Thread by @LandsknechtPike

Another interesting figure from the Middle Ages was Eleanor of Arborea.

She was the powerful Judgess of Arborea and ruled much of the island of Sardinia from 1383 to 1404.

She also enacted the Carta de Logu, a legal code which continued to be used in Sardinia until 1827! 🧵

But first I would like to give a brief overview of medieval history Sardinia so you can see the context in which Eleanor of Arborea gained her power.

I will focus on how this curious entity of Judicate of Arborea emerged, and in what manner the Judges came to rule Sardinia.

During the Middle Ages, the island of Sardinia was divided into four Judicates!

This was the structure established by the Byzantines and continued to be used even after the Byzantine influence faded in the 9th century following the Muslim conquest of Sicily.

By 10th century Western influence spread over Sardinia.

In absence of foreign power, the Judicates of Cagliari, Arborea, Gallura and Torres became self-governing territories. The judges effectively became hereditary and were referred to as "princes of Sardinia" by the popes.

But the island of Sardinia could not keep its independent rule for long.

Located in the middle of Western Mediterranean, Sardinia was surrounded by powerful neighbors such as the maritime republic of Genoa and Pisa, the Papacy, and endangered by Muslim pirates.

Genoa and Pisa gradually gained influence over the island by controlling the Judges.

By the end of the 13th century three of the four Judicates were gone as they were incorporated into either Pisan or Genoese rule.

Only the Judicate of Arborea remained.

In late 13th century another powerful entity emerged in the region that would eventually endanger Arborea as well.

This was the Crown of Aragon which fought against the French Angevin dynasty for control of Kingdom of Sicily in the War of the Sicilian Vespers.

In 1297, the Pope granted King James II of Aragon the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica as a fief.

In 1323 the Aragonese eventually invaded Sardinia to make this kingdom a reality.

They won a series of battles and conquered a large part of Sardinia.

Such was the situation in Sardinia after the successful Aragonese invasion in 1326.

The surviving Judicate of Arborea entered in alliance with the Crown of Aragon.

The Judge of Arborea Hugh II from the Catalan House of Cervera became a vassal of James II of Aragon.

The Crown of Aragon wanted control over Sardinia as it was an island rich in natural resources like silver and salt and was also a source of grain. There was a thriving economy!

Sardinia was also placed on an important strategic position on the so-called "route of the islands."

But the judges of Arborea wanted to retain as much of their independent rule as possible.

In 1347 Marianus IV became the Judge of Arborea.

He proved himself to be a very capable ruler and a great warrior and commander.

In 1353 he would begin a long war against the Aragonese!

Marianus IV knew the Aragonese well as he was raised in Barcelona and educated at the court of Alfonso IV of Aragon.

It was also in Catalonia where his daughter Eleanor was born in 1347.

That same year the Genoese House of Doria rebelled against the Aragonese on Sardinia.

This rebellion eventually encouraged Marianus IV to enter in an alliance with Doria in 1353 after he returned to Sardinia.

A long and brutal war commenced.

Marianus IV was a great warrior who scored many impressive victories and by 1368 he controlled almost entire Sardinia!

Meanwhile Marianus IV's daughter Eleanor married a powerful Genoese nobleman Brancaleone Doria to strengthen the alliance between Arborea and the Doria family.

But in 1376, at the height of his power, Marianus IV died as he was preparing for another campaign.

Marianus IV was succeeded by his son Hugh III.

But Hugh III soon made many enemies among nobles and was assassinated in 1383 together with his daughter.

A rebellion broke out with the rebels declaring a republic.

It was in these circumstances that Eleanor of Arborea came to power.

The murdered Hugh III was succeeded by her son Frederick.

After Frederick was captured in 1387, he was succeeded by another Eleanor's son, Marianus V.

But because both were minors, she was in power as regent!

Eleanor faced many difficulties during her reign.

She first needed to destroy the rebels who murdered her brother to restore the authority of the Judge.

Tensions with the Crown of Aragon remained and she needed to consolidate and protect Arborea as an independent entity.

To show her intent to rule as an independent ruler, Eleanor of Arborea declared herself the Judgess (juighissa) of Arborea!

In 1392 she promulgated her own code of law called Carta de Logu.

To make it easier to understand, it was enacted in Arborean Sardinian instead of Latin!

The code provided capital punishment for the offenses of offense against the Lordship, murder, poisoning, robbery of houses, and burning of houses, and for cases of recidivism.

There were also various punishments for rape which included heavy fines or cutting off the right foot.

The Carta de Logu also regulated time off from work by listing vacation periods and holy days, days during which even public meetings had to be suspended.

One notable provision of the Code is that it gave daughters and sons the same inheritance rights.

The Carta de Logu would remain a lasting legacy of Eleanor's reign as it would remain in force until 1827.

Another part of her legacy is that a species of falcon called Eleonora's falcon was named after her due to special protection that Carta de Logu gave to falcons and hawks!

Eleanor succeeded in maintaining the Judicate of Arborea as an independent entity.

Her rule, combined with the rule of her father Marianus IV, is considered the golden age of medieval Sardinia.

But things would begin to fall apart after she died in 1404.

The brutal war with the Crown of Aragon continued and it would eventually exhaust Sardinia.

The Aragonese forces conquered the island by 1420, incorporating it into the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The consequences of this long war, combined with devastating plagues, were devastating.

Many Sardinian villages were depopulated and disappeared.

The Judicate of Arborea was abolished in 1420 and with it the last traces of medieval Sardinian independence.

The golden age of Sardinia, which existed under capable rulers such as Marianus IV and Eleanor, was long gone.

But the memory of Eleanor of Arborea remains strong in Sardinia and she is a popular historic figure on this island.

This local Sardinian woman is dressed like Eleanor during the popular Sartiglia carnival in Oristano, reminding of the days when the Judgess ruled these lands.