Comita III (c. 1160 – 1218) was the '' giudice'' of

Logudoro The Logudoro (meaning "Golden Place") is a large traditional region Sardinia, Italy. The name of Logudoro today is linked to the Logudorese dialect, which covers a large area of northern-central Sardinia. The first denomination of the area is ...

, with its capital at

Torres Torres may refer to: People *Torres (surname), a Spanish and Portuguese surname *Torres (musician), singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott **Torres (album), ''Torres'' (album), 2013 self-titled album by Torres Places Americas *Torres, Colorado, an un ...

, from 1198 until 1218. He was the youngest of four sons of

Barisone II Barisone may refer to: *Barisone I of Torres, the giudice of Arborea from c. 1038 until c. 1060 and then of Logudoro until his death sometime c. 1073 *Barisone II of Arborea, the giudice of Arborea, a kingdom of Sardinia, from 1146 to 1186 *Barison ...

of Torres and Preziosa de Orrubu. He ruled at a time when the great families, usually foreign, were superseding the ''giudici'' in power and influence on

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. Around 1180, he married Ispella (daughter of

Barisone II of Arborea Barison II or Barisone II was the "Judge" (standing approximately for "King") of Arborea, one of the four Judicates of Sardinia, from 1146 to 1186. He was the son of Comita II and Elena de Orrubu.Also spelled ''Orruvu''. His reign was groundbrea ...

by his first, divorced, wife Pellegrina de Lacon), herself widow of

Hug de Cervera A hug is a form of endearment, universal in most human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are involved, it may be referred ...

and mother of Ugone de Bas, co-''giudice'' of

Arborea Arborea is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, whose economy is largely based on agriculture and cattle breeding with production of vegetables, rice, fruit and milk (notably the local milk product Arborea). Histo ...

. By her he had four children: Maria, who married Boniface, heir of

Manfred II of Saluzzo Manfred II (1140–1215) was the second marquess of Saluzzo from his father's death in 1175 to his own. He was the son of Manfred I and Eleanor. He placed the capital of the margravate definitively in Saluzzo. He married Azalaïs of Montferrat be ...

; Preziosa;

Marianus Marianus is a male name, formerly an Ancient Roman family name, derived from Marius. Marianus may refer to: *Marianus of Auxerre (died 462 or 473), French monk and saint * Marianus Scotus of Mainz (1028–1082 or -83), otherwise Máel Brigte (Devo ...

, his heir; and Giorgia, who married Manuele Doria. He himself married as his second wife Agnes, the sister of Boniface. In December 1198, his elder brother Constantine II died heirless in battle with

William I of Cagliari William I (c. 1160–1214), royal name Salusio IV, was the '' judike'' of Cagliari, meaning "King", from 1188 to his death. His descendants and those of his immediate competitors intermarried to form the backbone of the Italian Aristocracy, an ...

. Comita succeeded to the ''giudicato''. Both Constantine (and subsequently Comita) and William were at war with

Peter I of Arborea Peter I (died 1214), of the Serra family, was the eldest son and successor of Barisone II of Arborea, reigning from 1186 to his death. His mother was Barisone's first wife, Pellegrina de Lacon. He was crowned King of Sardinia, the title his fa ...

over the co-rule of Arborea. At the time of his succession to the pro- Genoese state of Logudoro,

Goceano The Goceano ( sc, Costèra) is a historical and geographical region of center-north of Sardinia island, Italy. It covers a surface of 480 km2 and has a population of 13,000 inhabitants (27 inhabitants/km2). It is located inside the Province ...

was in William's hands. In exchange for Goceano, Comita considered siding with

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

and expelling the Genoese from his ''giudicato'', as well as relinquishing his claims to Arborea. In an ensuing peace treaty with Cagliari, Marianus, Comita's heir, married Agnes of Massa, William's daughter, who brought with her Goceano as a dowry. Soon, however, Comita accused William to

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

of aggression and other breaches of their accord. Arborea came under papal protection. In response, William married another daughter of his to Ugone, the co-judge of Arborea and a stepson of Comita. William effectively took control of Arborea. In 1203,

William Malaspina William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, a cousin of William of Cagliari, tried to marry the daughter of

Barisone II of Gallura Barisone II (died 1203) was the Judge of Gallura from about 1170 to his death. He was the son of Constantine III. His name appears in acts of 1182 and 1184. He was married to Elena de Lacon and had a daughter named Elena who inherited Gallura. Ba ...

. This attempt to control the Galluran judgeship was nixed by the pope. In 1205,

Lamberto Visconti Lamberto Visconti di Eldizio (died 1225) was the Judge of Gallura from 1206, when he married the heiress Elena, to his own death. He was a member of the Visconti family of Pisa and the first of that dynasty to rule in Sardinia, where they lasted i ...

married her. By a treaty confirmed in 1211, Comita allied with Genoa to conquer the whole island and bring under their control. There were to be no separate peaces. Together they invaded

Gallura Gallura ( sdn, Gaddura or ; sc, Caddura ) is a region in North-Eastern Sardinia, Italy. The name ''Gallùra'' is allegedly supposed to mean "stony area". Geography Gallùra has a surface of and it is situated between 40°55'20"64 latitude ...

, now ruled by Lamberto. After that, with the support of Innocent, they invaded Arborea, an invasion which ended in the partition of the realm: half going to Barisone III, son of Peter I, and a quarter each going to Comita and William of Cagliari. The 1212 campaign was interrupted by Pisan repercussions and in 1214, William died. Lamberto and

Ubaldo I Visconti Ubaldo I Visconti (died 1230) was the ''de jure'' overlord of the Giudicato of Cagliari from 1217. He was a member of the Visconti family of Pisa, controlling Cagliari on behalf of his brother, who was judge '' jure uxoris'' from 1218. His grand ...

took the opportunity that year to launch an offensive at Gallura, Cagliari, and Arborea, but were beaten off by Comita and Genoa. The war continued at sea, but was arrested by the entreaties of

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

, who forced Comita to come to terms with Pisa (1 December 1217). Comita died sometime the next year, when his successor appears first as ''giudice'' on 10 November 1218.

References

Sources

*Caravale, Mario (ed). ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani: XXVII Collenuccio – Confortini''.

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 1982. {{DEFAULTSORT:Comita 02 of Torres 1160s births 1218 deaths Judges (judikes) of Logudoro Year of birth uncertain