Giudicati
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The giudicati (singular giudicato) were four autochthonous kingdoms in Sardinia from about 900 to the end of the Middle Ages. The rulers of the giudicati were giudici (singular giudice), from the Latin iudike (pl. iudikes), often translates as "judge".
Originally they were Byzantine districts that became independent during the period the Arab expansion in the Mediterranean. The governors were originally elected by the Corona de Logu (parliament), but the establishment of dynasties there was, as elsewhere in Dark Age Europe, inevitable. The medieval giudicati were:
- Giudicato di Logoduro (Porto Torres)
- Giudicato di Arborea (with capital in Oristano)
- Giudicato di Cagliari
- Giudicato di Gallura
They lost their independence between 1258 and 1410, against Pisa and Aragon.
The most famous Giudicato was the one of Arborea who was able to keep its independence until 1410, thanks especially to the figure of Eleanor of Arborea.
