An old noble family of the Pisan contado, said to descend from the Cadolingi who once held the land from Fucecchio to the Pisan hills.
Their holdings round Calcinaia on the Arno go back to the eleventh century; the first bridge over the Era at Pontedera (traced to 1099) was theirs; later they hold the castle of Mazzagamboli and rights over the abbey of Morrona and Terricciola in the Valdera. They are one of the leading families of Pisa.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned: no member is named for 1180-1210 in the sources we read
- Title
- Lords (a noble kin group)
- Family
- Upezzinghi, said to derive from the Cadolingi
- Confidence
- low
it.wikipedia, Upezzinghi; Pontedera.
Overlord
The Empire; Pisan citizens.
What it holds
- Calcinaia and its district on the Arno
- Interests at Pontedera (the Era bridge)
- In the Valdera: Mazzagamboli castle, the abbey of Morrona and Terricciola [dates not pinned]
How it was acquired
Inherited from the eleventh century.
Allies and rivals
Pisan noble houses; neighbours of the bishop of Lucca's castles (Montecastello, sold to him in 1119).
How things stand that morning
Pisan citizens holding castles inside Pisa's contado; their faction in 1200 not pinned.
Wealth
Arno and Era crossings, land in the plain and the Valdera.
Military
Their castles serve Pisa. No numbers.
Threats
- Lucca on the far side of the Arno and the Bientina marsh
Places of note
- Calcinaia: Their old seat on the Arno
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: it.wikipedia only, with no member dated near 1200.
On the map: Approximate; the family's castles in 1200 are not listed in any source we read.
Primary sources for Pisa
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
- History of the doges of Venice (about 1229, with a continuation). The earliest surviving Venetian narrative close to the events. 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.
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
- Greek Acts and Documents of the Middle Ages, Sacred and Secular (documents of the 9th to 15th centuries, edited by F. Miklosich and J. Muller, 6 vols (Vienna, 1860 to 1890)). Volume 3 (Acta et diplomata res Graecas Italasque illustrantia, 1865) prints the imperial chrysobulls to Venice, including Alexios III's of November 1198 with its list of the provinces and towns of the Empire where Venetians traded, the best single picture of the imperial provinces as they stood on 1 January 1200, together with the Pisan and Genoese privileges. Read online
- Documents on the older commercial and political history of the Republic of Venice, part 1, 814 to 1205 (documents of 814 to 1205, edited 1856). Venice's treaties and privileges in full text. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.