A knightly house named from the castle of Farnese west of Lake Bolsena, recorded in the twelfth century as minor lords in the lands of Toscanella and Orvieto and active in Orvieto's politics: Prudenzio, son of the first Pietro, was a consul of Orvieto, and another Pietro defended Orvieto against Henry VI.
In summer 1207 Ranuccio Farnese commands Orvieto's cavalry with the Aldobrandeschi count.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned for 1200; Ranuccio Farnese leads Orvieto's cavalry with Count Ildebrandino in summer 1207
- Title
- Lords of the castle of Farnese
- Family
- Farnese, minor lords of the Tuscania and Orvieto country
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
The pope (the Tuscan Patrimony); in service to Orvieto
What it holds
- The castle of Farnese
- Ischia (di Castro) nearby: not pinned for 1200
How it was acquired
Family castle since the tenth or eleventh century (by tradition).
Allies and rivals
Allies: Orvieto, whose consuls and captains they have been. Neighbours: the Aldobrandeschi west, Toscanella south, the contested Val di Lago east.
How things stand that morning
Holding Farnese (in detail not pinned); in Orvieto's camp in its quarrels.
Wealth
Castle lands on the volcanic plateau west of the lake.
Military
Household knights; Orvieto's cavalry leaders (1207).
Threats
- The Aldobrandeschi
- The pope's claim to the Val di Lago if they side with Orvieto
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.
- summer 1207 (beyond 1200)Ranuccio Farnese leads Orvieto's cavalry with Count Ildebrandino.Depends on: Orvieto at war Stopped by: nothing in play
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: en.wikipedia (House of Farnese) gives the twelfth-century Orvieto service undated; it.wikipedia (Ildebrandino VIII) gives 1207.
On the map: Drawn on the family's name-castle and its neighbour; the later Farnese state of Castro is not back-projected.
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.