Marianus I was the Judge of Logudoro from 1073, when he is first mentioned after his father or grandfather, Barisone I

Barisone I of Torres

Barison I or Barisone I was the giudice of Arborea from around 1038 until about 1060 and then of Logudoro until his death sometime around 1073. He is the first ruler of Logudoro of whom we have any real knowledge. His whole policy was opposition to Pisa and support of monastic immigration from...

, until about 1082, when he is last mentioned. His reign is obscure and the next judge mentioned is his son Constantine I

Constantine I of Torres

Constantine I 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, with whom he co-reigned, and Susanna de Thori.-1113/1115:...

 in 1112, but to ascribe to Marianus a 39-year reign seems unnecessary and the presence of unknown other judges between Marianus and Constantine is likely.

In 1147, Marianus' grandson, Gonario II

Gonario II of Torres

Gonario II was the giudice of Logudoro from the death of his father to his own abdication in 1154. He was a son of Constantine I and Marcusa de Gunale. He was born between 1113 and 1114 according to later sources and the Camaldolese church of S...

, made a donation of silver to the Abbey of Montecassino, citing his father and his grandfather as prior donors. Perhaps this Marianus was a different one from the one who received a letter from Pope Gregory VII

Pope Gregory VII

Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...

 in 1073. Similarly, the Cronaca sarda makes Marianus the son of Andrew Tanca

Andrew Tanca

Andrew Tanca was an obscure Judge of Logudoro in the mid eleventh century. He may have reigned alongside his supposed father Barisone I between about 1064/1065 and 1073 or so. He was probably the father of his probable successor, Marianus I...

. The exact identity and relationships of this judge remain a matter of dispute.

Not only did Marianus make a donation to Montecassino, but he benefited the local churches as well and paid an annual sum to the papacy. He was an ally of the Republic of Pisa

Republic of Pisa

The Republic of Pisa was a de facto independent state centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa during the late tenth and eleventh centuries. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated Mediterranean and Italian trade for a century before being surpassed and...

.

Sources

• Manno, Giuseppe. Storia di Sardegna. 2005.