William Malaspina

Who he is

Name

William (Guglielmo) Malaspina, son of the marquis Moroello

Title

Marquis; intended husband of the heiress of Gallura and administrator of the kingdom for William of Massa (DBI chronology)

Since

Not pinned: between Barisone II's death and summer 1203

Born

Not pinned

Family

The Malaspina marquises of the Lunigiana (Obertenghi); brother of Adalasia, William of Massa's first wife; nephew of Alberto Malaspina, with whom he acts in the Lunigiana in 1197, 1199, 1200 and 1202 (Northern Italy map, Malaspina); died 1220

Confidence

low

DBI life of William of Massa; English and Italian Wikipedia on Elena of Gallura

Overlord

Acts for William of Massa; the Malaspina are vassals of Genoa for their Ligurian lands (renewed 1199) but William's party here is Pisan.

What it holds

• The administration of Gallura and the betrothal of its heiress (DBI chronology; not pinned for 1 January 1200)

How it was acquired

By William of Massa's arrangement.

Allies and rivals

William of Massa (brother-in-law); the pope and later Archbishop Biagio of Torres (opponents of the match).

How things stand that morning

Not pinned. Under the DBI chronology he governs Gallura from Civita for William of Massa (perhaps through deputies: in 1200 he also signs, with his uncle Alberto and his cousin Corrado, a Lunigiana treaty for free passage of goods and a renewed alliance with Piacenza and Milan, DBI life of Alberto Malaspina); under the standard lists he has no Sardinian role yet.

Wealth

His Lunigiana share (Northern Italy map); Gallura's dues while he administers it.

Military

Not recorded.

Threats

• Papal prohibition of the marriage
• Being dropped by William of Massa (1203)

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.

1. Beyond 1200: summer 1203William of Massa takes the administration of Gallura from him; Innocent III forbids the marriage.Depends on: The DBI chronology.

Places of note

• Civita: Seat of the Gallurese government

Where the sources disagree

• English Wikipedia (Comita III, Elena) dates Malaspina's attempt on Elena to 1203; the DBI places the betrothal at Barisone's death, before early 1200.

Evidence: Known only from Innocent III's letters as summarised by the DBI.

On the map: A small disc at Civita marks a contested administration, not a lordship of land.

Primary sources for Gallura

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.