Oberto II of Biandrate
Count Oberto II of Biandrate ( † after 1224 ) was an Italian participants of the Fourth Crusade and temporarily Regent of the Kingdom of Thessalonica. He was a son of Count Oberto I. Biandrate.
Oberto took in the wake of the Related with him Marquis Boniface of Montferrat on the fourth crusade (1202-1204) part. The Margrave rose there after the conquest of Constantinople Opel king of the newly formed Kingdom of Thessalonica in 1207 and fell in battle against the Bulgarians. As the new king was succeeded by his underage son Demetrius, under the regency of his mother, Margaret of Hungary.
Oberto Biandrate took over as one of the closest followers of Boniface the office of Bailli and supplanted the Queen Mother in effect in the government of the kingdom. He was able to count on the support of the Lombard knights who had settled with Boniface of Montferrat in Thessaloniki.
Oberto immediately revolted against the supremacy of the Latin Emperor Henry and contested the legality of the successor of the Demetrius in question. He and his followers favored instead the eldest son of Boniface, Margrave William VI. of Montferrat, as the legitimate king, who stayed, however, in Italy. Margaret cried against Oberto to help the Emperor Henry, who drew against Thessaloniki in winter 1208. Since it Oberto denied the access as well as the required tribute, the emperor had to stay in the tent of his general bearing the cold winter just outside the city. Only after he faces Oberto made some concessions, such as recognition all over the country from Dyrrachium to the Aegean as well as sovereignty over Thebes and Achaia for the kingdom, the emperor was able to move at the beginning of 1209 in Thessaloniki. The Emperor Oberto arrested immediately and imprisoned under the supervision of Berthold of Katzenelenbogen in the castle of Serres. On January 9, 1209 Demetrius was personally crowned by the emperor to the king of Thessaloniki and at an initial May 1209 convened Parlement in Ravennika he placed the principalities Thebes and Achaia the direct sovereignty of the Empire.
The rebellious Lombards, in the Ravennika would not submit to the Emperor himself had, in the meantime entrenched in the Kadmeia of Thebes. But on May 8, 1209 Emperor could take the Kadmeia and force the Lombards into submission, the rebellion was thus finally ended. Even at the end of the same month Oberto was released from his prison. He turned to Euboea ( Negroponte ) and hoped his ruling here former followers Ravano dalle Carceri a renewed rebellion against Emperor Henry to instigate. But after this threatened to land on Euboea, Ravano dalle Carceri failed his support what Oberto also now had to give up for good. He moved back to his native Italy, to the court of Margrave William VI. of Montferrat.
According to contemporary reports rumors Oberto was responsible for the sudden death of the Emperor Henry in 1226. The last time this is as a participant of the expedition of William VI. called of Montferrat, who set out in 1224 to reclaim the now fallen to Theodoros I. Angelos Thessaloniki.