The bishops of Vercelli have lost their city to its commune, but they remain lords of Biella and its valleys at the foot of the Alps, which Charles the Fat gave to the church of Vercelli in 882.
On 12 April 1160 Bishop Uguccione founded the hilltop borough of the Piazzo at Biella, granting market, butchery and jurisdiction privileges to settlers so that the town would stay under the bishops. The bishops' castle stands on the Piazzo, and their lordship will last until a revolt in 1377 hands Biella to Savoy. Fourteenth-century records show the bishops ruling about thirty subject communities, among them Biella, Andorno, Zumaglia, Masserano and Santhià.
Who holds it
- Name
- Albert (Alberto Avogadro, later Albert of Jerusalem)
- Title
- Bishop of Vercelli
- Since
- 1185
- Confidence
- high
Bishop of Bobbio in 1184, moved to Vercelli in 1185. He mediated between Clement III and Frederick Barbarossa, and in 1199, as papal legate, helped end the war between Parma and Piacenza. Innocent III will make him Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in 1205.
What it holds
- Biella: town lordship, with the bishop's castle on the hilltop borough of the Piazzo
- Market, butchery and jurisdiction at the Piazzo, granted to settlers by Bishop Uguccione on 12 April 1160
- Andorno and Zumaglia near Biella [episcopal in 14th-century records; held in 1200 not pinned]
- Masserano and Santhià [in the bishops' lordship in later records; not drawn]
How it was acquired
Charles the Fat gave Biella to the church of Vercelli in 882. Bishop Uguccione's foundation of the Piazzo (12 April 1160) was meant to stop Biella slipping away from the bishops.
How things stand that morning
The bishop is lord of Biella and the valleys above it, ruling through his castle and court on the Piazzo. Vercelli is a self-governing commune.
Wealth
Biella's market and the traffic of the Alpine valleys above it.
Threats
- Biella's townsmen seeking more liberties
- The commune of Vercelli's ambitions in the countryside
Advocates and rivals
The commune of Vercelli, which has taken the city itself; the townsmen of Biella. The house of Savoy takes Biella only in 1377-79.
Places of note
- Biella Piazzo: Hilltop borough founded 12 April 1160, with the bishops' castle
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The 882 gift and the 1160 Piazzo charter are well attested; the list of the bishops' other lordships in 1200 is not, and rests on 14th-century evidence.
On the map: Biella is certain; the neighbouring villages are drawn on 14th-century evidence, and Masserano and Santhià are left out.
Sources and studies
- Biella (it.wikipedia)
- Storia del Biellese (ATL Biella)
- Albert of Jerusalem (en.wikipedia)
- A. Negro, 'Tempore quo episcopus' (University of Turin)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.