The capital of the kingdom of Cagliari, a walled town on the eastern shore of the Santa Gilla lagoon, west of the hill where the Pisans will later build Castel di Castro (modern Cagliari's old quarter).
It holds the judge's palace and chancery, the archbishop's cathedral (by later accounts Santa Cecilia) and palace, and a harbour reached from the lagoon and the gulf. A Genoese fleet landed in 1196, beat William's men and almost destroyed the judge's palace; William then walled the town, and his reign is remembered as its time of growth. Castel di Castro does not exist yet: Pisa seizes the hill from Judge Benedetta in 1215 and builds the castle in 1216-1217; Santa Igia itself is razed by the Pisans and their Sardinian allies in 1258.
Who holds it
- Name
- William of Massa (Salusio IV)
- Title
- Judge of Cagliari
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
William of Massa, judge of Cagliari, in person: his palace and chancery are here.
How things stand that morning
On 1 January 1200 the judge's capital, rebuilt and walled after 1196, in William's firm hands.
Charter
No charter: the town belongs to the judge.
Council
The judge's court and the crown council sit here; no commune.
Communities
Pisan merchants (privileges from the judges); Genoese traders were driven out in 1187 and came back only as raiders in 1196 [inference]; the monks of St Victor of Marseille hold the nearby church of San Saturno (Church map).
Militia
The judge's household and the levy of the Campidano.
Walls and castle
Walls built after the Genoese raid of 1196; the judge's palace; no castle on the eastern hill yet.
Trade and crafts
Salt from the lagoons, grain, hides and cheese shipped by Pisan merchants; fishing in the Santa Gilla lagoon.
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.
- Beyond 1200: 1215-1217The Pisans under Ubaldo Visconti seize the hill east of Santa Igia and build Castel di Castro.
Places of note
- Hill of the later Castel di Castro: Empty of a castle in 1200; Pisan castle built 1216-1217
Where the sources disagree
- Date of the Genoese raid: 1196 (DBI, it.wikipedia) or about 1198 (Northern Italy map records).
Evidence: The town's site and fate are known; its plan is reconstructed from later documents and archaeology (two competing locations: the lagoon shore or the Stampace quarter).
Primary sources for Cagliari
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
- Santa Igia (it.wikipedia)
- Giudicato di Cagliari (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.