Count-bishops · Other imperial lands · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Luni

The bishop of Luni is count of the lower Lunigiana at the mouth of the Magra.

Malaria and silting have ruined the old Roman city of Luni, and since the 12th century the bishops have lived mostly at Sarzana. They hold Sarzana and castles of the lower Magra and claim overlordship of villages up the valley such as Albiano and Caprigliola. On 1 January 1200 they are locked in a long fight with the Malaspina marquesses for the Lunigiana, which the peace of Aulla will settle in 1202 in the Malaspina's favour.

Who holds it

Name
Gualtiero (Walter)
Title
Bishop and count of Luni
Since
1193 (to 1212)
Confidence
medium

Catholic-Hierarchy gives 1193-1212, marking both dates as uncertain; the Catholic Encyclopedia names Gualtiero as bishop when Innocent III moved the see to Sarzana in 1202.

What it holds

  • Sarzana: the bishops' residence since the 12th century, soon to be the see
  • Luni: the decayed Roman city and its old cathedral
  • Castelnuovo Magra and Ameglia: episcopal castles of the lower Magra [attested as episcopal in later records; not pinned for 1200]
  • Overlordship of Albiano and Caprigliola up the Magra
  • Comital rights in the Lunigiana, contested by the Malaspina

How it was acquired

Comital rights from imperial grants, later gathered in the Codice Pelavicino, the register of the bishops' privileges compiled from 1241 [individual grants not checked for this record].

How things stand that morning

The bishop holds Sarzana and the lower Magra and is fighting the Malaspina for the rest of the Lunigiana.

Wealth

The coast road and Magra crossings near Sarzana [tolls not pinned]; whether the bishops still held Carrara and its marble in 1200 is not pinned.

Threats

  • The Malaspina
  • Malaria and the decay of Luni

Advocates and rivals

The Malaspina marquesses, who will win the peace of Aulla in 1202; Genoa and Pisa, rivals for the coast; the townsmen of Sarzana.

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. 7 March 1202Innocent III approves moving the see from Luni to Sarzana; the formal transfer follows on 15 June 1202.Depends on: Luni's decay and the bishop's request. Stopped by: Nothing likely.
  2. 1202The peace of Aulla ends the war with the Malaspina and confirms their power in the Lunigiana.Depends on: The war going the Malaspina's way. Stopped by: Episcopal success in the field.

Places of note

  • Sarzana: The bishops' residence
  • Luni: The old cathedral city, now decayed

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The move to Sarzana and the 1202 peace are attested; the bishop's castles in 1200 are drawn from later records, and his imperial grants were not checked.

On the map: The lower Magra block is drawn from later evidence of episcopal castles; the Aulla part is the whole modern municipality, larger than the two villages under the bishop.

Primary sources for Empire

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.

Sources and studies

  1. Diocesi della Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato (it.wikipedia)
  2. Luni-Sarzana-Brugnato (Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent)
  3. Gualtiero, bishop of Luni (Catholic-Hierarchy)
  4. Codice Pelavicino (it.wikipedia)
  5. The Malaspina family (Terre di Lunigiana)
  6. Comuni of the Lunigiana (lunigiana.uk)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.