A new free town founded, by tradition on 23 June 1198, on the wedge of high ground (the 'Pizzo') between the Stura and the Gesso, by men of the nearby villages (Quaranta, Brusaporcello and others) escaping the marquises of Saluzzo and Montferrat, perhaps with Milanese refugees among them.
On 1 January 1200 it is eighteen months old, with no podesta yet (podestas from 1202). Savigliano and Mondovi arose at about the same time.
Who holds it
- Name
- By the town's tradition the first rectors were Pipinus de Vignolio, the Lombard Peyre Rogna and Berardus de Valgrana (two nobles and a commoner); whether they are still in office on 1 January 1200 is not pinned
- Title
- Three rectors (rettori)
- Since
- 1198
- Confidence
- low
it.wikipedia Cuneo; the names rest on the town's chronicle tradition.
Lord in 1200
A free settlement governing itself through rectors, under the protection of the abbot of San Dalmazzo di Pedona (whose jurisdiction the ground was) and the bishop of Asti.
Overlord
The abbot of San Dalmazzo and the bishop of Asti as protectors; claimed by Saluzzo through the Stura valley fief of 1197.
Allies and rivals
Protectors: the abbot of San Dalmazzo, the bishop of Asti; later ally of Asti and of Milan. Enemies: Saluzzo, Montferrat, Busca, Ceva.
How things stand that morning
Free, small and exposed; not yet attacked.
Threats
- Manfred II of Saluzzo (destroys it in 1210)
- Loss of the bishop of Asti's favour
Charter
Foundation 1198 (traditional date 23 June); declared a free commune.
Council
Three rectors, then a podesta from 1202, with a council of varying size.
Communities
Settlers from Quaranta, Brusaporcello and other villages; possibly Milanese refugees.
Militia
Its settlers; no figures.
Walls and castle
A natural fortress between two rivers; walls not pinned.
Trade and crafts
The roads to the Col de Tende and the Maddalena pass.
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.
- 1202 (beyond 1200)First podesta.Depends on: The town's growth. Stopped by: Destruction.
- 1204 to 1210 (beyond 1200)War with Saluzzo and its allies (1204); Manfred II of Saluzzo and William of Montferrat end its freedom by force (1210).Depends on: The quarrel over its settlers. Stopped by: Asti's protection holding.
Where the sources disagree
- it.wikipedia (Manfredo II di Saluzzo) also reports that the Saluzzesi founded Cuneo; it.wikipedia (Mondovi) reports a 1198 document whose naming is muddled. The foundation in 1198 is accepted; the founders' story is tradition.
Evidence: Foundation date and rectors rest on the town's tradition.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.