Orzocorre I (also spelled ''Onroco'' or ''Orsocorre''; perhaps born as ''Torbeno'') was the
Judge of Arborea
The Kings or ''Judges'' (from the Latin ''iudices'' and the Sardinian ', "judges," the title of the Byzantine officials left behind when Imperial power receded in the West) of the Arborea were the local rulers of the west of Sardinia during t ...
from circa 1070 (at least by 1073) to circa 1100 and is the first ruler of Arborea about whom anything substantial is known. He was the founder of an Arborean dynasty which reigned until 1185. He succeeded
Marianus I, about whose government nothing is known, though some presume that Orzocorre was his son. If true, this would make Orzocorre a member of the
Thori family.
After it was destroyed in a war, Orzocorre moved the capital of Arborea from
Tharros
Tharros (also spelled Tharras, Archaic Greek: , Hellenistic Greek, Tarras or Tarrae, Τάρραι) was an ancient city and former bishopric on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy.
It is currently a Latin Catholic titular see and an archaeologica ...
to Aurestanni (
Oristano
Oristano (; sc, Aristanis ) is an Italian city and ''comune'', and capital of the Province of Oristano in the central-western part of the island of Sardinia. It is located on the northern part of the Campidano plain. It was established as the pr ...
), where it remained for the next three centuries. He also built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas at
Ottana.
Orzocorre ruled at a time when
Western monasticism
Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of Christians who live Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship. It began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, m ...
and the
Gregorian reform
The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...
were bringing
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 ...
closer to the rest of Europe. Like his contemporary judges —
Barison I and
Constantine I of Logudoro,
Torchitorio I and
Constantine I of Cagliari, and
Torchitorio of Gallura — he was an ally of the Church in order to improve the conditions — intellectual, political, religious, economic — of his ''giudicato''. In 1074 and 1080,
Pope Gregory VII wrote two letters to Orzocorre ordering the clerics of Arborea to shave their beards, as was the Western custom.
James, Archbishop of Cagliari, refused to comply with papal orders and was deprived of his authority. Gregory granted Orzocorre the authority to seize the assets of those clerics who refused to shave.
He was married to Nivata (also Nibatta or Nigata) and had two sons,
Torbeno and
Orzocorre II, each of whom succeeded him in turn.
[Manno, note 724.]
Notes
Sources
*Manno, Giuseppe (1835).
Storia di Sardegna'. P.M. Visaj.
*Fara, G. F. ''De Rebus Sardois''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orzocorre 01 Of Arborea
Judges (judikes) of Arborea
11th-century rulers in Europe