Trent

Who holds it

Name

Bishop Conrad of Beseno

Title

Lord of the city

Since

6 December 1188

Born

not pinned

Family

See Trent.

Confidence

high

it.wikipedia Corrado di Beseno; the Ferrara text on episcopal government at Trent.

Lord in 1200

Bishop Conrad of Beseno, through his court and judges.

Overlord

The bishop as count of Trent, under the king.

How things stand that morning

Held quietly by the bishop that morning; the citizens and vassals are restless.

Threats

• The risings of 1200 and 1201
• The counts of Tyrol as advocates
• Verona's pressure on the road south

Charter

The bishop is count of Trent by the grants of 1004 and 1027. Consuls are recorded in 1171; an imperial privilege of 1182 forbade the citizens a communal regime. Henry VI's diploma of 1191 lets the bishop break up sworn leagues and pull down castles built without his leave. No statutes of the city for 1200 are known to this research.

Council

No commune, consuls or podestà on 1 January 1200. The bishop's court and his judges govern; citizens appear as witnesses and as the bishop's counsellors in his acts.

Communities

German-speaking mining partners (their names and mining terms are German); the cathedral chapter; the Benedictines of San Lorenzo across the Adige, brought from Bergamo by Bishop Altemanno.

Fairs and markets

Not pinned for 1200; the great fairs of the region are Bolzano's (first recorded 1202). Bishop Conrad licensed a fair at the Sant'Ilario hospice by Rovereto on 1 May 1197.

Militia

No record of a city militia or carroccio was read; the bishop's host is his sworn vassals.

Walls and castle

The walled town on the Adige (wall dates not pinned); the bishop's palace by the cathedral, his residence until the mid-thirteenth century; a bridge over the Adige to San Lorenzo. The Torre Vanga is bought only in 1210, the cathedral is rebuilt from 1212 and the later castle (Buonconsiglio) is of the thirteenth century.

Trade and crafts

The Brenner road traffic between Verona and Germany; the Adige river port; silver mining north-east of the city, opened under Bishop Albert's agreement of 1185 with the mining partners; wine. Money is reckoned in Veronese pennies.

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.

1. 1200, month not pinnedAn armed rising forces Bishop Conrad out of the city; he later recovers it. Leaders not pinned.Depends on: Unrest among vassals and townsmen. Stopped by: A settlement or outside help.
2. end of 1201 (beyond 1200)A second, anti-episcopal revolt; a Rubeo of Breganze appears in Trent at the end of 1201 (the Ferrara text names him in a heading only).Depends on: As above. Stopped by: As above.

Places of note

• Cathedral and bishop's palace: Seat of the bishop's court

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The constitutional position (1171, 1182, 1191) and the bishop's court are attested; the city's topography in 1200 is thin.

On the map: The near land is a 5 km reach round the city; the modern comune is much larger.

Primary sources for Trent

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.

• Charter book of the bishops of Trent (compiled 1207 to 1218; documents from the 11th century onward; edited 1852). The cartulary of the prince-bishops of Trent. Read online