The capital of Arborea since the later eleventh century, when the judges and the archbishop left the coastal city of Tharros for a site on the lower Tirso among the lagoons.
It holds the judges' palace and the cathedral of the archbishop of Arborea. When William of Massa took the kingdom about 1195 Oristano was taken and its cathedral wrecked (it.wikipedia). The great walls and towers of Oristano are later (the 1290s, under Mariano II).
Who holds it
- Name
- Peter I (a prisoner) and Hugh I of Bas, under William of Massa's control
- Title
- Judges of Arborea
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
The judges of Arborea in name; taken by William of Massa about 1195. Who governs it for whom on 1 January 1200 is not pinned.
How things stand that morning
In William of Massa's power since about 1195; Hugh of Bas, co-judge, bound to William by the pact of 1199.
Charter
No charter; the judges' town.
Council
The judges' court; no commune.
Communities
Genoese creditors of the judges' house since Barisone I (1160s-1190s) [fair]; Pisan merchants.
Militia
The levy of the Campidani.
Walls and castle
Not yet walled in stone (the walls and towers are of the 1290s); the judges' palace.
Trade and crafts
Grain of the Campidani, the fish and salt of the Cabras and Santa Giusta lagoons; Pisan and Genoese traders.
Places of note
- Santa Giusta: Neighbouring bishop's seat on its lagoon (Church map)
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The capital's role is certain; its condition in 1200 is known only from the account of the 1195 sack.
Primary sources for Arborea
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 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
- 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
- The register of San Pietro di Silki (11th to 13th centuries). A monastic register of lands, serfs, gifts and lawsuits in the giudicato of Torres (Logudoro), written in the vernacular.
Sources and studies
- Giudicato di Arborea (it.wikipedia)
- Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: GUGLIELMO di Massa (Salusio IV), giudice di Cagliari
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.