The old Roman city at the meeting of the Po and the Dora, with its Roman street grid.
Savoy lost its hold here when Henry VI moved against Humbert III in the late 1180s; Henry, who stayed briefly in Turin, reconfirmed the bishop's lordship in 1196. On 1 January 1200 the city is the bishop's, with a commune growing under him, wary of Savoy to the west, of Chieri and Testona to the south-east and of Asti's reach. The bishop has been in a long quarrel with the Piedmontese feudal lords since his election, and in 1196 he gave land and the castle of La Rotta to the Templars.
Who holds it
- Name
- Bishop Arduino, son of Count Arduino II of Valperga; the commune's officers on 1 January 1200 are not pinned
- Title
- Bishop of Turin, lord of the city; the commune's consuls
- Since
- Elected 1188
- Confidence
- medium
it.wikipedia Arduino di Valperga (elected 1188, died 1206; other lists end his episcopate in 1207); it.wikipedia Storia di Torino for the 1159, 1193 and 1196 acts.
Lord in 1200
The bishop of Turin, lord of the city by Frederick I's diploma of 1159, reconfirmed by Henry VI in 1196; the commune governs alongside him and in 1193 received from him the use of the city's fortifications for its defence. The counts of Savoy claim the city as heirs of the old marquises of Turin but do not hold it.
Overlord
The emperor.
Allies and rivals
Rivals: the counts of Savoy (Susa and Avigliana up the valley), the commune of Chieri and the people of Testona, Asti.
How things stand that morning
Bishop and commune hold the city; Savoy's claim is not enforced.
Threats
- Savoy's claim (Thomas I occupies Pinerolo in 1220 and pushes for Turin in the 1220s)
- Chieri and Testona
Charter
Frederick I's diploma for the bishop (1159); the bishop's grant of the walls' use to the city (1193); Henry VI's reconfirmation of the bishop's rights (1196).
Council
Consuls of the commune; details for 1200 not pinned.
Militia
The communal host defending the walls; no figures.
Walls and castle
The Roman circuit, used for defence by the commune since 1193.
Trade and crafts
The road from the Mont Cenis and Susa down the Po; the Po and Dora crossings.
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.
- 1207 (beyond 1200)Philip of Swabia grants Thomas of Savoy Chieri and Testona (France map), and a new bishop, Giacomo di Carisio, succeeds Arduino.Depends on: Philip's need for Savoy. Stopped by: Otto's victory or the bishop's resistance.
Where the sources disagree
- The France map's Savoy record lists among Thomas I's Piedmont claims 'Turin, where his authority was restored in 1191'. The sources used here show the bishop as lord of Turin, his rights reconfirmed by Henry VI in 1196 and the city's walls granted to the commune by the bishop in 1193; 1191 is the end of Thomas's regency. We treat Turin on 1 January 1200 as the bishop's and the commune's, with Savoy's claim unenforced.
Evidence: The episcopal lordship and the 1193 and 1196 acts are attested; the commune's officers are not.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.