A bishop's city in the upper Tiber valley which became a commune early, made an act of submission to Perugia in 1180 and almost at once recovered its freedom.
Its growth drew the jealousy of Perugia and Arezzo, its neighbours and enemies for centuries; it leaned now to the emperor, now to the pope.
Who holds it
- Name
- Consuls (names not pinned)
- Title
- The commune
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
The commune of Città di Castello in the upper Tiber valley, self-governing between Perugia and Arezzo; the pope's claim here is not documented for 1200.
Allies and rivals
Rivals: Perugia and Arezzo. Alliances that winter not pinned.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing; no war pinned for that winter. Across the borders: Borgo San Sepolcro (the Northern Italy map) north, Anghiari and Arezzo's lands north-west, the marquesses of Monte Santa Maria west, Gubbio east, Perugia's Fratta (Umbertide) south.
Charter
Not found.
Council
Consuls (names not pinned).
Militia
Town levy (no figures).
Walls and castle
Walled town on the Tiber.
Trade and crafts
Farming of the upper Tiber; the road from the Tiber to Arezzo and the Romagna.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Only the 1180 submission is dated (Enciclopedia Italiana).
On the map: The modern comuni of Città di Castello and San Giustino; the northern edge with Borgo San Sepolcro is 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.