The bishops of Novara hold the shore of Lake Orta and the fortified island of San Giulio, the core of the small episcopal state of the Riviera di San Giulio (about 300 square kilometres), which will last until 1767.
Their rights rest on Ottonian and Salian grants: Otto I besieged Queen Willa on the island in 962 and endowed its canons, and Conrad II gave the bishop jurisdiction over the whole county of Pombia in 1025. On 1 January 1200 the commune of Novara is contesting the bishop's rule; the quarrel lasts about twenty years and ends with the pact of 25 October 1219, which leaves him the lands north of Gozzano.
Who holds it
- Name
- Pietro IV
- Title
- Bishop of Novara
- Since
- 1196 (to 1209?)
- Confidence
- medium
From the Italian Wikipedia list: Ottone (about 1192 to after 9 June 1196), Pietro IV (1196 to 1209?), then Gerardo da Sessa (1209-11), who leaves for the archbishopric of Milan.
What it holds
- The island of San Giulio and its fortress
- Orta and the upper Riviera: Ameno, Vacciago, Miasino, Pisogno, Armeno, Pettenasco, Pella, Alzo and San Maurizio d'Opaglio
- Gozzano and the lower Riviera: Auzate, Bugnate, Bolzano Novarese and Soriso
- Not Omegna, at the north end of the lake
How it was acquired
Otto I took the island from Queen Willa in 962 and on 29 July 962 endowed the canons of San Giulio; in 1025 Conrad II gave the bishop jurisdiction (districtus) over the whole county of Pombia, which includes the Riviera.
How things stand that morning
The bishop holds the island and the lakeshore through castellans approved by the local councils, but the city of Novara is challenging his rights. The settlement comes only on 25 October 1219.
Wealth
Lake Orta's fisheries and boat traffic, the island fortress, and the farms of the Riviera.
Threats
- The commune of Novara's claim to the countryside
Advocates and rivals
The commune of Novara, which disputes the bishop's jurisdiction; the Riviera's own communities with their statutes and councils.
Places of note
- Isola San Giulio: The island fortress and basilica
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The grants, the 1219 pact and the list of Riviera communities are attested; the start of the dispute (about 1199) is inferred from its twenty-year length.
On the map: Drawn as the communities of the later Riviera; the whole is marked contested because Novara challenged the bishop's rights at this time.
Sources and studies
- Riviera di San Giulio (it.wikipedia)
- Diocesi di Novara (it.wikipedia)
- San Giulio Island (en.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.