| Ferrara’s noblemen
contended for a long time against Ravenna’s archbishop for territory control and
detailed separation of territories. Variuos petitions and concessions "ad
laborandum" indicate that Copparo was a very important agricultural centre in
1431 when it showed the largest area cultivated with barley and corn. This town is also
remembered in the Statuta Ferrariae of 1287 as "Coparius" for the
responsabilities of the people living in the so called "de Preta" area.
Many precise references on different documents make us think (as Balboni explained) it was
an area renowned for hunting.
This is confirmed not only by historical reports but also by the
reference to an old castle with towers built by the Estense family for hunting practising
as well as in order to strengthen their dukedom defence power. Nicolo d'Este and duke
Borso came here with their marvellous court. During the 1482 war, Venice people "stole
animals for a value of two thousand ducats as well as the Coparo palace Sancto Marchio
(flag)". This was recorded in a book of the period by an anonym from Ferrara. |
