Oberto Doria

Oberto D'Oria (died 1295) was an Italian politician and admiral of the Republic of Genoa.

Biography

He was born at Genoa, a member of the powerful Ghibelline family of the D'Oria, and the brother of Lamba Doria. On 28 October 1270, together with latter, as Capitano del Popolo he started a joint dictatorship which ruled Genoa for twenty years. His moves aimed to defend the Genoese Republic's integrity against the Guelph Fieschi, who wanted to create a personal seignory in the Levante Ligure, and the Grimaldi, who had usurped part of the Ponente. He personally moved against Nicolò Fieschi in 1273, storming his capital La Spezia, while his brother Jacopo, at the same time, warred victoriously against the Grimaldi.

At the same time, he led a prudent conduct against the French Charles of Anjou, then King of Naples and Sicily and also a powerful feudatary in north-western Italy and Provence. Oberto Doria rise to fame however as the admiral of the Genoese fleet in the Battle of Meloria (6 August 1284) in which, together with Benedetto Zaccaria and Corrado Spinola (son of his co-dictator Oberto Spinola) he crushed the Pisans, then Genoa's main rivals in the maritime trades in the Mediterranean together with Venice. This victory allowed Genoa to regain Corsica and Sardinia, and reduced Pisa to a secondary status in Italy.

In 1285 he renounced voluntarily to co-dictatorship, but maintained a role in the Genoese politics. The peace with Pisa was signed in his house on 15 April 1288.

Oberto Doria died in 1295.