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Belforte Radicondoli
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Belforte
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The Belforte castle, from which a powerful family from Volterra took its name, is located on top of a high wooded hill that separates the Cecina valley from that of the Merse, in the Municipality of Radicondoli, and the Diocese of Volterra.
The history of this small castle prior to the 12th century is little known.
It is known, however, from Count Ildebrando's will dictated in his palace in Sovana, on 22 October 1208, that Belforte was under his total control, despite the fact that it was granted, in 1186, by ArrigoVI to Ildebrando Pannocchieschi, bishop of Volterra. .
The fact is that still in 1221, the Aldobrandeschi Counts ruled in Belforte.
In November of the same year, the Aldobrandeschis handed it over, together with Radicondoli, to the Republic of Siena and shortly after, the inhabitants of the two castles had to take an oath of loyalty to the Sienese government.
The castle soon fell under the dominion of the kings of Italy and was again claimed by the Sienese in 1249, making an application to Federigo II.
Only after the death of Federigo II, in 1251, the Republic returned to the possession of Radicondoli and Belforte, which it entrusted to the care of Count Ildebrandino di Sovana with the agreement to defend them on behalf of the Sienese state.
However, many years did not elapse before, in 1268, the Municipality of Siena was forced to send a handful of armed men to Belforte to regain control.
Subsequently, on 30 August of 1301, Belforte's men submitted to the Republic under the conditions imposed on them by the Sienese, who placed them under the direct control of a local judge.
The oldest statutes of Belforte, as a partially autonomous community, are preserved in the "Riformagioni di Siena" and bear the date of 1382.
In modern times, with the elimination of the rural communities, Belforte became a fraction of the Municipality of Radicondoli.
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