Not a town in 1200: the walled village of Gregoriopolis beside the ruins of ancient Ostia, the cardinal-bishop's titular see, guarding the Tiber mouth and the salt pans that supply Rome.
Who holds it
- Name
- Not a town: a fortified village by the ancient city, under the cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri, Ottaviano di Paoli, and the pope
- Title
- The Church (the cardinal-bishop's see), within Rome's district
- Since
- Ninth century (Gregory IV's walled village)
- Confidence
- medium
Gregorovius: Ostia is among the regalia of St Peter the senator swears to defend (1198). The Church map record Rome lists Ostia and Porto with the salt pans that supply Rome. In 1222 Riccardo Conti helped Cardinal Ugolino defend Ostia (DBI).
Lord in 1200
The pope and the cardinal-bishop; within the commune's district.
Overlord
The pope.
How things stand that morning
Papal regale within Rome's district.
Wealth
Salt.
Military
Walls.
Threats
- Raids from the sea
Walls and castle
Gregory IV's ninth-century walls.
Trade and crafts
Salt pans; river pilots; fishing.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Its status as a papal regale is in the senator's oath.
Primary sources for Rome
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
- 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
- The Book of Census of the Roman Church, Cencius Camerarius (Cencio Savelli, later Pope Honorius III) (1192, with later additions). The papal rent roll: every church, monastery, town and kingdom that owed a census to Rome in 1192, diocese by diocese, with the sums, followed by lists of papal lands and castles, the ceremonial Ordo and copies of charters. Read online
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.