Modica in the south-east was a Norman lordship granted by Roger II to a knight named Walter, whose family took Modica as their name; with Scicli and the coast at Pozzallo it was later the core of the great county of Modica.
In 1194 Henry VI took it from Walter II of Modica, who had stood by Tancred's son William III. Who holds it on 1 January 1200 is not pinned; it is not yet a county. A Godfrey (Goffredo) of Modica had owned a house at Syracuse that passed to the Genoese after 1197 (Federiciana, Siracusa), another sign that the family had lost favour.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned: Henry VI confiscated the fief from Walter (Gualtiero) II of Modica in 1194 for his loyalty to William III, and it may be in the crown's hands
- Title
- Lord of Modica
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
it.wikipedia (Contea di Modica). Its statement that Henry VI granted Modica 'in 1200' to Riccardo di Mosca cannot be right as written, since Henry died in 1197; the Mosca hold comes later and the county is a creation of 1282-1296.
Overlord
The king of Sicily.
What it holds
- Modica
- Scicli
- Pozzallo (the landing on the coast)
How it was acquired
Norman grant; confiscated 1194.
How things stand that morning
Not pinned: either royal or held by an unnamed grantee of Henry VI. Far from the war.
Wealth
Grain and flocks of the Hyblaean plateau; the carob and olive country; the landing at Pozzallo.
Military
The castle of Modica on its rock.
Places of note
- Castle of Modica: Seat of the lordship
Where the sources disagree
- The brief asks for 'the counts of Modica': there is no county of Modica in 1200; it.wikipedia dates the county to 1282 (Federico Mosca, 'Comes Mohac') and 1296 (Manfredi Chiaramonte).
Evidence: One local summary (it.wikipedia) with an impossible date; nothing for 1200 itself.
On the map: The lordship's extent in 1200 is not documented.
Primary sources for Sicily
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
- 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
- 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 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
- The Deeds of Innocent III, Anonymous (a curial official, perhaps Peter of Benevento) (about 1208 to 1209). The curia's own account of the pontificate's first decade, with letters copied in. Read online
7 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.