A hill fortress over the Via Cassia and Lake Bolsena, prized by emperors (Frederick Barbarossa visited in 1185) and popes.
In 1200 it is the pope's strongpoint between Viterbo and the Val di Lago that Orvieto disputes with him. Innocent III first stays there and walls the castle round in 1207; Otto IV makes it his headquarters about 1210. It has no bishop until the fourteenth century.
Who holds it
- Title
- Castellan for the pope
- Confidence
- low
Lord in 1200
The pope, through a castellan (not pinned): a fortress-town of the Patrimony on the Via Cassia above Lake Bolsena.
How things stand that morning
Held for the pope. It watches both Viterbo, at war with Rome, and the Val di Lago, which Orvieto claims against the pope. Across the borders: Viterbo south, Bolsena and Marta (contested) west and north, Bagnoregio east.
Charter
Not found.
Militia
The castle garrison (no figures).
Walls and castle
The rocca on the summit (enclosed with a new wall by Innocent III in 1207).
Trade and crafts
Wine and the road traffic of the Cassia.
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.
- 1207 (beyond 1200)Innocent III's first stay; the castle is walled round.Depends on: the Patrimony at peace Stopped by: nothing in play
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: it.wikipedia gives 1185 and 1207; the castellan in 1200 is not pinned.
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.