Velletri, on the southern spur of the Alban hills over the Pontine plain, is the largest commune of the Marittima and one of the pope's most loyal: no baron owns it, its bishop is the senior cardinal-bishop, and the pope uses it as a residence.
Its wide boundaries reach down into the plain.
Who holds it
- Title
- The commune of Velletri
- Since
- Consuls from the twelfth century
- Confidence
- medium
it.wikipedia (Velletri): a papal brief of 1101 granted the community 'very broad boundaries'; the see was joined to Ostia in 1150, so its bishop is the cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri (Ottaviano di Paoli in 1200, GM Part 4); its later republic had a great council, consuls, then a podestà. it.wikipedia (Campagna e Marittima) counts it among the towns electing consuls in the twelfth century. Gregorovius lists it among communes never under exclusive baronial control; Innocent III stayed there in 1202.
Lord in 1200
The commune under papal lordship; the cardinal-bishop of Ostia and Velletri as bishop.
Overlord
The pope.
Allies and rivals
The pope's fortress of Lariano next door (a later dispute, 1268); Rome's later wars on Velletri are not pinned for 1200.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing, loyal.
Wealth
Wine, grain, pasture.
Military
Walls; city host.
Threats
- Roman claims
Charter
Papal brief of 1101 granting wide boundaries.
Council
Consuls (not pinned).
Militia
City host.
Walls and castle
Medieval walls with eight gates (date not pinned).
Trade and crafts
Wine of the Alban slopes; grain and pasture in the plain; the road between Rome and the Marittima.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: General statements for the twelfth century.
On the map: The modern commune 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.