Orzocorre I (also spelled ''Onroco'' or ''Orsocorre''; perhaps born as ''Torbeno'') was the

Judge of Arborea The Kings or Judges of Arborea (from the Latin language, Latin and the Sardinian language, Sardinian , "judges", the title of the Byzantine officials left behind when imperial power receded in the West) were the local rulers of Kingdom of Arb ...

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, , , ''Tárrai/Tárras''; ) was an ancient city and former bishopric on the west coast of Sardinia, Italy. It is currently a Latin Catholic titular see and an archaeological site near the village of San Giovanni d ...

to Aurestanni (

Oristano Oristano (; ) is an Italian city and (municipality), the 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 provincial ...

), where it remained for the next three centuries. He also built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas at

Ottana Ottana () is a ''comune'' (municipality), former bishopric and Latin titular see in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southwest of Nuoro. The town is known for its traditional carniv ...

. Orzocorre ruled at a time when

Western monasticism Christian monasticism is a religious way of life of Christians who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship. It began to develop early in the history of the Christian Church, modeled upon scriptural ex ...

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. 1050–1080, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...

were bringing

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

closer to the rest of Europe. Like his contemporary judges — Barison I and

Constantine I of Logudoro Constantine IAlso ''Costantino'', ''Gosantine'', ''Goantine'', or ''Gantine''. (1128) was the giudice of Logudoro. He was co-ruling by 1082 and sole ruler by 1113. His reign is usually said to have begun about 1112. He was the son of Marianus I, ...

, 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 Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...

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 monarchs in Europe