Thread by @DrWatson_writer

**The origin of Sardinian JUDICATES**

Thread about one of the biggest mystery of Sardinian History. #medievaltwitter #history #MiddleAge

📸 Castle of Serravalle, Bosa

Judicates: autonomous, separated kingdoms of medieval Sardinia, bearing the signs of Roman and Byzantine laws in some of their jurisdictions but some also think of older, Nuragic reminiscences. They are famous for being a half-hereditary, half-elective system, where the king's-

-(iudike) possessions were divided from the kingdom's; for the presence of a council of the king and of local civil authorities; for the inheritance of the title to women too.

But how were they born? That's a complicated question because we have a huge hole in local sources.

With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Sardinia falls prey of raids from all around: first came the Vandals, after occupying North Africa. They destroyed things and places but didn't leave a bigger trace. After 70 years, they were gone, beaten by the Eastern Roman Emperor-

-and that's when Sardinia became a Byzantine province, added to the Exarcate of Africa. We're in the VI century.

During the VIII century, Moors led several incursions along the Mediterranean coasts. Sicily fell under Arab rule and connections between Sardinia and Byzantium-

-became complicated, turning to the way through Naples, but they gradually slowed down, leaving Sardinia almost to itself.

Several incursions were led from Andalusia to Sardinian coasts at the end of the century. Arab sources speak of the payment of the gizya, tax imposed on-

--the people they couldn't win, who didn't convert and which guaranteed no more incursions. It was a tax to ransom their possessions, and a way for Moors to profit off the people.

We don't know for how long the tax was paid, we know more incursions followed in the first half of-

-the following century. Some think there could be local Arab headquarters, as in Sant'Antioco, where a construction has been found which actually faces the inner land and not the sea; near Tharros, where there was a bishop; near Olbia towards where a Pisan incursion was led-

-later on. At this point of the story, it's all blurred.

But what's happening inside? The distance to Byzantium and the need of a rule might have led the locals (probably still under the name of the Roman Emperor or locals who were governing already for the Byzantines) rising to

-autonomous power. We have a few inscriptions mentioning a "protospatario" Torchitorio ruling the entire island. We have "arconti" too and the recurrence of dynastic names, Torchitorio and Salusio. "Protospatario" (first sword) is in fact a Byzantine title and the inscription is-

-of the X century, one century later.

We have a letter of the Pope Gregory (VI-VII century) to Hospiton, dux barbaricinorum (chief of the people of Barbagia) where the Pope complains that the people still worship stones and don't follow the Christian religion. We don't know who-

-Hospiton was and what became of him.

We know for sure that at the beginning of 1000, there was a single ruler in all Sardinia.

In 1015, Mujahid, prince of Denia and the Balearic Islands, leads an expedition, probably the biggest one, against Sardinia. It is almost certain he -

-destroyed most of Roman and Phoenician Cagliari, putting there his headquarters, right where the judike stayed. Arab sources say the local king was killed, but it is not certain.

At that point, Pisa and Genoa were already powerful enough and with the lead of the Pope, who -

-called for a crusade to free Sardinia, they joined forces and eventually pushed out the Moors for good. That's the beginning of their claims for the following centuries.

Sources still lack for another century, but in 1073 we have a letter from the Pope to the four rulers of --

-Sardinia: some time in between, the only Judicate of Calari divided into four of them: Calari, Arborea, Torres and Gallura.

The fact they all have the same family name leads to think of a division/internal struggle inside a single family. The family name is de Lacon, which -

-closely resembles the name of a village at the border of Barbagia: Laconi. De Lacon would then mean "from Laconi".

It doesn't help shedding light the fact the iudikes of Calari still used alternatively the dynastic names during all their rule, the only ones to do that.
📸Laconi

In 1392, Brancaleone Doria affirms his wife's family (Arborea) ruled the place for 500 years (that is, since 800s, IX century), causing even more confusion. The Judicate of Arborea clearly didn't exist 500 years before, but was he referring to the original first Judicate?

Does that mean they really were all relatives? Who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is all we know of 5 centuries of history, where we can only be sure lots of blood were spilled from local inhabitants.