Torchitorio I of Cagliari
Encyclopedia
Orzocorre Torchitorio I was the Judge of Cagliari
(rex Sardiniae de loco Call.) from about 1058 to his death. At his time, the throne was customarily alternated between the Torchitorio de Ugunale and Salusio de Lacon families. Obviously, Torchitorio was of the former.
Torchitorio was judge at a time when Western monasticism was being introduced into Sardinia
as part of the Gregorian reform
of the Papacy. Cagliari
, like the other giudicati
, was placed under papal and Pisan
authority. Torchitorio is thus one of the first judges of Cagliari about whom anything is known. He severely increased donations to the church and lent support to the monks of Monte Cassino
who were arriving on the island to bring economic, technological, and religious renewal. Despite this, his attention to the church, the only portion of his policy handed down to us, has led to him being labelled "publicly useless" by certain historians. He was directed by Pope Gregory VII
to force the clergy of the Archdiocese of Cagliari to shave their beards and attend to their churches, which the pope claimed were in neglect.
His wife was Vera and they succeeded in breaking tradition and passing the guiduicato (judgeship) to their eldest son Constantine
. Vera survived him and was alive in 1090. Their other sons were Peter, Sergius, Orzocorre, Gonario, and Torbeno
. All died around 1125 except the last, who briefly usurped the throne from his brother, and was last heard of on 13 February 1130.
Giudice of Cagliari
The giudici of Cagliari were the local rulers of the south of Sardinia during the Middle Ages. Theirs was the largest giudicato and for the eleventh through twelfth centuries contested the supremacy on the island with that of Logudoro...
(rex Sardiniae de loco Call.) from about 1058 to his death. At his time, the throne was customarily alternated between the Torchitorio de Ugunale and Salusio de Lacon families. Obviously, Torchitorio was of the former.
Torchitorio was judge at a time when Western monasticism was being introduced into 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[],...
as part of the Gregorian reform
Gregorian Reform
The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, circa 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy...
of the Papacy. Cagliari
Giudicato of Cagliari
The Giudicato of Cagliari was one of the four Sardinian giudicati of the Middle Ages. It covered the entire south and central east portion of the island and was composed of thirteen subdivisions called curatoriae. To its north and west lay Arborea and north and on the east lay Gallura and Logudoro...
, like the other giudicati
Giudicati
The giudicati were the indigenous kingdoms of Sardinia from about 900 until 1410, when the last fell to the Aragonese. The rulers of the giudicati were giudici , from the Latin iudice , often translates as "judge". The Latin for giudicato was iudicatus The giudicati (singular giudicato) were the...
, was placed under papal and Pisan
Republic of Pisa
The Republic of Pisa was a de facto independent state centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa during the late tenth and eleventh centuries. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated Mediterranean and Italian trade for a century before being surpassed and...
authority. Torchitorio is thus one of the first judges of Cagliari about whom anything is known. He severely increased donations to the church and lent support to the monks of Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
who were arriving on the island to bring economic, technological, and religious renewal. Despite this, his attention to the church, the only portion of his policy handed down to us, has led to him being labelled "publicly useless" by certain historians. He was directed by Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
to force the clergy of the Archdiocese of Cagliari to shave their beards and attend to their churches, which the pope claimed were in neglect.
His wife was Vera and they succeeded in breaking tradition and passing the guiduicato (judgeship) to their eldest son Constantine
Constantine I of Cagliari
Constantine I was the giudice of Cagliari. He was the son of the giudice Orzocco Torchitorio and giudicessa Vera. In the eleventh century, the throne of Cagliari traditionally passed between the houses of Torchitorio de Ugunale and Salusio de Lacon. Constantine took the name Salusio II upon his...
. Vera survived him and was alive in 1090. Their other sons were Peter, Sergius, Orzocorre, Gonario, and Torbeno
Torbeno of Cagliari
Torbeno or Turbino was briefly Judge of Cagliari after Constantine I for an unknown period between 1090, when Constantine last appears in the sources, and 1108, when Constantine's son Torchitorio II first appears as judge....
. All died around 1125 except the last, who briefly usurped the throne from his brother, and was last heard of on 13 February 1130.
Sources
- Manno, Giuseppe. Storia di Sardegna. 2005.
- Nowé, Laura Sannia. Dai "lumi" dalla patria Italiana: Cultura letteraria sarda. Mucchi Editore: Modena, 1996.