clashed for a long time with the lords of Treviso , in 1305 Rizzardo II da Camino after three months of siege took the castle of Spilimbergo. The patriarch's reaction was not long in coming and culminated in 1310with the taking of the castle of Odorico di Cuccagna, one of the supporters of the da Camino, forced to repair at Rizzardo II. Relations with the counts of Gorizia were good: Henry II, Count of Gorizia, obtained from the patriarch the appointment as captain general for life ( 1314 ), he destroyed the castle of Susans dei Varmo and that of Cassacco dei Martignacco ( 1315 ).

The patriarch granted Guglielmo di Walsee viscount of Mels and feudal lord of Venzone the permission to build a new castle near the old one and now reduced to a ruin of Meles; the castle and the family took the name of Colloredo ( 1302 ).

In 1309 Ottobuono destroyed Gramogliano, attacked Zuccola, devastating the surrounding countryside. Meanwhile, Rizzardo da Camino had broken the peace treaty and, after burning Castions , Orcenico , San Daniele and Sedegliano , joined the troops of the Count of Gorizia .

German troops allied with Ottobono surprised allies of Rizzardo as they besieged the castle of Maniago and captured them: among these was Enrico di Prampero, whom the patriarch had executed.
But the troops of the da Camino conquered Saciletto and San Vito . The situation of the patriarchs was very compromised, only Cividale tried to resist the invasion.

Ottobuono fled to Grado , where he was robbed of all his belongings, and later took refuge in Venice . From here, in disguise, he reached the area of ​​Bologna where he met Cardinal Arnaldo, papal legate.

At this point, the count of Gorizia, perhaps frightened by the excessive power reached by his ally Rizzardo, changed his flag and approached the patriarch. So when Ottobuono returned to Friuli he also received a request for peace from Rizzardo. During the negotiations that were held in Udine, however, the people of Udine and the surrounding peasants took up arms against Rizzardo and his troops in the city, because they thought that the negotiations were nothing more than a way to take possession of Udine and the person of the patriarch. . After these facts the patriarch tried to punish the rebel feudal lords, but these had taken refuge in their castles.

Finally reached a peace, Ottobuono was able to leave the homeland of Friuli and accompany the emperor Henry VII of Luxembourg ; in 1311 he too participated in the council of Vienne , where he headed a commission that was to examine the position of the Knights Templar . Ottobono and his commission made an evaluation favorable to the Templars, but this was overturned by the council. He also obtained the concession for the construction of a university in Cividale (which, however, remained only on paper due to Ottobuono's death).

Due to some unrest, Ottobuono was forced to take refuge with Cardinal Luca Fieschi .

Directed to Avignon for the papal election, to which he had applied, he died in Castell'Arquato , in the Piacenza area.

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