The Colonna are the Tusculan counts' surviving branch: with Tusculum razed by the Romans in 1191, they are the heirs of the old lords of the Alban and Prenestine hills.
Their power sits in the hill fortress of Palestrina and the castles along the Via Labicana and the Via Prenestina (Colonna, Zagarolo, Gallicano, San Cesareo), on the road from Rome to the Sacco valley. On 1 January 1200 they are papal vassals with no recorded quarrel; their wars with the Ceccano and their rise in Rome come later.
Who he is
- Name
- Oddone (Oddo) de Columna, with Giordano [the head of the house that winter is not pinned]
- Title
- Lords of Palestrina, Colonna and Zagarolo; the surviving branch of the counts of Tusculum
- Since
- Not pinned
- Born
- Not pinned
- Family
- Branch of the counts of Tusculum founded by Pietro (Petrus) de Columna, who took the name in 1101; his sons Oddone and Carsidonio ceded their share of Tusculum to Eugenius III in 1151 and broke with their Tusculan cousins
- Confidence
- low
it.wikipedia (Colonna): the castle of Colonna gave the family its name; Palestrina was restored to Pietro by Honorius II and became the centre of their power; Zagarolo is attested among their holdings in 1151; Gallicano, San Cesareo and San Giovanni in Campo Orazio probably came to them towards the end of the twelfth century under Oddone, who also bought Porciano near Ferentino; Genazzano, Olevano, Serrone, part of Paliano and half of Monte Porzio came only during Cardinal Giovanni's long cardinalate (from 1206 or 1212). An Oddone leads from 1151 and is 'long-lived'; an Oddone Colonna is taken prisoner by Giovanni da Ceccano in 1216 (DBI on Giovanni da Ceccano), so two men of the name are likely. it.wikipedia counts Giovanni, cardinal of S. Prisca (1193), as a Colonna; the campaign notes say sources differ (Bobone or Colonna) for Giovanni di San Paolo.
Overlord
The pope.
What it holds
- Palestrina, the ancient Praeneste, their chief fortress
- The castle of Colonna on the Via Labicana, which gives them their name
- Zagarolo (attested 1151)
- Gallicano, San Cesareo and San Giovanni in Campo Orazio (probably from the late twelfth century)
- Porciano near Ferentino, bought by Oddone
How it was acquired
Inheritance from the counts of Tusculum and recoveries from Paschal II's seizures; the late twelfth-century additions under Oddone.
Allies and rivals
Rivals of the Ceccano (the war of 1216) and, later, of the Orsini; no feud is recorded for 1199-1200.
How things stand that morning
Hold Palestrina and the castles round Zagarolo. No count of Tusculum survives in 1200: the Tusculan lands are papal regalia under the senator's oath, and the Colonna are the counts' heirs on the ground.
Wealth
The roads east of Rome (the Via Prenestina, the Via Labicana), the farms and vineyards of the Prenestine hills.
Military
Palestrina's walls and acropolis; the knights of their castles; no numbers.
Threats
- The Conti building a lordship around them (Valmontone, Poli, after 1203)
- The Ceccano
Places of note
- Palestrina: Colonna fortress on the slope of Monte Ginestro
- Colonna: Castle that gives the family its name
Where the sources disagree
- GM Part 4: Giovanni di San Paolo of S. Prisca is called 'kin to the Bobone or the Colonna (sources differ)'; it.wikipedia's Colonna page counts him a Colonna.
Evidence: The castles are dated in it.wikipedia only in outline; the head of the house in 1200 is not pinned.
On the map: Genazzano, Olevano, Serrone and Paliano are left out: they come to the family after 1206.
Primary sources for Papal State
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.
- Annals of Montecassino; Annals of Ceccano (Fossanova) (12th and early 13th centuries; Ceccano to 1217). Two sets of annals from either side of the papal and Sicilian frontier. Read online
- Chronicle of Richard of San Germano, Richard of San Germano (first version about 1216, enlarged to 1243). The fullest southern narrative of the Hohenstaufen kingdom, written by a notary on the border of the Terra di Lavoro. Read online
- Chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
- Chronicle of Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. Read online
- Chronicle of Burchard of Ursberg, Burchard of Ursberg (about 1229 to 1230, reworked by Conrad of Lichtenau). Written a generation later by a fierce partisan of the Staufen and a critic of Innocent III. Read online
- Chronicle of Robert of Auxerre, Robert of Auxerre (Robert of Saint-Marien) (about 1190 to 1211; continued at Saint-Marien to 1227). A universal chronicle whose last twenty years are contemporary and well informed from Burgundy and the Auxerrois. Read online
- Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
- Chronicle of Sicard, bishop of Cremona, Sicard of Cremona (about 1210 to 1213). A universal chronicle whose last part is a well-placed eyewitness account by a Lombard bishop who served emperors and popes. Read online
12 more in the sources library for Southern Italy and the Islands.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.