Domenico di Campofregoso

Domenico was the son of Rolando di Campofregoso and Manfredina Fregoso. He was born around 1325, being the youngest son of six children. Like many of the Genoese patricians, he began his professional life as a merchant and financier. By 1355, he was elected to the First Council of the Republic as a senior adviser. While in this position, he fought against a number of noble Ligurian families, especially against the Fieschi clan. Soon he became the ruler of the castles of Gavi, Voltaggio and Portovenere .

Domenico became the vicar of the people and, from this vantage point, tried to expel the Doge Gabriele Adorno , using the spontaneous support of the Genoese crowd. Residents were called to the church of Santa Maria delle Vigne, where two vicars sowed confusion in the crowd against the recent decision to raise taxes made by the Doge. As a result, the Doge of Adorno replaced the People's Assembly, and Domenico di Campofregoso was proclaimed the new head of state.

The main issue during the Domenico dogma was the struggle of Genoa for sole control over the Kingdom of Cyprus . The Genoese fleet conquered the island in 1373 under the command of the brother of the Doge, Pietro Fregoso, and even carried out a successful assault on the capital, Famagusta .

While the Mediterranean Sea was filled with conflicts between rivals, Genoa also had to reckon with unrest in rural Liguria and with North African pirates.

In 1378, while the Doge was busy fighting a merchant company known as the Star, the People's Party stopped supporting him and called Antoniotto Adorno . On June 17, Domenico was deposed and expelled from the city.

Domenico was expelled, as well as a number of his ancestors. In 1379, he made a vain attempt to oust the Byzantine emperor John V Paleolog , putting his son, Giacomo Campofregoso in his place. In 1390, Giacomo was elected the Doge of Genoa, which allowed his father to return to the city. Domenico died the same year and was buried in the church of St. Martha.

• Sergio Buonadonna, Mario Mercenaro, Rosso doge. I dogi della Repubblica di Genova dal 1339 al 1797. - Genova, De Ferrari Editori, 2007.