kingdom · Italy

Judicate of Gallura

1000 CE – 1288 CE (approx.) · capital Civita

One of the four medieval kingdoms of Sardinia, in the island's north-east, ruled by native judges and later by the Visconti of Pisa.

Origins

As Byzantine control of Sardinia faded in the 9th and 10th centuries, the island divided into four self-governing realms, each ruled by a judge (iudex), who acted as a king. Gallura, in the north-east, emerged by the 11th century with its capital at Civita, near modern Olbia.

Rule and society

The judges ruled with an assembly of notables (corona de logu), drawing income from royal estates, herding and coastal trade. In the 12th and 13th centuries Gallura fell under the influence of Pisa, and through marriage it passed to the Pisan Visconti family. The last judge, Nino Visconti, appears as a friend of Dante in the Purgatorio.

Decline and legacy

Nino Visconti was expelled from Pisa in 1288, and the Pisan commune took over Gallura directly. The territory later passed to the Crown of Aragon after its conquest of Sardinia in the 14th century.

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻