Sardinia As A Crossroads In The Mediterranean 7
continent began arriving in Sardinia in the eleventh century, they encountered
a form of local administration, known as the giudicati, which had geographical
boundaries, institutional rules, different languages, and a form of leadership.
The questions of where and when the four giudicati originated are at the crux
of the segmented narrative of Sardinian history between the late antique and
medieval eras. In fact, these questions are at the core of understanding the
period that preceded the zenith of the Pisan and Genoese presence on the is-
land. To date, neither the identity nor the ethnic provenance of the early judex,
dux, or giudici is definitively understood. They are commonly accepted as local
governors, but rarely have the urban spaces from which they ruled been identi-
fied. This period, often referred to as the “triumphant era of the giudicati,” is a
Figure 0.3 Map of Sardinia showing the four giudicati.