The old Lombard capital of Friuli (Forum Iulii), called Civitas Austriae in the Middle Ages, on the gorge of the Natisone where the road from the plain enters the valleys towards the upper Isonzo.
The patriarchs have resided here since the eighth century and stay until 1238, when Patriarch Bertold moves to Udine. On 1 January 1200 it is the principality's chief town: the patriarch's palace, the chapter of Santa Maria, the market and the bridge over the Natisone.
Who holds it
- Name
- Patriarch Pellegrino II, through his gastald (name not pinned)
- Title
- Lord of the town
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
Patriarch Pellegrino II, who resides here; a patriarchal gastald governs the town and its gastaldia (name not pinned).
How things stand that morning
The patriarch's residence and court on 1 January 1200.
Charter
No communal charter for 1200 found; the commune and its statutes are later (not pinned).
Council
Not pinned for 1200: the patriarch's gastald, the chapter and the leading citizens.
Communities
The chapter's clergy, Friulian townsmen, Slav (Slovene) people of the Natisone valleys; Jews not pinned.
Militia
The townsmen serve in the patriarch's host (no numbers).
Walls and castle
Walled town over the Natisone gorge; the patriarch's palace.
Trade and crafts
Market for the Natisone valleys and the road to the upper Isonzo and Carniola; church crafts (later in his reign Pellegrino gives the chapter its silver altarpiece).
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The residence until 1238 is from Italian Wikipedia (Patria del Friuli); town institutions for 1200 not pinned.
Primary sources for Patriarchate of Aquileia
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.
- History of the doges of Venice (about 1229, with a continuation). The earliest surviving Venetian narrative close to the events. Read online
- Documents on the older commercial and political history of the Republic of Venice, part 1, 814 to 1205 (documents of 814 to 1205, edited 1856). Venice's treaties and privileges in full text. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.