| Notes |
- Introduction. – Importance of the Sax family. – Limitation of work on the Sax of Mesocco. – Sources.
The clergy and the nobility being the two predominant classes in the Middle Ages and the people having only taken possession of their rights later, the remote history of our country refers especially to those two classes representing the idea of the State.
Although relatively little has been done to provide a synthetic exposition of the most important early events in Italian Switzerland, historical criticism has in recent times given itself relatively greater attention to clarifying the particular events of the noble houses of this country; we already have a series of more or less extensive studies on the families, once conspicuous, of the Rusconi, the Sanseverino, the Orelli and the Muralto.
However, there is still no history of the Sax family, which has a special importance for the Italian or Ticinese, even though this family, like the Sanseverinos, did not have its original castle on Ticino soil and, already belonging to the German nobility, cannot be ascribed to the Ticenese.
A detailed history of this Rhaetian family, which almost became extinct in 1887, and which is among the most important old dynastic houses of northern Ticino, would be appreciated both by those who study history in genealogy, law, art and culture, as well as those who study it in politics, for it not only presents us with a considerable series of influential men to the popes and emperors, not only did it have singular connections with other houses, but in this it distinguished itself from the others in the neighborhood, also rich and powerful, which besides having a very vivid part in the history of the country, did not lack literary and artistic tendencies.
Its importance is attested by the fact that, as early as the eleventh century, it appears in imperial documents, and from the thirteenth special mention is made of it in peace treaties. Thus, for example, in 1219 the lords Diethelm and Enrico de Sacco, as well as the counts of Verdemberg, were granted the right to take part in the peace treaties between the Bishops of Chur and the city of Como; and on 10 December 1427, the Duke of Milan expressly called the counts of Sax his allies alongside the Confederates, the Bishop of Chur, the Valais and Count Peter of Habsburg.
source: Pioda, Alfredo, ed. I Sax Signori e Conti di Mesocco. Bellinzona, Switzerland: Eredi di Carlo Colombi, 1890.
- Noble Lord Albertus Sacco
This Lord Albertus ruled Misauch as is clear from the instrument of sale recorded in the year 1278
source: Pioda, Alfredo, ed. I Sax Signori e Conti di Mesocco. Bellinzona, Switzerland: Eredi di Carlo Colombi, 1890.
|
1225 - 1278 (~ 54 years)
[7] 
