220 Haug
lord. However, the narrative and drawings show the true power relationships
in Sardinia in the twelfth century.
Fol. 77r has the drawing of a bust of Barisone, the ostensible king of Sardinia,
with the addendum Rex sardine. This drawing depicts a scene from 1168 in
which Barisone, still being held in Genoa because of his debts, appeared before
the consuls saying,
My lords and fathers, I have been with you such a long time that hardly
anyone in Sardinia believes I am still alive. The longer this situation goes
on, the more likely I am to lose my land and my honor; if this should
occur, it would no longer be possible for me to discharge my debts
with you.14The virtually captive Sardinian judex proposed leaving his wife and children as
hostages and offered to hand over fortified castles so that the commune would
let him return to Sardinia. However, according to Obertus, Genoa’s council
did not wish to use the commune’s money (de comunibus rebus) to pay for the
cost of the passage. “Vassals” (of the Sardinian king, i.e. the Genoese, who held
fiefs on Sardinia) armed four galleys to take the king to Sardinia to collect the
money that the commune had demanded since the coronation, and then re-
turned with him to Genoa.15
The legal claims to Sardinia did not only find their way into the historio-
graphical texts, but also marked the urban spaces of the two rival maritime
republics in the form of monuments and inscriptions. On the facade of Pisa
Cathedral is the famous naval victory inscription, which lists the most im-
portant episodes in the war against the Saracens at Messina/Reggio (1004),
Sardinia (1015), and Bona (1034) (Fig. 8.2):
Brave and ambitious Pisa, we praise you for your merits, which you have
earned through your own commendation. Any praise is commendation
enough, famous city, because it is said that no one can rival your mer-
its. Neither the uncertain nor favorable course had prevented you ruling
over all places. Whoever dares to sing your praise is overwhelmed by the14 Obertus, Annali Genovesi, p. 212: “Domini et patres mei, tanto tempore moratus sum vobi-
scum, quod vis creditur in Sardinea quod sim vivus; et quamdiu sic stetero, levius terram et
honorem meum amittere possum: qua amissa, quod absit, de absolutione debiti vel crediti
vestri non esset de cetero verbum.”
15 Puncuh, Liber Iurium, vol. 2, nos. 388–391, gives the names of the lenders and the cost of
the passage.