Sora sits on the Liri where the road from the papal Campagna and the Val Comino meets the road into the Marsica.
It surrendered to Henry VI in 1191 and has been held since by his castellan Conrad of Marlenheim, whose garrison the townsmen hate: in January 1208 they hand the town to the abbot of Montecassino. Not papal on 1 January 1200.
Who holds it
- Name
- Conrad of Marlenheim
- Title
- Lord of Sora
- Since
- 1191
- Confidence
- high
DBI; Church map record Sora.
Lord in 1200
Conrad of Marlenheim, from the rock castle of Sorella above the town (see Conrad of Marlenheim).
Overlord
None he obeys; claimed by the kingdom as a royal lordship and wanted by the pope.
How things stand that morning
Held by Conrad of Marlenheim.
Walls and castle
Sorella, the rock castle above the town.
Trade and crafts
The Liri crossing, mills, the road to the Marsica.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Tenure 1191-1208 per the DBI.
Primary sources for Diepold's Germans
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 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
- Book in honour of the Emperor, or On Sicilian affairs, Peter of Eboli (1195 to 1197). An illustrated verse account of Henry VI's conquest of Sicily, preserved in a single manuscript made at the imperial court. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.