Lanciano, on its hills above the Feltrino between Chieti and the Sangro, is the trading town of the southern Abruzzi coast.
A customs house stood there from the twelfth century; its May and September fairs, whose first evidence is not pinned, later drew merchants from both shores of the Adriatic; and its Jewish community, recorded later in the quarter of the Sacca, is dated by local tradition to about 1200. Its lord in 1200 is not pinned; Frederick II's grant of the title of city and demesne status comes in 1212.
Who holds it
- Name
- Lord not pinned
- Title
- Town
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
Not pinned. Robert of Loritello made it the seat of his county in the 1060s; Frederick II will make it a royal demesne city in 1212 (later).
Overlord
The crown of Sicily; the church of Lanciano is under the bishop of Chieti.
How things stand that morning
Quiet; regency ground.
Charter
None pinned for 1200; Frederick II's privilege of 1212 and Manfred's confirmation of 1259 are later.
Council
Not recorded for 1200.
Communities
Jews in the quarter of the Sacca (it.wikipedia ties its founding to Jewish families from Naples after 1191 and to the year 1200: not pinned).
Fairs and markets
Fairs in May and September with freedom from tolls and a fair judge (mastrogiurato); the date of their first evidence is not pinned and may be later than 1200.
Militia
Not recorded.
Walls and castle
Walled quarters of Lanciano Vecchio and Civitanova; the church of San Biagio (1069).
Trade and crafts
Fairs, cloth and Adriatic trade through the coast landings; a customs house from the twelfth century (it.wikipedia).
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.
- 1200No dated event of 1200 is known for this lordship.Depends on: nothing Stopped by: nothing
Where the sources disagree
- it.wikipedia dates the Sacca quarter to 1200 itself; that is a year-level claim and is not taken as true on 1 January.
Evidence: Town histories; its lord and the fairs' date are not pinned.
On the map: The tierra is the town's near land, shared out by distance; towns of the kingdom did not govern a contado as the communes of the Papal State did.
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
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.