Key to Umbria: Città di Castello
 

Città di Castello in the 13th Century


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Pope Honorius III (1216-27)

Castello di Montone submitted to Perugia in 1216, causing great offense to the thwarted Città di Castello.

A dispute between Perugia and Gubbio over possession of a number of fortresses, including the old Rocca Flea at Gualdo, led to outright war in 1216-7.  Gubbio counted Cagli and Città di Castello among its allies, but was nevertheless defeated. 

In 1219, Cagli submitted to Perugia, and this treaty was explicitly framed to oppose the designs of Gubbio and Città di Castello.  

Despite the fact that Pope Honorius III threatened to excommunicate outsiders who interfered in an outbreak of communal violence at Perugian in 1223, Città di Castello and Gubbio  both allied themselves to the nobles who had been exiled from the city.  These exiles were able to return after a few months following an arbitration process carried out for Honorius III by Cardinal John Colonna.

Città di Castello and its allies sacked Castello di Montone in 1227.

Emperor Frederick II (1215-50)

Conflict with Perugia was renewed in 1234, when Gubbio built a fortified settlement called Pergola on a strategic site that threatened Cagli.  Gubbio settled some 140 families there and underlined the permanence of the arrangement by giving the settlers the head of St Secondus for the church they built.  Cagli (which, as noted above, had submitted to Perugia in 1219) enlisted the support of Perugia and a number of other cities, while Gubbio had sought assistance from Assisi and Città di Castello.  Pope Gregory IX intervened on behalf of Gubbio in 1235, and so secured the adherence of this usually Ghibelline city. 

This conflict occurred against the backdrop oftesion between Gregory IX and the Emperor Frederick II.  Città di Castello declared for Frederick II in 1239.  Bishop Azzo (1234-51) was forced into exile, together with the Guelf faction.  Pope Innocent IV subsequently placed the city under interdict.  Frederick II died in 1250 and the city requested and secured papal absolution.

Città di Castello had a Capitano del Popolo from 1255.

The Ghibellines drove the Guelfs from Città di Castello in 1259.

Guelf Supremacy (1266-82)

The Servites arrived in Città di Castello in 1262.

The Franciscans apparently settled outside Città di Castello in ca. 1230.  A will of 1266 mentioned that they were building a convent inside the city. 

In 1266, the Florentines drove the Ghibelline faction from their city, but the the Premonstratensian Bishop Niccolò (1265-79) was able to negotiate an end to the conflict.

The Franciscans began work on their new church of San Francesco in ca. 1273.

The Dominicans arrived in Città di Castello in ca. 1270, and Bishop Giacomo Cavalcanti gave them the church of San Pietro di Massa (later the Oratorio di Santa Caterina, [36]) in 1287.

Guelf supremacy in Italy meant Perugian supremacy in Umbria.  Perugia controlled not only the towns around Lake Trasimeno, but also Città di Castello, Assisi, Spello

Decline of Guelf Supremacy

The Guelf cause in Italy suffered a decisive blow when a revolt in Sicily (the so-called Sicilian Vespers) drove Charles d’ Anjou from the island in 1282. 

Perugia formed an alliance with Todi in 1288 and ravaged the contado of Foligno.  Perugia refused papal arbitration and was placed under interdict.  Perugia, whose allies included Città di Castello (as well as Todi, Spello, Spoleto, and Camerino) responded by invading the contado of Foligno.  Foligno submitted to Perugia in August 1289 and paid reparations in the following October.  Nicholas IV withheld absolution from the city until late 1290.


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