The Goceano is a historical and geographical region of center-north of Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

 island, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.
It covers a surface of 480 km² and has a population of 13,000 inhabitants (27 inhab./km²). It is located inside the Province of Sassari

Province of Sassari

The Province of Sassari is a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia in Italy. Its capital is the city of Sassari.-Geography:It has an area of 4,282 km², and a total population of 322,326 . There are 66 municipalities in the province, the largest of which are Sassari The...

, the main urban centres are Bono

Bono

Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...

, considered the traditional Goceano's chieftown, Benetutti

Benetutti

Benetutti is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 190 km north of Cagliari and about 91 km southeast of Sassari....

, Burgos

Burgos

Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

, Bultei

Bultei

Bultei is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 140 km north of Cagliari and about 50 km southeast of Sassari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,158 and an area of 96.5 km².Bultei borders the following municipalities:...

, Nule

Nule

Nule is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 140 km north of Cagliari and about 60 km southeast of Sassari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,533 and an area of 51.7 km².Nule borders the following municipalities:...

, Esporlatu

Esporlatu

Esporlatu is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 130 km north of Cagliari and about 50 km southeast of Sassari....

, Illorai

Illorai

Illorai is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 130 km north of Cagliari and about 60 km southeast of Sassari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,053 and an area of 56.9 km².Illorai borders the following municipalities:...

 and Bottidda

Bottidda

Bottidda is a comune in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 130 km north of Cagliari and about 50 km southeast of Sassari...

.

The territory is characterised by wooded mountains and alluvial valleys, the Marghine Chain (highest peak: Monte Rasu

Monte Rasu

Monte Rasu is a mountain in the Goceano's range, in the central west Sardinia, Italy. Its summit, called Punta Manna di Monte Rasu , is the highest peak in the province of Sassari....

 1259 metres) and the Tirso  Valley.

History

According to the Sardinian historian Giovanni Francesco Fara (1543–1591) the Goceano, in Latin Gothianus, takes its name from the Goths

Goths

The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....

, some of whom settled down in the region during the Middle Ages.

The region is historically characterised by the Castle of Burgos

Burgos

Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...

, built in 1134 by the Giudice of Logudoro

Giudice of Logudoro

The giudici of Logudoro were the local rulers of the locum de Torres or region around Porto Torres, the chief northern port of Sardinia, during the Middle Ages.*Gonario I *Comita II *Barisone I *Andrew Tanca The giudici (iudices or judikes, "judges") of Logudoro (or Torres) were the local...

 Gonario II of Torres

Gonario II of Torres

Gonario II was the giudice of Logudoro from the death of his father to his own abdication in 1154. He was a son of Constantine I and Marcusa de Gunale. He was born between 1113 and 1114 according to later sources and the Camaldolese church of S...

. The castle was considered in the 14th century "one of the strongest and efficient forts of Sardinia".

The King Peter IV of Aragon

Peter IV of Aragon

Peter IV, , called el Cerimoniós or el del punyalet , was the King of Aragon, King of Sardinia and Corsica , King of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona Peter IV, (Balaguer, September 5, 1319 – Barcelona, January 6, 1387), called el Cerimoniós ("the Ceremonious") or el del punyalet ("the one...

 appointed Marianus IV of Arborea

Marianus IV of Arborea

Marianus IV , called the Great, was the Giudice of Arborea from 1347 to his death. He was, as his nickname indicates, the greatest sovereign of Arborea. He was a legislator and a warrior whose reign saw the commencement of massive codification of the laws of his realm and incessant warfare with the...

 as Count of Goceano, in 1339. He held the fief and the castle also after his crowning as giudice of Arborea

Giudice of Arborea

The Giudici ) of Arborea were the local rulers of the west of Sardinia during the Middle Ages...

.

In 1410, after the defeat of Arborea in the war against the Kingdom of Aragon

Kingdom of Aragon

The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...

, the Goceano became a fiefdom ruled by Leonardo Cubello.