The old capital of the march of Tuscany, inside its Roman walls on the Serchio plain, a city of churches, towers, silk weavers and money-changers.
The cathedral of San Martino keeps the Volto Santo, the great crucifix that draws pilgrims from all Christendom; on its porch an inscription of 1111 records the oath of the money-changers and spice dealers not to cheat. The general council meets at the Parlascio, by the old amphitheatre; the city is divided into five parts named after its gates.
Who holds it
- Name
- The commune of Lucca (consuls or podestà; names for 1199-1200 not pinned)
- Title
- Lord of the town
- Confidence
- low
Institutions and privileges are dated; the officers of 1199-1200 are not.
Lord in 1200
The commune of Lucca (consuls or podestà; names for 1199-1200 not pinned)
Allies and rivals
See the realm record.
How things stand that morning
The commune holds the city and its six miles. Bishop Guido (attested 1194-1202) is a Church map record.
Charter
Henry IV's privilege to the citizens (1081); the purchase of Duke Welf's rights (1160); Frederick I's sanction (July 1162); Henry VI's diploma of 30 April 1186 confirming the city's rights within six miles.
Council
Two (or more) consuls and a general council meeting at the Parlascio; a podestà in some years since 1187.
Communities
Pilgrims and foreign merchants on the Via Francigena; a Jewish community (Benjamin of Tudela, about 1165).
Fairs and markets
The feast of the Volto Santo in September brings pilgrims and merchants [fair dates not checked].
Militia
The city host by the five gates' quarters; no numbers in our sources.
Walls and castle
The Roman walls, with suburbs growing outside them along the roads.
Trade and crafts
Silk drapery, the city's great industry; money-changing and lending; the oldest mint of Tuscany; the pilgrim road (the Via Francigena) and its hostels; trade down the Serchio and through Motrone.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Institutions and privileges are dated; the officers of 1199-1200 are not.
Primary sources for Lucca
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 Pisa, by Bernardo Maragone, with continuation, Bernardo Maragone (1160s to 1175, continued to 1192). Pisa's official annals stop in 1175 and their continuation in 1192, so there is no Pisan narrative for 1200 itself. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.