Ortona is a harbour on its cliff south of the Foro, taken from the counts of Chieti by the Normans in the eleventh century and sacked and rebuilt more than once.
It revives under the Swabians, and the port privileges of Frederick II and Charles of Anjou will make it the first port of the Abruzzi: later. Its lord in 1200 is not pinned; its castle is Angevin and the relics of Saint Thomas arrive only in 1258.
Who holds it
- Name
- Lord not pinned
- Title
- Port town
- Confidence
- low
Overlord
The crown of Sicily.
How things stand that morning
Quiet; regency ground.
Charter
Not recorded for 1200.
Council
Not recorded.
Communities
Not recorded for 1200.
Fairs and markets
Not recorded.
Militia
Not recorded.
Walls and castle
Walled town on the headland; the castle is later (Angevin).
Trade and crafts
Harbour for the Chieti and Lanciano hinterland; Adriatic shipping (no treaty of this date checked).
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
Evidence: General histories only.
On the map: A point only.
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.