Amalfi, once a sea republic trading with Constantinople and the Levant, has been a royal city since 1131 and never recovered its old weight after the Pisan sacks of 1135-1137.
Its little duchy runs along the cliffs from Positano to Cetara, with Ravello and Scala in the hills, and is governed by a stratigoto chosen from its own families. Its merchants still travel, but Genoese, Pisans and Venetians now dominate the kingdom's trade. Its families serve the crown: Ruggero Pironti of Ravello is chamberlain of the Terra d'Otranto in 1199.
The cardinal Pietro Capuano, the pope's legate in France, is an Amalfitan; in 1208 he brings St Andrew's body to the cathedral.
Who holds it
- Name
- The crown; Cataldus son of Cesarius, stratigoto of the whole duchy in 1200
- Title
- Royal city and duchy, under the king's stratigoto
- Since
- Royal since 1131
- Confidence
- medium
Federiciana on Amalfi.
Lord in 1200
The king, through the stratigoto of the whole duchy of Amalfi: Cataldus, son of Cesarius, in 1200 (month not pinned). See Amalfi stratigoto. The archbishop of Amalfi is a Church map record.
Overlord
The king.
Allies and rivals
The crown; neighbours: Diepold's Salerno; Sorrento across the mountains.
How things stand that morning
Held for the king [the duchy's stance in the war not recorded].
Wealth
Ships, trade and the coast's produce.
Military
Ships and towers; no numbers.
Threats
- Diepold's Salerno next door
Charter
The duchy's old customs under royal lordship.
Council
The stratigoto and the judges of the duchy; Amalfi and Ravello are only sometimes governed apart (Federiciana).
Communities
Amalfitan merchant families with houses across the kingdom; a small Jewish community (Benjamin of Tudela, about 1165).
Militia
The coast's sailors and ships.
Walls and castle
Towers and walls of the cliff towns; the duchy is defended by the Lattari mountains.
Trade and crafts
Shipping and coastal trade; lemons, chestnuts and the terraced vineyards of the cliffs; mills in the Valle dei Mulini.
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.
- 1201-1208 (not 1200)Sergio Scrofa is royal justiciar of the duchies of Amalfi and Sorrento and captain of the galleys of the Principato from Policastro to Gaeta (Federiciana).Depends on: The regency's appointments. Stopped by: A change of government at Palermo.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The Federiciana dates the officers year by year.
On the map: The duchy as the modern communes of the Amalfi coast and Agerola.
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.