Old counts of the upper Bidente hills, whose castle of Ghiaggiolo stood at 495 m near Voltre in the modern comune of Civitella di Romagna, about 30 km from Forlì.
Their county straddled the later border of Romagna and Tuscany.
Who he is
- Title
- Counts
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
The Italian Wikipedia says the counts (later called Severi di Ghiaggiolo) descended from Ravennate aristocracy and were invested with the county in 1021 by Henry II, Benedict VIII and the archbishop of Ravenna; the next dated count is Uberto, before 1263, whose sister Manentessa married Guido da Montefeltro. No count is named for 1200.
Overlord
The emperor and the archbishop of Ravenna (by the investiture of 1021).
What it holds
- The castle of Ghiaggiolo near Voltre
- The upland county round it (extent in 1200 not pinned)
How it was acquired
Investiture of 1021.
Allies and rivals
Not documented for 1200.
How things stand that morning
Held by its counts (names not pinned).
Wealth
Upland pasture and woods.
Military
Their castle.
Threats
- The Guidi and Forlì as neighbours
Places of note
- Castle of Ghiaggiolo: Ruins near Voltre in this comune
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The family's early history comes from a local article with legendary elements.
On the map: Approximate.
Primary sources for Empire
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 Marbach (compiled to 1238, the section on 1198 to 1210 written in the early 13th century). Alsatian annals on the Staufen side of the Upper Rhine. Read online
- Annals of Reiner of Saint James, Liège, Reiner of Liège (1197 to 1230, kept year by year). Contemporary annals kept inside Liège. 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 Otto of St Blasien, Otto of St Blasien (about 1209 to 1210). A Swabian continuation of Otto of Freising written from the Staufen side. Read online
- Chronicle of Reinhardsbrunn; Chronicle of St Peter's, Erfurt (Erfurt chronicle in the 13th century; Reinhardsbrunn compilation about 1340 to 1349 from older annals). The two Thuringian chronicles. Read online
- Chronicle of the Slavs, by Arnold of Lübeck, Arnold of Lübeck (about 1209 to 1210). Arnold continues Helmold and writes from Lübeck, close to Danish, Welf and Baltic affairs. Read online
- Royal Chronicle of Cologne (in stages from about 1175 to about 1250; the section on 1198 to 1220 written soon after the events). The fullest German narrative of the throne war from the Welf and Cologne side. Read online
- Chronicle of Hainaut, Gislebert of Mons (about 1195 to 1196). Ends in 1195, so it has no 1200 entries, but it is the indispensable background for Flanders and Hainaut: the career of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (VIII of Flanders), his union of the two counties, the settlement with Philip over Artois, the rights, castles, fiefs and vassals of Hainaut listed by a man who ran its chancery, and the youth of Baldwin IX, who held both counties in 1200. Read online
8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.