The hill city between the Era and the Cecina, ruled by its bishop as count.
Frederick I's son Henry confirmed Bishop Ildebrando in 1186 as count palatine and prince of the Empire with the right to name the consuls, and gave him a mint in 1189. The townsmen have not forgotten 1170, when they killed his kinsman Bishop Galgano on the cathedral steps; the commune will build its own palace from 1208 and take the city from the bishops in the thirteenth century. On 1 January 1200 the bishop is also captain of the Tuscan League (named 4 December 1197), so Volterra's lord is the league's war leader.
Who holds it
- Name
- Bishop Ildebrando Pannocchieschi, count palatine in Tuscany, who names the commune's consuls
- Title
- Lord of the city
- Since
- 1185
- Family
- Pannocchieschi (son of Ranieri I Pannocchia)
- Confidence
- high
it.wikipedia, Ildebrando Pannocchieschi; Church map record Volterra. The consuls of 1199-1200 are not pinned.
Lord in 1200
Bishop Ildebrando Pannocchieschi (since 1185), with consuls of his naming
Allies and rivals
The Tuscan League (Florence, Lucca, Siena); Pisa on the west (Peccioli was given to Pisa by Henry VI in 1192 after being granted to the bishop in 1186); San Gimignano, which the bishops long claimed; Siena, whose merchants bought a quarter of Montieri in 1181; the bishop's Pannocchieschi kin.
How things stand that morning
The bishop rules the city and its contado; the commune is restive but has not yet broken his power. Volterra is a league member through its bishop.
Charter
Imperial privileges to the bishop of 1186 (count palatine, consuls) and 1189 (mint).
Council
Consuls named by the bishop; the commune's own officers of 1199-1200 are not pinned.
Communities
Not recorded in the sources we used.
Fairs and markets
Not recorded in the sources we used.
Militia
Not recorded in the sources we used.
Walls and castle
The old walls on the hill; the bishops' castle of Berignone in the countryside to the south-east (their court, mint and refuge).
Trade and crafts
Salt from the springs of the Cecina valley; silver from Montieri and the bishop's mint; the cattle and grain of a wide upland contado.
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.
- Beyond 1200: 1201Ildebrando brings the Cistercians to San Galgano (Chiusdino), the first in Tuscany.
- Beyond 1200: 1208The commune begins its own palace (Palazzo dei Priori).Depends on: The commune's growth against the bishop.
Places of note
- Berignone: The bishops' castle, court and mint [coordinates approximate]
- Montieri: The bishop's silver mines; a quarter sold to Sienese merchants in 1181
Where the sources disagree
- it.wikipedia (Della Gherardesca) says a Tedice of Castagneto was Volterra's first podestà, without a date; not confirmed elsewhere and not used here.
Evidence: The bishop's privileges and league office are dated; the commune's officers that winter are not.
Sources and studies
- Ildebrando Pannocchieschi (it.wikipedia)
- Storia di Volterra (it.wikipedia)
- Lega di San Genesio (it.wikipedia)
- Church map record itn-volterra (lordships_italy_north.json)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.