Grosso - Bonifacio III Paleologo

Bonifacio III ruled Montferrat under Sforza suzerainty for most of his marquisate, a political reality that shaped every significant decision of his administration. The grosso issued under his name reflects the broader north Italian silver coinage tradition of the period, when Montferrat functioned as a buffer territory between Milan and Savoy, each power periodically extracting concessions from the small marquisate. Bonifacio died in 1494 without a male heir, triggering a succession dispute that would eventually pull Montferrat into the Italian Wars entirely.