Sezze sits on the edge of the Lepini mountains above the Pontine marshes, with a large territory running down into the plain.
A self-governing papal town, quarrelsome with its neighbours; within a few years the pope will give it in fief to the count of Ceccano.
Who holds it
- Title
- The commune of Sezze
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- medium
it.wikipedia: an old commune, often in conflict with its neighbours Carpineto, Bassiano, Priverno and Sermoneta (undated); the monk Lidanus (died 1118) founded S. Cecilia and drained land below the town; popes stayed there (Paschal II 1116, Lucius III 1182). The DBI on Giovanni da Ceccano: Innocent III later granted Sezze to the count in fief (after 1201), and Honorius III revoked it (1218). So on 1 January 1200 Sezze is under the pope directly.
Lord in 1200
The commune under the pope directly (the grant to the Ceccano is later).
Overlord
The pope.
Allies and rivals
Quarrels with Carpineto, Bassiano, Priverno and Sermoneta.
How things stand that morning
Papal, self-governing.
Wealth
Olives, pasture, marsh produce.
Military
Walls.
Threats
- A papal grant to a baron
Militia
Town host.
Walls and castle
Ancient polygonal walls.
Trade and crafts
Olive and vine on the slopes; pasture, fishing and reed in the marsh.
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.
- After 1201 (date not pinned)Innocent III grants Sezze in fief to Giovanni da Ceccano.Depends on: Ceccano's homage of 1200-1201. Stopped by: Sezze's resistance.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Undated local history; the Ceccano grant is dated only as after 1201.
On the map: The modern commune, which runs down into the plain, stands for its land.
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.