city state · Italy

Commune of Orvieto

1157 CE – 1354 CE (approx.) · capital Orvieto

A Guelph hill-town republic on a volcanic crag in Umbria, a frequent papal residence and builder of one of Italy's most splendid Gothic cathedrals.

Origins

Orvieto, perched on a tufa cliff above the Paglia valley, had consuls by 1157. The commune extended its rule over much of the surrounding countryside towards Lake Bolsena and the Tuscan Maremma.

Rule and society

Orvieto was ruled by consuls, then a podestà and a popular government of the Seven. Strongly Guelph, it often hosted popes in the 13th century, including Urban IV, at whose court Thomas Aquinas taught. The cathedral, begun in 1290, was linked to the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena and the feast of Corpus Christi; Luca Signorelli later painted its frescoes. The Guelph Monaldeschi and Ghibelline Filippeschi, both named by Dante, fought for control.

Decline and legacy

Weakened by faction and the Black Death, the commune fell to strongmen in the 1340s. In 1354 Cardinal Albornoz restored papal authority, and Orvieto remained part of the Papal States.

Lineage

Commune of OrvietoPapal States 754 CE – 1870 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Commune of Orvieto. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-orvieto
MLA
“Commune of Orvieto.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-orvieto. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Commune of Orvieto.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-orvieto.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Commune of Orvieto’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/commune-of-orvieto (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻