The kingdom of Cagliari is the judge's own: there are no fiefs, and every district (curatoria) is run for him by a curator who holds his court, collects his dues and raises his levy.
The groups below follow the later lists of districts. The heart is the plain round Santa Igia with its lagoon salt and grain; the south-west holds the old ports of Nora and Sulcis; the east the wild Sarrabus and Gerrei; the north the Trexenta's wheat and the Barbagia of Seulo; the north-east the Ogliastra coast.
Who he is
- Name
- William of Massa (Guglielmo di Massa), Salusio IV
- Title
- Judge (giudice) of Cagliari
- Since
- 1187
- Born
- About 1160
- Family
- Obertenghi of Massa; Lacon-Gunale through his mother Giorgia
- Confidence
- high
DBI; see Cagliari
Overlord
Claimed by the pope (Sardinia as the Holy See's) and by Pisa (his oath of about 1196 to Archbishop Ubaldo as legate; Pisan citizenship)
What it holds
- Santa Igia, the Campidano of Cagliari, Dolia (Parteolla), Decimo and Nuraminis
- The south-west: Nora, Sulcis (with the islands of Sant'Antioco and San Pietro), Cixerri and Gippi
- The south-east: Sarrabus, Colostrai, Gerrei and Quirra
- The centre: Trexenta, Siurgus and the Barbagia of Seulo
- The Ogliastra
- Castles (first mention mostly later than 1200, not pinned): Acquafredda, Sassai, Medusa, Tissili, Monte Oladiri, La Rosa, Osini
How it was acquired
By inheritance through his mother, imposed by Pisan arms in 1187.
Allies and rivals
See Cagliari.
How things stand that morning
Held in peace on 1 January 1200; no enemy on Cagliari's ground since the Genoese landing of 1196.
Wealth
Lagoon salt and fish; Campidano and Trexenta wheat; flocks and hides; port dues at Santa Igia.
Military
District levies and household riders; Pisan support at sea.
Threats
- A new Genoese landing
- Papal sanctions
Places of note
- Santa Igia, judge's palace and cathedral: Capital on the Santa Gilla lagoon; walled after 1196
- Nora: Old Roman port, district seat
- Sulcis (Sant'Antioco): Bishop's seat and anchorage
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The kingdom and its ruler are certain; the district boundaries are from later medieval lists.
On the map: District groups follow later lists; the line with Arborea is approximate.
Primary sources for Cagliari
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 Genoa, by Caffaro and his continuators, with Ogerio Pane for 1197 to 1219, Ogerio Pane and the other official annalists of Genoa (year by year under the commune's authority; the 1197 to 1219 section by Ogerio Pane). The official record of the commune. Read online
- Annals of Pisa, by Bernardo Maragone, with continuation, Bernardo Maragone (1160s to 1175, continued to 1192). Pisa's official annals stop in 1175 and their continuation in 1192, so there is no Pisan narrative for 1200 itself. Read online
- The register of San Pietro di Silki (11th to 13th centuries). A monastic register of lands, serfs, gifts and lawsuits in the giudicato of Torres (Logudoro), written in the vernacular.
Sources and studies
- Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: GUGLIELMO di Massa (Salusio IV), giudice di Cagliari
- Giudicato di Cagliari (it.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.