The port city under Etna, ruled by its bishop since the Norman restoration and built round the cathedral of Saint Agatha; a suffragan see of Monreale since 1183.
Ruined by the earthquake of 1169; Richard I and Tancred met here in 1191. In 1197 Bishop Roger joined the city's leading men in the revolt against Henry VI; the rebels were beaten at Paternò, the Germans took and burned the city, and Saint Agatha's burned with the people who had fled into it; the bishop, his brother Philip the justiciar (who was blinded) and the other conspirators were deported to Germany. After Henry's death they came back; the citizens resented the return of the bishop's rule and some of the leading men plotted against him, but Philip crushed the plot and executed some of them, sparing the ringleader Ruggero de Marotta.
Who holds it
- Name
- Bishop Roger Orbus (Ruggero Orbus), bishop since 1195; his brother Philip, the city's justiciar, governs for him
- Title
- Bishop and lord of the city
- Since
- 1195
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
The bishop of Catania, lord of the city since Count Roger restored the see (1091) and gave the bishop the feudal rights over the city, its land and its sea, with the right of justice (a Church map record). Bishop Roger Orbus (put in by Henry VI in 1195 after Tancred's man Leo was deposed) rules through his brother Philip, the justiciar.
How things stand that morning
Under its bishop, who is loyal to the regency and becomes a familiaris in 1200; the city is sullen after the failed plot against him. No evidence of Markward's control.
Charter
The bishop's lordship by Count Roger's grant (after 1091).
Council
No commune: the bishop's justiciar (his brother Philip) and officers govern; the leading citizens (de maioribus terre) are restless.
Communities
Latins, Greeks, Jews; few Muslims after 1161.
Fairs and markets
Not pinned (the feast of Saint Agatha draws crowds).
Walls and castle
Walls rebuilt after the earthquake; the bishop's castle at Aci on the coast. The Ursino castle is Frederick II's (1239): not yet.
Trade and crafts
Grain of the plain of Catania, wine and timber of Etna; the port.
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.
- During 1200 (date not given)Bishop Roger Orbus joins the regency council as a familiaris and stays until his death in 1207.Depends on: The council's need of loyal prelates. Stopped by: His death or disgrace.
Places of note
- Cathedral of Saint Agatha: The bishop-lord's church
- Aci castle: The bishop's sea castle
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The Federiciana (Catania) for the bishop, the 1197 revolt, the plot and the regency; the diocesan list for the dates.
On the map: Near land about 6 km round the city and Aci.
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
- Catania, Enciclopedia Federiciana (Treccani)
- Storia di Catania (it.wikipedia)
- Arcidiocesi di Catania, cronotassi (it.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.