Camerino is the old head of the mountain march (the Marca Camerinese), a bishop's city on a ridge between the upper Chienti and the Potenza, governing the widest upland contado of the March, from the passes toward Foligno and Nocera down to the hills above Tolentino.
Markward used it as a base in 1198 until the papal party drove him out, and the city then came under the Church while keeping its self-government. Guelf in sympathy, it is the leading power of the uplands: according to the Italian Wikipedia history of Matelica, it headed the league that destroyed Matelica in 1199 [thin]. On 1 January 1200 it is a strong commune under the pope's light overlordship, and the victor over Matelica.
Who holds it
- Title
- The commune of Camerino
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
The Enciclopedia Italiana calls Camerino a wealthy commune with its own coinage, subject to the Church after 1198 but keeping its autonomy; no consul or podestà is named for 1199-1200. The Varano lords belong to a later age (Gentile da Varano rebuilt the city after Manfred's men destroyed it in 1259).
Lord in 1200
The commune. There are no lords of Camerino in 1200: the Varano lordship begins after 1259.
Overlord
The pope, since 1198.
Allies and rivals
Allies: Fabriano, San Severino, Tolentino, Cingoli, Recanati, Civitanova and Count Atto in the league of 1199 [thin]. Rival: Matelica.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing under the Church since 1198; head of the upland towns that destroyed Matelica in 1199 [thin]. Across the Apennine passes lie Nocera, Foligno and Norcia in the duchy of Spoleto (Umbria records).
Wealth
The largest contado of the uplands; wool, pasture and road traffic.
Military
Mountain castles of the contado (not pinned individually) and the city's walls.
Threats
- Matelica's revenge
- A German return to the March
Communities
Not documented.
Militia
Citizen militia and the men of its mountain castles.
Walls and castle
A walled ridge-top city (the surviving circuit is largely of the Varano age, after 1380).
Trade and crafts
Wool and the mountain pastures, the roads over the Apennines to Foligno and Nocera; its own coin (Enciclopedia Italiana, undated).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Markward's base in 1198 from the Enciclopedia Italiana; the 1199 league from Italian Wikipedia only.
On the map: A broad guess at the upland contado; many castles in it belonged to rural lords and churches in 1200 and are not pinned.
Primary sources for Papal State
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
- Chronicle of Alberic of Trois-Fontaines, Alberic of Trois-Fontaines (about 1227 to 1241, at the Cistercian abbey of Trois-Fontaines in Champagne). The widest net of any Latin chronicle for 1200, compiled from dozens of sources, many now lost. Read online
- Chronicle of Andres, William of Andres (about 1220 to 1234). The chronicle and cartulary of a small abbey between Guines and Ardres, near the border of Flanders and Boulogne. 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 Robert of Auxerre, Robert of Auxerre (Robert of Saint-Marien) (about 1190 to 1211; continued at Saint-Marien to 1227). A universal chronicle whose last twenty years are contemporary and well informed from Burgundy and the Auxerrois. 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
12 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.