A hill city and bishop's see of the old Pentapolis on the edge of the Montefeltro.
On 1 January 1200 it governs itself as a commune, but Count Montefeltrano, whose power reaches over the Montefeltro, Urbino, Pesaro and Rimini, is its overshadowing neighbour; his sons will be its podestà and, from 1226, counts of Urbino. Innocent III counts it with the March of Ancona that he took back in 1198, but no papal officer is known there.
Who holds it
- Title
- Consuls or podestà of Urbino
- Since
- not pinned
- Confidence
- low
Urbino's commune kept some independence until about 1200; the Montefeltro had no direct authority there but could press it to elect them podestà; Buonconte da Montefeltro held the office in 1213, and the townsmen rebelled. The later story that Barbarossa made the Montefeltro's ancestor imperial vicar of Urbino in 1155 is not accepted by the Dizionario Biografico.
Lord in 1200
The commune of Urbino, under the strong influence of Count Montefeltrano and his sons; not their lordship yet.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing commune under Montefeltro influence; claimed by the pope as part of the March.
Council
Consuls or a podestà (not pinned).
Communities
Not documented.
Militia
Citizen militia.
Walls and castle
Walled hill town; the ducal palace is fifteenth-century.
Trade and crafts
Market of the hill country between the Foglia and the Metauro.
Where the sources disagree
- The English Wikipedia (House of Montefeltro) repeats that Antonio da Montefeltro was made imperial vicar of Urbino in 1155; the Dizionario Biografico (Montefeltrano, 2012) treats Antonio as undocumented and probably invented.
Evidence: Only general statements about Urbino around 1200 were found.
On the map: The contado is a reasonable guess of the land between the Foglia and the Metauro; its southern edge belongs to the March of Ancona sheet.
Sources and studies
- Urbino (en.wikipedia)
- MONTEFELTRANO, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani 76 (2012)
- House of Montefeltro (en.wikipedia)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.