Giacomo I da Carrara

Giacomo I da Carrara, called the Great (1264–1324), founded Carraresi rule over Padua. A Guelph, he led Padua's war against Verona over Vicenza in 1311. In 1318, under Ghibelline pressure and civic feuding, the aristocracy elected him defensor, protector and governor in perpetuity, making him the city's first signore; Ghibelline exiles returned, while he exiled the poet Albertino Mussato.

When Cangrande I della Scala besieged Padua in 1319, Giacomo temporarily yielded office to Frederick the Fair to save the city and keep it from the Scaligeri. He died in 1324 and was buried at the Church of the Eremitani, leaving one daughter, Taddea.