Founded in 752 on land given by the Lombard king Aistulf, the abbey of Nonantola near Modena was one of the great houses of Italy, and Charlemagne's gifts made its abbot a territorial lord.
On 1 January 1200 it still holds Nonantola, its castle and the surrounding plain, and its woods at Fanano in the Apennines, but the communes of Modena and Bologna have been fighting over its territory since the 12th century.
Who holds it
- Title
- Abbot of Nonantola
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
No abbot for 1200 was found in the sources read.
What it holds
- Nonantola: the abbey, its castle and the surrounding plain (the later Partecipanza lands)
- Woods and pasture at Fanano in the Apennines, part of the founding gift
- Marshland between Crevalcore and Palata, which the abbey will drain in the 13th century
- Large estates across Emilia and Tuscany
How it was acquired
Founded in 752 by Anselm, former duke of Friuli, on land given by his brother-in-law King Aistulf; Charlemagne's gifts made the abbot a territorial lord.
How things stand that morning
The abbot holds Nonantola and its lands, squeezed between Modena and Bologna.
Wealth
Farmland and marsh of the plain, woods and pasture at Fanano, and scattered estates.
Threats
- Modena
- Bologna
Advocates and rivals
The communes of Modena and Bologna, which have contended for Nonantola since the 12th century; Modena will build a tower there in 1261 and Bologna in 1307.
Places of note
- Abbey of Nonantola: The abbey and its castle
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The abbey's foundation and its later quarrels are attested; its exact lordship and its abbot in 1200 are not.
On the map: Nonantola's later Partecipanza area roughly matches the modern municipality; Fanano is drawn as the abbey's mountain estate.
Primary sources for Modena
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.
- The Lombard city annals of Piacenza, Milan, Cremona, Parma, Mantua and Verona (kept in the 12th and 13th centuries). The communes' own year lists. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.