Judicate of Gallura
Judicate of Gallura Iudicatus Gallurae Gallura | |||||||||
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| 10th century–1296 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms
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Latin | |||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | ||||||||
| Government | Judicate (kingdom) | ||||||||
| Judge | |||||||||
• 1020 - 1040 | Manfred of Gallura | ||||||||
• 1200 - 1225 | Elena of Gallura | ||||||||
• 1276 - 1296 | Nino Visconti | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 10th century | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1296 | ||||||||
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The Judicate of Gallura (
Origins
Gallura began as a province of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. After the Arab conquest of Sicily in 827 AD, Sardinia was effectively cut off from regular communication with the imperial government in Constantinople. Unable to receive instruction or support from the empire, the provincial Byzantine magistrates, who were known as iudices (meaning "judges"; the Latin word evolved into the medieval Sardinian "Judicados"), continued to rule autonomously. As in the other Sardinian provinces, what were initially appointed, perhaps even elected, positions in Gallura eventually evolved into hereditary ones.
From the mid-ninth to the early eleventh centuries, little is known at all about Gallura, but around 1050 appears a figure named
Twelfth century
The last decades of the eleventh century and the opening ones of the twelfth were dominated in Italy and Germany by the
The reign of Torgodorio's son,
Thirteenth century
Constantine was succeeded by his son
In 1211, Comita III of Torres confirmed a treaty with the Republic of Genoa, Pisa's traditional rival for Sardinian influence, whereby the two powers — Logudoro and Genoa — jointly conquered the entire island and put it under Genoese suzerainty with Comita as judge. They first invaded Gallura because of its strong Pisan connection. In 1212, Pisa struck back, but it was not until William of Cagliari's death in 1214 that Gallura was able to defeat Comita and Genoa and force them to terms on land. A naval war continued until Pope Honorius III forced a treaty on the parties on 1 December 1217.
After Elena's death, Lamberto continued to rule Gallura and eventually married the heiress of Cagliari, ruling both giudicati until his death in 1225. He was succeeded by his son
Pisa annexed Gallura and held it until the Aragonese conquest in 1323 – 1324. Nino's only daughter, Joanna, continued to claim her rights until her death in 1339, at which point the title to Gallura passed to the Visconti of Milan, who ceded it to the Crown of Aragon.
Historiography
The history of Gallura is based on slender documentation, almost all of it assembled in the archives of Pisa and Genoa and viewing Arborea and the other Sardinian kingdoms through a colonial lens. The evaluation of political figures has traditionally been made on the basis of military accomplishment, whereas Nowé points out that the ecclesiastical policy of the rulers of Sardinia was just as important in determining the stability, peacefulness, and long-term success of the judicados in the face of colonialism.
Sources
- Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Rome, 1963 – Present.
- Nowé, Laura Sannia. Dai "lumi" dalla patria Italiana: Cultura letteraria sarda. Mucchi Editore: Modena, 1996.
- Fara, G. B. De rebus Sardois. Turin, 1835.