Leadership Lessons from an Italian Medieval Family

Building a leadership programme around the medieval family of della Scala, who ruled Verona for many decades, was partly an act of passion, and partly an act of pragmatism. Passion because I became intrigued by this family and their rich characters, some of them infamous. Pragmatic because, amidst the stories and the legends, I could see how their rule embodied both the best and worst of leadership.  Here are some of those learnings…

The della Scalas are known for governing Verona during both the 13th and 14th centuries.  Their history has dark moments, almost on a par with the Borgias, perhaps. Their rule brought unification with Vicenza, Padua and Treviso, but only by conquering the regions, which they then later lost. There are stories of two della Scala men killing their brothers, feuds, violence and poisonings. The first della Scala to reach leadership was Mastino della Scala who overturned the bloody rule of the tyrant Ezzelino da Romano in 1259. It’s there our story begins…

Rule No One: Leaders Have to Respond to Changing landscapes

Mastino was much loved for freeing Verona from Ezzelino and earned himself the title of “Captain of the People.” However revered he was as a wartime leader, he wasn’t able to sustain the affection of his people in the long term and was not re-elected. Sensing power slip away, he took his position back by force, and changed it into a family inheritance. Unfortunately, this still didn’t engender the positive affection he wanted and he was stabbed to death on his way back home one night.

Retaining leadership is about listening to your people, and acknowledging their needs do change. Good modern leadership is tactical, taking into account fast changing cultures, technology, and legal developments such as GDPR. 

Rule No Two: A Good Leader is Like a Host

Host leadership is one of the latest leadership buzzwords, and yet we can see it very ably demonstrated in the 14th Century by Cangrande I, one of the most famous members of the della Scala family. Cangrande jointly ruled from 1308 until 1311 with his brother Alboino, then alone from 1312 until 1329. During that time he is known for building a reputation as a great commander and politician, but also a patron. He is famous for harbouring not only the poet Dante but also welcoming Giotto and Boccaccio into his court.

It can be no coincidence that the most successful and well-known della Scala was also the most welcoming and encouraging of new ways of thinking, visitors and the arts. Happenstance theory suggests that the more open we are to new experiences and put ourselves in the way of them, the luckier we get. Hosting is an easy way to open up to new experiences, whether that’s hosting a conference, organising networking events or just reaching out to build contacts.

Rule No 3:  Ethical Leadership leaves a lasting Legacy

I built much of my programme around what at first seems like a small-time player in the della Scala story. Beatrice della Scala was married off at the age of 19 to Bernabò Visconti of Milan to create an alliance between Milan and Verona. Interestingly, the marriage created a much stronger bond between the two cities that had ever been forged through Verona’s conquest. Beatrice was no submissive bride, however. Her husband was known as a fiery and depostic ruler, but Beatrice had a way of calming him. Other political figures looked to Beatrice as an intermediary between themselves and Bernabò. She went onto rule some of her husband’s lands, and her own province of Reggio. She was conscientious about putting her own money to good use to aid the areas devastated by the feuding family, and she wasn’t afraid to go to war herself, when she stood up to her own family for trying to make off with her inheritance.

I love the thought of Beatrice standing out against the machinations of her male ancestors. A devout woman, she poured funds into building the church of Santa Maria alla Scala in Milan, on which the La Scala opera house now stands, which takes her name.

Of course, these are historical figures and we will never know what they were truly like. However, for me, Beatrice personifies the ethical, pro-social leader.

The Scala family lives on in the shape of a collection of much-visited beautiful gothic tombs that are a must for any visitor to Verona. And yet Beatrice’s legacy quietly takes centre stage in the form of a world-famous opera house. What more of a legacy could any leader wish for?