Fabriano is a growing town in the upper Esino and Giano valleys, made of two castles, the old castle and the new castle (the Poggio), both recorded in 1160, under a government of noble consuls.
The hills round it are full of rural lords: the counts Atto held the castle of Precicchie in the twelfth century before it passed to the Rovellone. According to the Italian Wikipedia history of Matelica, Fabriano joined Camerino and Count Atto in the league that destroyed Matelica in 1199 [thin]. On 1 January 1200 it is a small, rising commune under the pope's overlordship; its paper mills belong to the thirteenth century.
Who holds it
- Title
- The consuls of Fabriano
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Italian Wikipedia records the two castles of Fabriano in 1160 (the old castle and the new castle or Poggio) and an aristocratic government of consuls; its date of 1234 for the 'free commune' is late for the first consuls. No officer is named for 1200.
Lord in 1200
The consuls of the joined castles.
Overlord
The pope.
Allies and rivals
Allies: Camerino and Count Atto [thin]. Rivals: Matelica; Jesi over Precicchie (undated).
How things stand that morning
Self-governing under papal overlordship, an ally of Camerino against Matelica [thin].
Wealth
Iron, wool and the Esino valley road.
Military
Two castles' walls.
Threats
- Matelica's revenge
- The rural counts round it
Council
Consuls of noble origin with a council (dates not pinned).
Communities
Not documented.
Militia
Citizen militia.
Walls and castle
Two walled castles being drawn into one town.
Trade and crafts
Iron-working (the smith in its later arms) and wool; paper-making is later (thirteenth century).
Where the sources disagree
- Italian Wikipedia's page on the Chiavelli gives them a Norman origin and dominion over Fabriano from 1154 under Barbarossa; this is family legend. Their lordship of Fabriano belongs to the fourteenth century, and nothing places them over the town in 1200.
Evidence: Italian Wikipedia only.
On the map: A small guessed near land; the castles of the counts round Fabriano are not drawn.
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.