Patriarchate of Aquileia (State)
Encyclopedia
The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an Imperial State
in the Friuli
an region of Northeastern Italy
under the control of the Patriarchs of Aquileia.
in 1077, King Henry IV of Germany
on his way back from Canossa
vested Patriarch Sieghard of Beilstein with immediate comital rights in the eastern Friulian
lands of the March of Verona
. The former Veronese margrave, the Zähringen Duke Berthold II of Carinthia
, had been deposed as he had sided with antiking Rudolf of Rheinfelden, and his successor Liutold of Eppenstein
only retained a smaller margraviate.
Sieghard in turn safely conducted the king across the Alps
. Back in Germany, King Henry in addition nominally assigned the suzerainty over the marches of Carniola
and Istria
to the patriarchs as ecclesiastical Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
. The act, traditionally regarded as the birth of the ecclesiastical state of Aquileia, led to a long-time conflict with the rivaling margraves from the Carinthian
House of Sponheim
and the Andechs
dukes of Merania.
an lands up to Cadore
, the city of Trieste
and the central parts of the Istria
n peninsula. At its maximum height, the Patriarchate of Aquileia was one of the largest states in Italy. Noblemen from the Patriarchate were protagonists in the Crusades
. In 1186 Patriarch Gottfried (Gitifredo Tedesco) crowned Frederick Barbarossa's son, Henry VI
, as King of Italy: in retaliation, Pope Urban III
deposed him.
From 1127 the vogt
s at Gorizia
from the Meinhardiner dynasty emerged from Aquileia, calling themselves Counts of Görz. Their autonomy was strengthened, when they inherited the Imperial County of Tyrol
in 1253 and were elevated to Princes of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Charles IV
in 1365.
In the early 13th century, particularly under Volchero (1204–1218) and Bertrand (1218–1251), the Patriarchate had a flourishing economy and cultural life, favoured by good roads network. Damaged by earthquakes and other calamities, and reduced to a few hundred inhabitants, Aquileia was nearly abandoned in the 14th century. The capital of the state was moved first to Cividale and then, from 1238, to Udine
in central Friuli
, which had been a favourite residence of the patriarch since the 13th century and soon became a large city.
, which in the late 13th century had occupied the western Istria
n coast from Capodistra (Koper) down to Rovinj
(Rovigno). In 1291 a peace was made in Treviso
, whereupon the western coast of the peninsula fell to La Serenissima. In the late century the patriarchate had to face the increasing rivalry with Venice, as well as the inner strifes between its vassals, and also became encroached in the endless wars between Guelphs and Ghibellines
. In 1331 Venice also incorporated Pola
(Pula) in the south. A certain recovery occurred during the rule of Bertrand (1334–1350), a successful administrator and military leader. He was killed in 1350 in a plot, at the age of ninety.
The Counts of Görz had retained some interior Istrian lands around Pazin
(Mitterburg), which they bequested to the Austrian
House of Habsburg in 1374. In view of the Venice threat, the city of Trieste submitted to the Habsburgs in 1382.
Since the transfer of the patriarchal residence to Udine, the Venetians had never lived in peace with the Patriarchate, of whose Imperial favour and tendencies they were jealous. From about 1400, La Serenissima under Doge Michele Steno
and his successor Tommaso Mocenigo
began to enlarge its dogado
by occupying the Aquileia hinterlands. At the same time, thePatriarchate suffered a series of inner strifes between the citizens of Cividale and Udine.
In 1411 this turned into a war which was to mark the end of the Patriarchate, Cividale having received support from most of the Friulian communes, the Carraresi of Padua, King Sigismund of Germany
, also King of Hungary
, while Udine was backed by the Venetians. In the December of that year an Imperial army captured Udine and, in the following January, Louis of Teck
was implemented as patriarch in the city's cathedral. On July 23, 1419 the Venetians conquered Cividale and prepared to do the same with Udine. The city fell on June 7, 1420 after a longe siege. Soon afterwards Gemona, San Daniele, Venzone
and Tolmezzo
followed.
in 1433 signed an agreement with Emperor Sigismund, whereby the Empire ceded the Domini di Terraferma
, stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Alps, to the Republic, then officially as an Imperial fief. The territory around Gorizia and Aquileia proper was retained by the Counts of Görz; the last Count Leonhard
in 1500 bequested his lands to Archduke Maximilian I of Austria
, who also annexed the city of Gradisca
in 1511. The former Görz territory were incorporated into the Inner Austria
n possessions of the Habsburgs.
In 1445, after Patriarch Ludovico Trevisan at the Council of Florence
had acquiesced in the loss of his ancient temporal estate in return for an annual salary of 5,000 ducats allowed him from the Venetian treasury. Henceforth only Venetians were allowed to hold the title of Patriarch of Aquileia. The former Friulian state was incorporated in the Venetian Republic with the name of Patria del Friuli, ruled by a General Proveditor or a Luogotenente living in Udine. In 1523 Emperor Charles V
ultimately renounced any Imperial feudal rights to the former Aquileia territory.
Imperial State
An Imperial State or Imperial Estate was an entity in the Holy Roman Empire with a vote in the Imperial Diet assemblies. Several territories of the Empire were not represented, while some officials were non-voting members; neither qualified as Imperial States.Rulers of Imperial States were...
in the Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
an region of Northeastern Italy
Kingdom of Italy (medieval)
The Kingdom of Italy was a political entity under control of Carolingian dynasty of Francia first, after the defeat of the Lombards in 774. It was finally incorporated as a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 962....
under the control of the Patriarchs of Aquileia.
Foundation
During the Investiture ControversyInvestiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
in 1077, King Henry IV of Germany
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry IV was King of the Romans from 1056 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until his forced abdication in 1105. He was the third emperor of the Salian dynasty and one of the most powerful and important figures of the 11th century...
on his way back from Canossa
Walk to Canossa
The Walk to Canossa refers to both the trek itself of Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire from Speyer to the fortress at Canossa in Emilia Romagna and to the events surrounding his journey, which took place in and around January 1077.-Historical background:When, in his early...
vested Patriarch Sieghard of Beilstein with immediate comital rights in the eastern Friulian
March of Friuli
The March of Friuli was a Carolingian frontier march against the Slavs and Avars in the ninth and tenth centuries. It was a successor to the Lombard Duchy of Friuli....
lands of the March of Verona
March of Verona
The March of Verona and Aquileia was a vast march in northeastern Italy during the Middle Ages, centered on the cities of Verona and Aquileia. Except for Venice, it included the territories of the modern-day regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia as well as Istria and Trentino up to the Adige...
. The former Veronese margrave, the Zähringen Duke Berthold II of Carinthia
Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia
Berthold II was an ancestor of the House of Baden, in addition to being Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona....
, had been deposed as he had sided with antiking Rudolf of Rheinfelden, and his successor Liutold of Eppenstein
Liutold of Eppenstein
Liutold of Eppenstein was Duke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona from 1077 to 1090, succeeding Duke Berthold II of Zähringen.He was the second son of Markwart, Count of Eppenstein and his wife Liutbirg of Plain...
only retained a smaller margraviate.
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. Back in Germany, King Henry in addition nominally assigned the suzerainty over the marches of Carniola
March of Carniola
The March of Carniola was a southeastern state of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages, the predecessor of the Duchy of Carniola. It corresponded roughly to the central Carniolan region of present-day Slovenia...
and Istria
March of Istria
The Margravate of Istria was originally a Carolingian frontier march covering the Istrian peninsula and surrounding territory conquered by Charlemagne's son Pepin of Italy in 789...
to the patriarchs as ecclesiastical Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
Princes of the Holy Roman Empire
The term Prince of the Holy Roman Empire denoted a secular or ecclesiastical Imperial State, who ruled over an immediate fief directly assigned by the Holy Roman Emperor...
. The act, traditionally regarded as the birth of the ecclesiastical state of Aquileia, led to a long-time conflict with the rivaling margraves from the Carinthian
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
House of Sponheim
House of Sponheim
The House of Sponheim or Spanheim was a noble family of the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages. They were Dukes of Carinthia from 1122 until 1269 and Counts of Sponheim until 1437...
and the Andechs
Counts of Andechs
The House of Andechs was a feudal line of German princes in 12th and 13th century. The Counts of Dießen-Andechs obtained territiories in northern Dalmatia on the Adriatic seacoast, where they became Margraves of Istria and ultimately Dukes of a short-lived Imperial State named Merania from 1180 to...
dukes of Merania.
Expansion
The Patriarchate subsequently extended its political control in the area: regions under Aquileian control in the following centuries included the FriuliFriuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
an lands up to Cadore
Cadore
Cadore is a "comunità montana" in the Italian region of Veneto, in the northernmost part of the province of Belluno bordering on Austria, the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is watered by the Piave River poured forth from the Carnic Alps...
, the city of Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and the central parts of the Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n peninsula. At its maximum height, the Patriarchate of Aquileia was one of the largest states in Italy. Noblemen from the Patriarchate were protagonists in the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. In 1186 Patriarch Gottfried (Gitifredo Tedesco) crowned Frederick Barbarossa's son, Henry VI
Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI was King of Germany from 1190 to 1197, Holy Roman Emperor from 1191 to 1197 and King of Sicily from 1194 to 1197.-Early years:Born in Nijmegen,...
, as King of Italy: in retaliation, Pope Urban III
Pope Urban III
Pope Urban III , born Uberto Crivelli, was Pope from 1185 to 1187. He was made cardinal and archbishop of Milan by Pope Lucius III, whom he succeeded on November 25, 1185...
deposed him.
From 1127 the vogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
s at Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
from the Meinhardiner dynasty emerged from Aquileia, calling themselves Counts of Görz. Their autonomy was strengthened, when they inherited the Imperial County of Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
in 1253 and were elevated to Princes of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
in 1365.
In the early 13th century, particularly under Volchero (1204–1218) and Bertrand (1218–1251), the Patriarchate had a flourishing economy and cultural life, favoured by good roads network. Damaged by earthquakes and other calamities, and reduced to a few hundred inhabitants, Aquileia was nearly abandoned in the 14th century. The capital of the state was moved first to Cividale and then, from 1238, to Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
in central Friuli
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
, which had been a favourite residence of the patriarch since the 13th century and soon became a large city.
Rivalry with Venice
The patriarchs had regained the rule of the Istrian march from the Dukes of Merania in 1209. However, they had to cope with the rising naval power of the Republic of VeniceRepublic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
, which in the late 13th century had occupied the western Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n coast from Capodistra (Koper) down to Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
(Rovigno). In 1291 a peace was made in Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, whereupon the western coast of the peninsula fell to La Serenissima. In the late century the patriarchate had to face the increasing rivalry with Venice, as well as the inner strifes between its vassals, and also became encroached in the endless wars between Guelphs and Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...
. In 1331 Venice also incorporated Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
(Pula) in the south. A certain recovery occurred during the rule of Bertrand (1334–1350), a successful administrator and military leader. He was killed in 1350 in a plot, at the age of ninety.
The Counts of Görz had retained some interior Istrian lands around Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
(Mitterburg), which they bequested to the Austrian
Archduchy of Austria
The Archduchy of Austria , one of the most important states within the Holy Roman Empire, was the nucleus of the Habsburg Monarchy and the predecessor of the Austrian Empire...
House of Habsburg in 1374. In view of the Venice threat, the city of Trieste submitted to the Habsburgs in 1382.
Since the transfer of the patriarchal residence to Udine, the Venetians had never lived in peace with the Patriarchate, of whose Imperial favour and tendencies they were jealous. From about 1400, La Serenissima under Doge Michele Steno
Michele Steno
Michele Steno was a Venetian statesman who served as the 63rd Doge of Venice from December 1, 1400 until his death.-Biography:...
and his successor Tommaso Mocenigo
Tommaso Mocenigo
Tommaso Mocenigo was doge of Venice from 1414 until his death.-Biography:He commanded the crusading fleet in the expedition to Nicopolis in 1396 and also won battles against the Genoese during the War of Chioggia of 1378-1381....
began to enlarge its dogado
Dogado
The Dogado or Duchy of Venice was the word used to define a Doge's reign and the name given to the homeland of the Republic of Venice, headed by the Doge....
by occupying the Aquileia hinterlands. At the same time, thePatriarchate suffered a series of inner strifes between the citizens of Cividale and Udine.
In 1411 this turned into a war which was to mark the end of the Patriarchate, Cividale having received support from most of the Friulian communes, the Carraresi of Padua, King Sigismund of Germany
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
, also King of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, while Udine was backed by the Venetians. In the December of that year an Imperial army captured Udine and, in the following January, Louis of Teck
Louis of Teck
Louis of Teck was a German prelate, who was Patriarch of Aquileia from 1412 until his death.-Biography:He was elected as patriarch with the help of emperor Sigismund of Hungary...
was implemented as patriarch in the city's cathedral. On July 23, 1419 the Venetians conquered Cividale and prepared to do the same with Udine. The city fell on June 7, 1420 after a longe siege. Soon afterwards Gemona, San Daniele, Venzone
Venzone
thumb|250px|The Communal Palace.Venzone is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 30 km north of Udine.-History:...
and Tolmezzo
Tolmezzo
Tolmezzo is a town and comune in the province of Udine, part of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy.-Geography:Tolmezzo is located at the feet of the Strabut Mountain, between the Tagliamento River and the Bût stream. Nearby is the Mount Amariana...
followed.
Secularisation
The temporal authority of the patriarch was lost in 7 July 1420 when its territories were secularised by Venice. Doge Francesco FoscariFrancesco Foscari
Francesco Foscari was doge of Venice from 1423 to 1457, at the inception of the Italian Renaissance.-Biography:Foscari, of an ancient noble family, served the Republic of Venice in numerous official capacities—as ambassador, president of the Forty, member of the Council of Ten, inquisitor,...
in 1433 signed an agreement with Emperor Sigismund, whereby the Empire ceded the Domini di Terraferma
Domini di Terraferma
The Domini di Terraferma or Stato da Tera was the name given to the territories of the Republic of Venice conquered in the Padano–Veneto hinterland....
, stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Alps, to the Republic, then officially as an Imperial fief. The territory around Gorizia and Aquileia proper was retained by the Counts of Görz; the last Count Leonhard
Leonhard of Gorizia
Leonhard of Gorizia from the Meinhardiner dynasty was the last Count of Görz at Lienz and Gorizia from 1454 until his death....
in 1500 bequested his lands to Archduke Maximilian I of Austria
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
, who also annexed the city of Gradisca
Gradisca
Gradisca d'Isonzo is a town and comune of 6,600 inhabitants in the province of Gorizia, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-eastern Italy...
in 1511. The former Görz territory were incorporated into the Inner Austria
Inner Austria
Inner Austria was a term used from the late 14th to the early 17th century for the Habsburg hereditary lands south of the Semmering Pass, referring to the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, Carniola and the Windic March, the County of Gorizia , the city of Trieste and assorted smaller possessions...
n possessions of the Habsburgs.
In 1445, after Patriarch Ludovico Trevisan at the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
had acquiesced in the loss of his ancient temporal estate in return for an annual salary of 5,000 ducats allowed him from the Venetian treasury. Henceforth only Venetians were allowed to hold the title of Patriarch of Aquileia. The former Friulian state was incorporated in the Venetian Republic with the name of Patria del Friuli, ruled by a General Proveditor or a Luogotenente living in Udine. In 1523 Emperor Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
ultimately renounced any Imperial feudal rights to the former Aquileia territory.