The Ubaldini are a kindred of castle lords, descended from Ubaldino son of Azzo (1105), holding the passes from the Mugello over the Apennines toward Bologna, Imola and Faenza: Montaccianico above the Sieve, the castle of Pila near Polcanto (where tradition says Barbarossa stayed), branches at Gagliano and Senni, and the upper valleys of the Santerno and Senio with Castel del Frassino at Palazzuolo.
Florence will found Scarperia (1306) and Firenzuola (1332) to break them; in 1200 they are still masters of their mountains.
Who he is
- Name
- The Ubaldini kindred (consorteria); its head in 1200 not pinned
- Title
- Lords of the upper Mugello and the Apennine valleys of the Santerno and Senio
- Family
- Ubaldini
- Confidence
- low
it.wikipedia (Ubaldini) names the castles but no members for 1200. The Enciclopedia Italiana names an Ubaldino son of Azzo as lord of many Mugello lands in 1105 and calls the story of Barbarossa's investiture of 1184 certainly legendary; the famous Ubaldino della Pila and Cardinal Ottaviano are born only in the early thirteenth century.
Overlord
The Empire; no submission to Florence is known for 1200.
What it holds
- Montaccianico above the Sieve
- The castle of Pila (Polcanto)
- The upper Santerno valley (later Firenzuola)
- The upper Senio valley with Castel del Frassino (Palazzuolo)
- Pass tolls toward Bologna, Imola and Faenza
How it was acquired
Old lineage of the Mugello (Ubaldino son of Azzo, 1105); the imperial grants the family later claimed (Charlemagne, Otto II, Barbarossa in 1184) are forgeries or legend (Enciclopedia Italiana).
Allies and rivals
Neighbours: the Alberti (Mangona) west, the Guidi east, the bishop of Florence's Borgo San Lorenzo south, Bologna and the Romagna communes north (eme). Relations with Florence in 1200 not pinned.
How things stand that morning
Holding their mountain castles and passes; no war with Florence is recorded for the winter of 1199-1200.
Wealth
Pass tolls, pasture and chestnut woods, rents from mountain villages.
Military
Mountain castles; a kindred of knights. No figures.
Threats
- Florence's push into the Mugello
- Bologna's interest in the passes
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.
- 1200No dated event known.Depends on: nothing Stopped by: nothing
Places of note
- Montaccianico: Chief Ubaldini castle in the Mugello
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Castles known from later evidence; members and relations in 1200 not found.
On the map: Approximate; the family's holdings were castles and villages scattered over these valleys.
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.