The Rangoni were a noble consortium of the Guelph party, originally from Modena. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries they provided several podestàs to the Guelph city of northern Italy. From the fourteenth century the members of the family began to become military captains of fortune and then became leaders operating at European level in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
With the stabilization of the peninsular political situation during the Spanish dominance in Italy, the Rangoni became part of the nobility of old lineage, becoming Marquises of Montaldo, Roccabianca, Jottangolo and Stagno in the Duchy of Parma, Barons of Pernes in the Contado Venassino, Counts of San Cassano and Cordignano nel Friuli, Marquises, Counts of Castelcrescente (Stuffione), Borgofranco (Ravarino), Punta di Bomporto, Lords of Spilamberto with Corticella, San Vito, Collecchio, Cà da Sale, Torre di Gaiada, Gorzano, Castelnuovo Rangone, Campiglio, Villabianca, Levizzano, Denzano and Rosola, Patrizi of Modena and Reggio in the Duchy of Modena.
The founder of the Rangoni family, according to the historian Crollalanza [1], would have been Gherardo, a milites serving Matilde di Canossa in 1092, whose son Guglielmo (? -1188 approx.) Put himself at the service (about 1130-1145) of the bishop of Modena (Dodone or Ribald?), becoming one of his capitanei and thus obtaining some fiefdoms among which the fortress of Chignano.
It would have been a consortium of milites originating in Germany, operating during the twelfth century between Piacenza and Modena.
Gherardo Rangoni, great grandson of the founder, initially part Ghibelline, was the mayor of Modena in favor of Federico Barbarossa in 1156 ("I descent in Italy" of Barbarossa) and again in 1167 ("IV descent in Italy" of Barbarossa) but when the city resolved to embrace the Guelph cause, Rangoni did not scruple to turn his back on the emperor. During the thirteenth century, the dynasty remained faithful to the furrow traced by the mayor Gherardo, providing several podestà to the Guelph cities. At the time of Emperor Frederick II the brothers Gherardo (...- 1240) and Jacopino Rangoni were podestàs and Guelph captains committed against the faithful of the Hohenstaufen: Gherardo died fighting the imperial vicar Ezzelino da Romano and Jacopino led the Florentine Guelph troops in Battle of Montaperti (1260) against the Sienese captained by Farinata degli Uberti. Another Gherardo Rangoni was podestà of Milan in 1251 and subsequently abandoned the worldly life to dress the habit of the Franciscans.
During the fourteenth century the Rangoni are now well placed in the framework of the Emilia-Lombard nobility. Alda Rangoni (...- 1325) was the wife of the Marquess Aldobrandino II d'Este, who entrusted Lanfranco Rangoni with the fortress of Casalcicogna (current Castellarano) in 1323 and Aldil- randino Rangoni that of Spilamberto. Jacopino Rangoni (... -1413), reported as mayor of Padua in 1373, in 1391 obtained from the regency of the ten-year-old Niccolò III d'Este the fief of Castelnuovo Rangone. Jacopino, now more captain of fortune than podestà in the strict sense, defended the territories of the Estensi against the dangerous Visconti captain Ottobuono de 'Terzi and married a daughter of Count Guido V da Correggio.