Raiding belt · Contested ground · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Vitorchiano war

The ground between Viterbo's walls and the castle of Vitorchiano, five miles to the north-east, is a war zone in the winter of 1199-1200.

In 1199 Vitorchiano broke from Viterbo and put itself under Rome; Viterbo besieged it; the Roman parliament declared war; the Tuscan League sent troops to help Viterbo as far as Orvieto until the pope talked them into going home; the Romans relieved Vitorchiano and camped under Viterbo's walls, fought an indecisive action and withdrew. Count Ildebrandino Aldobrandeschi is Viterbo's podestà and captain (made so in 1199). The decisive Roman victory on the road to Vitorchiano falls on 6 January 1200 in Gregorovius and Luchaire, who have the senator Pandolfo della Suburra renew the war at the end of 1199; Maleczek and the Enciclopedia dei Papi put it at the beginning of 1201, in which case Viterbo keeps Vitorchiano blockaded through 1200.

How things stand that morning

Raided and fought over; Vitorchiano held by its own men for Rome.

Sides

Rome (the senator's host, Vitorchiano's garrison) against Viterbo (its militia under Count Ildebrandino); the pope as lord of both, mediating.

Raids

Viterbo raids and besieges Vitorchiano; the Roman host marches up the Via Cassia or the Flaminia (the senator's first campaign stopped at Civita Castellana) and lays waste round Viterbo's walls.

Anchor castles

Vitorchiano for Rome; Viterbo itself for the Viterbese (both pat's town records); Civita Castellana as the Roman staging post.

Last campaign

Live on 1 January 1200. On Gregorovius's dating the Roman host mustered in the meadows of Nero at the end of 1199 and the decisive battle is five days away; on Maleczek's dating (beginning of 1201) Viterbo blockades Vitorchiano through 1200 and the battle is a year away.

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. 6 January 1200 (or early 1201)Roman victory on the road to Vitorchiano; the zone quiets during the peace talks, and the peace (late 1200 or 1201) gives Vitorchiano up to Rome.Depends on: Battle being joined. Stopped by: A papal truce; Tuscan help for Viterbo.

Where the sources disagree

  • Battle date: 6 January 1200 (Gregorovius, Luchaire) against the beginning of 1201 (Maleczek, Enciclopedia dei Papi; the pat researcher's Viterbo and Vitorchiano records follow 1201). The belt is live on 1 January 1200 on either dating. pat may describe the same war from the Viterbo side.

Evidence: The war's course is told in the Gesta Innocentii (via Gregorovius and Luchaire); the extent of the raided ground is an estimate.

On the map: A small belt; Viterbo's city and its wider contado are pat's records.

Sources and studies

  1. F. Gregorovius, Storia della città di Roma nel medio evo, vol. 5
  2. A. Luchaire, Innocent III: Rome et l'Italie (PDF)
  3. Innocenzo III (Treccani, Enciclopedia dei Papi)

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