Discover Romanesque: Peoples and Legends

Daibert

A close acquaintance of countess Matilda of Tuscany, who granted him lands and privileges, in 1085 Daibert was appointed bishop of Pisa by Pope Urban II.

In 1088 he promulgated the so-called ‘tower award’, which set the maximum height of tower houses in the city of Pisa.

He became archbishop in 1092, when the Pisan Church was raised to the status of an archdiocese exerting power over the dioceses of Corsica. In the same period Pisa saw the confirmation of its spiritual power over Sardinia.

As papal legate for the first crusade Daiberto led a large Pisan fleet headed for the Holy Land. After the Muslims were defeated and the Holy City was recaptured, in 1099 Daibert was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem. He held his title until King Baldwin accused him of treason, simony and embezzlement.

After obtaining justice in Italy, he died in 1107 while he was preparing to return to the Holy Land.