Sardinia As A Crossroads In The Mediterranean 9
from Vallombrosa and Camadoli. The church claimed the right to land by refer-
encing the Gregorian Registrum and reorganizing Sardinia’s territory by adopt-
ing the borders of the local administrative subdivisions, which some believe
were originally established in the early Christian period. Most correspondence
between Sardinia and the papacy during this period concerned fiscal, legal, as
well as religious matters.10 Recently, critical revisionism on the interpretation
of sources is showing a far more complex relationship between Sardinia and
the Apostolic See (see infra Zedda, Cadinu and Ortu).
Between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, families, such as the
Obertenghi, Massa, Visconti,11 Doria,12 Capraia, Malaspina,13 and della
Gherardesca,14 fostered the extraction of metals, collection of salt, and ag-
ricultural growth on the island. This triggered the construction of the first
generation of castles and new churches in Sardinia, as well as the formation
of villages (Fig. 0.4). Finally, ports and distribution centers, such as Cagliari,
Olbia, and Sassari, grew exponentially, turning into cities worthy of conti-
nental maritime republics.15 The initial cohabitation and exchanges with the
maritime republics developed Sardinia into an important center of trade for
the Mediterranean for around 280 years (mid-eleventh to early fourteenth
centuries). Part of this history includes the interference of Emperor Frederick
Barbarossa in Sardinian politics. Barabarossa granted Pisa dominion over
Sardinia at the expense of the papal-backed Genoese, as part of his rivalry with
10 Raimondo Turtas, “Gregorio VII e la Sardegna,” Rivista di Storia della Chiesa in Italia 46:2
(1992), pp. 375–397; Corrado Zedda and Raimondo Pinna, La Carta del giudice cagliari-
tano Orzocco Torchitorio, prova dell’attuazione del progetto gregoriano di riorganizzazione
della giurisdizione ecclesiastica della Sardegna (Sassari, 2009); Zedda infra.
11 Nicole Bériou and Isabelle le Masne de Chermont, eds, Les sermons et la visite pastorale de
Federico Visconti archevêque de Pise (1253–1277) (Rome, 2001); Emilio Cristiani, I diritti di
primazia e legazia in Sardegna degli arcivescovi pisani al tempo di Federico Visconti (1254–
1277) (Padua, 1963).
12 Clemente Fusero, I Doria (Milan, 1973); Giovanna Petti Balbi, “I Doria e la politica geno-
vese in Sardegna e in Corsica fra Duecento e Trecento,” in Castelsardo: novecento anni di
storia, eds Antonello Mattone and Alessandro Soddu (Rome, 2007), pp. 269–284.
13 Alessandro Soddu, “Poteri signorili in Sardegna tra Due e Trecento: i Malaspina,” RiMe.
Rivista dell’Istituto di Storia dell’Europa Mediterranea 4 ( June 2010), pp. 95–105.
14 Giovanna Bianchi, ed., Castello di Donoratico (LI). I risultati delle prime campagne di scavo
(2000–2002) (Florence, 2004); Giovanna Bianchi, “Dominare e gestire un territorio. Ascesa
e sviluppo delle ‘signorie forti’ nella Maremma toscana del Centro Nord tra X e metà XII
secolo,” in Archeologia Medievale 37 (2010), pp. 93–103.
15 Pinuccia Francesca Simbula, L’organizzazione portuale di una città medievale: Cagliari
XIV–XV secolo ([S.I.], 2012); Francesco Artizzu, L’Opera di Santa Maria di Pisa e la Sardegna
(Padua, 1974).