Alagia Fieschi (died after 1334), also known asAlagia di Nicolò Fieschi andAlagia di Fieschi, was the daughter ofCountNicolò Fieschi and niece ofPope Adrian V. Alagia marriedMoroello Malaspina in the 1280s and they had five children. InDante Alighieri'sDivine Comedy, Alagia is remembered by Adrian V at the end of his conversation withDante as the only virtuous woman in his family whom he wishes to pray on his behalf (Purgatorio, Canto XIX, 142-145). Alagia’s mention as the only virtuous person in her family reflects Dante’s view about Alagia's family's actions involving theMalaspina family. In addition, Alagia is celebrated by Dante through his portrayal of her as a virtuous woman whose prayer can contribute to Adrian V's journey ofsalvation.
Alagia Fieschi descended from a wealthyGenoese family, theFieschi, who expansively held land betweenChiavari andSestri.[1] She was the daughter of Nicolò Fieschi, a count in the Fieschi family ofLavagna.[2] She married Moroello Malaspina, who was the son ofManfredi di Giovagallo of theSpino Secco (a branch of theMalaspina family) at the end of the thirteenth century, seemingly around the 1280s.[2] In her marriage with Moroello, Alagia had two daughters and three sons:Fiesca,Beatrice,Manfredi,Luchino andGiovanni.[3] Fiesca was first married to theDovadolan Count, Marcovaldo Guidi, the grandson ofGuido Salvatico, and his marriage with Fiesca formed a kinship between the Malaspina and theGuidi family.[3] Fiesca later married a lord ofMontepulciano,Niccolò di Pecora.[2] Beatrice was married toAlbertodi Salinguerra Torelli, who was the son of aFerrarian lord,Salinguerra Torelli, while her brother, Manfredi, married Alberto’s sister,Anna di Salinguerra Torelli.[3] Little is known about Luchino and Giovanni.[2]
Alagia had a sister namedFiesca, who also married to a Malaspinian,Alberto Malaspina, and a brother namedLuca.[4] Luca Fieschi was an influential cardinal at theAvignon papal court.[3] Alagia was also the niece of Ottobono Fieschi (Pope Adrian V), brother of Nicolò di Fieschi.[3] Sources also indicate that Alagia’s family, the Fieschi, were related to theEste family throughGiacomina Feischi's marriage to a member of the Este family. There exist slightly different hypothesis of Giacomina’s relationship with Alagia. Twentieth-century Dante scholar,Paget Toynbee indicates that Giacomina was Alagia’s sister who was married to a Ferrarianmarquis,Obizzo II di Este and was the mother ofBeatrice di Este andAzzo VIII making Beatrice and Azzo VIII Alagia’s niece and nephew respectively.[4] More recently,Marco Santagata has shown that Giacomina Fieschi was Adrian V’s sister and thus Alagia’s aunt, making Azzo VIII and Beatrice Alagia’s cousins.[3]
| Alagia di Fieschi's family lineage |
|---|
Alagia met Dante during his stay inLunigiana in 1307.[2] Dante had a positive relationship with the Malaspina family, and Moroello and Alagia were his patrons.[3] Given the poet’s positive relationship with the couple, some scholars have raised the possibility that Moroello and Alagia could have assisted Dante in his introduction to the Avignon society via Alagia’s brother, Luca, although Dante's stay in Avignon is not historically proven.[3]
After the death of Moroello, in April 1315, Alagia headed to Genoa, nearCastelletto, to reside in her sister in law’s house,Manfredina Malaspina, Moroello’s sister. The house was located near theFranciscan church in Genoa, in which both her husband and father were buried. At his demise in 1344, Alagia's son Luchino was also buried in the same church. Alagia is deemed to have spent most of her life in Manfredina’s house until the year Luchino died. However, around 1334, it is believed that Alagia had stayed in a family house inSan Donato that initially belonged to her uncle, Adrian V, until he willed it to his brothersFederico Fieschi and Nicolò Fieschi in September 1275. Nicolò, Alagia’s father, had gained sole ownership of the property in 1315.[2]
Some sources highlight records of Alagia’s economical activities and her engagement with her family members and beyond. In May 1327, her daughter Fiesca gave Alagia a thousand pounds, which she received as an inheritance from her late father, Moroello. Around a year later, in March 1328, Alagia lent, for a year, tenflorins toUgo Franscesco di Enrighini fromPontremoli. It is also inferred that a few years later, in June 1334, Alagia was given the legal right of significant portions of municipal public debt shares by her brother, Luca. In the events near her death presumably after 1344, Alagia rewrote her will to incorporate a transaction that aimed at returning what her daughter, Fiesca, had given her.[2]
InPurgatorio, the second canticle of Dante'sDivine Comedy, Pope Adrian V, whom Dante meets in the fifth terrace ofMount Purgatory, speaks of Alagia by portraying her as the only virtuous woman in his family whose prayer can contribute to his salvation. He states:
On earth I have a niece called Alagia,
she is still virtuous, if indeed our house
has not by its example made her wicked,
and she alone is left to me back there.
(Nepote ho io di là c’ha nome Alagia,
buona da sé, pur che la nostra casa
non faccia lei per essempro malvagia,
e questa sola di là m’è rimasa.)
Purgatorio 19.142-45
The tone in which Adrian V speaks of Alagia is partly melancholic as it represents Alagia as a virtuous woman whom he worries about because she is surrounded by non-virtuous people.[2] Alagia’s mention as the only virtuous person in her family contributes to the understanding of Dante’s view on certain historical events involving Alagia's family lineage and the Malaspina family. The Malaspina family were a noble family who were hospitable to Dante. He had a positive view of the family not just because they welcomed him but because he deemed them to be virtuous. Moreover, Alagia's husband was Dante's patron and friend, and Dante celebrated him in theDivine Comedy as "Vapor of Val di Magra" (Inferno 24.145) in which he is predicted to defeat thePistoianWhites. Given Dante's positive view of the Malaspina family, by portraying Alagia as the only virtuous member of the Fieschi family, he not only condemns Alagia's relatives but also presents them as a "bad" for the Malaspina family.
This can be seen by reading the historical records on Alagia’s relatives against the grain of Dante’s treatment of them in theDivineComedy.[3] Alagia’s cousin,Beatrice d'Este, is mentioned inPurgatorio byNino Visconti, her late husband, as a woman with a fickle heart who no longer loves him (Purgatorio 8.73-78).[3] Here, Dante condemns Beatrice not because she remarried after Nino's death, but because she marriedGaleazzo Visconti, who was a member of theGhibelline faction and an ally of theDoria family, thus making him an enemy of the Malaspinas.[3] Beatrice’s brother, Azzo VIII, marquis of Ferrara, is mentioned in theDivine Comedy as being guilty ofpatricide and having negotiated his daughter’s marriage, provoking the creation of a coalition group with an anti-Este sentiment and rebels againstModena andReggio.[2] Moreover, Azzo VIII was an enemy of Dante’s friend, Moroello, as Azzo VIII fought against Moroello when Moroello was the elected capital-general of theGuelf ofBologna in 1297.[4] Finally, Alagia’s cousinElenora Fieschi was married to Bernabò Doria, who was son ofBranca Doria.[3] Branca Doria, whom Dante placed in the third ring ofCocytus as a traitor of guests in theDivineComedy, led the violent occupation of a Malaspinian castle inLerici in 1307.[3]
Dante's mention of Alagia, therefore, offers a glimpse into his views on certain historical events, but his celebration of Alagia as a virtuous woman is also a noteworthy element. Dante celebrates Alagia, a woman who welcomed him during his exile, as a virtuous woman whose prayer can help Adrian V’s journey in salvation. Pope Adrian V speaks of his niece, Alagia, in a "delicate" tone as the only person who can help accelerate his journey inPurgatorio through her extension of prayer.[2] In theDivine Comedy, Dante stresses the importance of prayer of those on earth on behalf of the deceased for achieving salvation.[5] Most prayers "originate with women," as Dante believes that women through their prayer extend their love and can miraculously help the salvation of men.[5] In addition to Alagia,Constance of Aragon,Joanna of Gallura andNella Donati, who are remembered byManfred of Hohenstaufen, Nino Visconti andForese Donati respectively, are involved in a similar process of devotional transaction.[6] More specifically, Alagia and Joanna of Gallura are referred as the only remaining virtuous women in their respective families and who are therefore able to pray for their late family members.[6] Their role as women who remained gracious and virtuous despite being surrounded by bad influence is celebrated as a feature which further contributes to the effectiveness of their prayer.[6]