Toynbee "Càssero, Jàcopo del"
member of the powerful della Berarda family of Fano (and probably a relative of Guido del Cassero), was born c.1260. He incurred the enmity of Azzo VIII of Este by his opposition to the designs of the latter upon Bologna, of which city Jacopo was podestà in 1296. In revenge Azzo had him assassinated at Oriaco, between Venice and Padua, while he was on his way (in 1298) to assume the office of podestà at Milan at the invitation of Maffeo Visconti. He appears to have gone by sea from Fano to Venice, and thence to have proceeded towards Milan by way of Padua; but while he was still among the lagoons, only about 8 miles from Venice, he was waylaid and stabbed. Malatesta of Rimini was suspected of being concerned in the murder, he having, it is said, induced Maffeo Visconti to appoint Jacopo podestà of Milan, in order that when the latter was out of the way he might the more easily secure the lordship of Fano.

Jacopo was the son of Uguccione del Cassero, podestà of Macerata in 1268 and nephew of Martino del Cassero, who was professor of law at Arezzo in 1255, and was reputed the first jurist of his day in Italy. J. is mentioned by Villani (vii. 120) among the Guelph leaders who joined the Florentines in their expedition against Arezzo in 1288. Documents are still preserved at Bologna relating to his election as podestà, and to his departure at the expiration of his term of office, which he refused to prolong on account of the odium he had incurred in defending the city, 'contra Marchionem estensem perfidum thyrannum et inimicum comunis et populi bononiensis et eius sequaces'. After his assassination his body was conveyed to Fano, where it was buried in the church of San Domenico, with a long inscription which is still legible. [See I. Del Lungo, DtD, pp. 423 ff.)

D. places Jacopo in Ante-Purgatory among those who put off their repentance to the last, Purg. v. 64-84; uno (peccatore), [Purg. v. 64] [Antipurgatorio]; D. having expressed his willingness to do anything in his power for the spirits who have besought his good offices ([Purg. v. 43-63]), one of them (Jacopo) begs him that if ever he goes to Fano he will cause prayers to be offered on his behalf ([Purg. v. 64-72]); he then relates that he was a native of Fano, and had been murdered at the bidding of Azzo of Este in the Paduan territory, where he had thought to be secure ([Purg. v. 73-78]); he explains that he was overtaken at Oriaco, and might have escaped if he had fled towards La Mira ([Purg. v. 79-81]), but he ran to the marshy ground, and getting entangled in the canebrakes and mud, fell and bled to death ([Purg. v. 82-84]) [Azzo da Esti: Mira, la: Oriaco].

According to the early commentators Jacopo gad excited the animosity of Azzo, not only by his political opposition, but also by personal abuse of the marquis; thus Lana says:

Non li bastava costui fare de' fatti contra li amici del marchese, ma elli continuo usava villanie volgari contra di lui: ch'elli giacque con sua matrigna, e ch'elli era disceso d'una lavandara di panni, e ch'elli era cattivo e codardo; e mai la sua lingua non saziavasi di villaneggiare di lui. Per li quali fatti e detti l'odio crebbe sì al marchese, ch'elli li tratto la morte in questo modo.

Similarly, Benvenuto:

. . . bononienses elegerunt in Potestatem eorum. . .nobilem militem dominum Jacobum del Cassaro de civitate Fani. Qui vir temerarius, et qui non bene didicerat regulam juris: potentioribus pares esse non possumus, semper obloquebatur temere de [marchione estensi]; semper vocans eum proditorem estensem, qui reliquerat Ghibellinos Romandiolae. Marchio saepe audiens haec et indignans dixit: certe iste agaso Marchianus non impune feret imprudentiam suam asininam, sed castigabitur fuste ferreo. Dedit ergo operam, quod certi famuli idonei ad hoc persequerentur illum, quocumque pergeret, finito officio Bononiae. [For a review of the known biographical data, see G. Fallani, Poesia e teologia nella Divina Commedia (Milano, 1959), ii, pp. 128-34; for further particulars on the murder of Jacopo, see G. Biscaro, 'La correità di Gherardo e Rizzardo da Cammino nella uccisione di Jacopo del Cassero', Mem. stor. forogiuliesi, xix (1923), 189 ff.]

©Oxford University Press 1968. From A Dictionary of Proper Names and Notable Matters in the Works of Dante by Paget Toynbee (1968) by permission of Oxford University Press