All posts by Lynn Serafinn

VAL RENDENA In the 1400s: Violence, Vendettas & Battles for Power

VIDEO PODCAST (35 minutes) by genealogist Lynn Serafinn on the dramatic and scandalous story of Marco of Caderzone (ca.1430-1490), the illegitimate son of Count Giorgio Lodron.

TRENTINO GENEALOGY VIDEO PODCAST.  Originally broadcasted on Facebook Live on FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2023 (only recently edited for YouTube). 

The 1400s was a century of tumultuous change in Europe. Noble dynasties, especially in the northern part of the Italian peninsula, had already been in a constant battle for power, but the social upheaval in the aftermath of the Black Death (1347-1353) had made the situation even more extreme.

In this genealogy podcast, we will be travelling back in time to the 1400s, to look at the infamous life – and violent death – of ‘Marco de Caderzone’, an illegitimate son of one of the Counts of Lodron, whose notorious misdeeds are said to have terrorised the people not only in Caderzone, but throughout Val Rendena in northern Trentino. We’ll also look at how he met his demise, and the series of vendettas that took place after his execution in 1490.

Lastly, we will look at the rising of the noble Bertelli family, who had a crucial role in both putting an end to Marco’s power, and ultimately obtaining that same power for themselves.

I hope you enjoy this podcast. Even if you have no ancestors from Val Rendena, this fascinating story is truly like something out of ‘The Medici’ or ‘The Borgias’!

SLIDES FROM THE VIDEO:

Below are 13 slides that appear in the video. If you want to see these images larger, just click on them and they will open up (full size) in a new window.

SLIDE 1 - Map of Giudicarie Esteriore, with Fiavé and Bleggio Superiore highlighted.
SLIDE 1 – Map of Giudicarie Esteriore, with Fiavé and Bleggio Superiore highlighted.
Slide 2 - Family group of Simone Levri and Angela Bertelli (research by Lynn Serafinn).
Slide 2 – Family group of Simone Levri and Angela Bertelli (research by Lynn Serafinn).
Slide 3 - Map of Giudicarie Interiore (Trentino) with Preore highlighted.
Slide 3 – Map of Giudicarie Interiore (Trentino) with Preore highlighted.
Slide 4 - 1756 baptismal record of Gioseffa Carolina Luigia Levri.
Slide 4 – 1756 baptismal record of Gioseffa Carolina Luigia Levri.
Slide 5 - BOOK 'Stemmi e Notizie di Famiglie Trentine'.
Slide 5 – BOOK ‘Stemmi e Notizie di Famiglie Trentine’.
Slide 6 - Predicate of the Bertelli Imperial Title.
Slide 6 – Predicate of the Bertelli Imperial Title.
Slide 7 - Map of Val di Sole (Trentino) with Ossana highlighted.
Slide 7 – Map of Val di Sole (Trentino) with Ossana highlighted.
Slide 8 - BOOK 'Ossana Nelle sue Memorie' by Giovanni Ciccolini.
Slide 8 – BOOK ‘Ossana Nelle sue Memorie’ by Giovanni Ciccolini.
Slide 9 - Map of Giudicarie Interiore (Trentino) with Caderzone and Preore highlighted.
Slide 9 – Map of Giudicarie Interiore (Trentino) with Caderzone and Preore highlighted.
Slide 10 - Some of the Villages in Val Rendena (Trentino).
Slide 10 – Some of the Villages in Val Rendena (Trentino).
Slide 11 - How noble titles were inherited.
Slide 11 – How noble titles were inherited.
Slide 12 - The Demise of Marco of Caderzone (beheaded 1490).
Slide 12 – The Demise of Marco of Caderzone (beheaded 1490).
Slide 13 - The 4 Sons of Marco of Caderzone.
Slide 13 – The 4 Sons of Marco of Caderzone.

I hope you find this story of Marco of Caderzone as fascinating as I did! I welcome your comments and questions below. Alternately, feel free to send me an email via the contact form on this website. 

BEFORE YOU GO…

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Until next time!

Lynn Serafinn, genealogist at Trentino Genealogy

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
Genealogist at https://trentingenealogy.com
20  May 2025

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