Key Facts
- Duration
- 964–1091
- Type
- Marquisate (medieval march)
- Region
- Piedmont, northern Italy
- Counties included
- Turin, Auriate, Albenga, Ventimiglia
- Ruling dynasty
- Arduinici
Imperial Zenith Metrics
Historical Trajectory
Phase I: Rise
The March of Turin was established in the mid-10th century, around 964, as the Arduinic March under the Arduinici dynasty. It consolidated several Piedmontese counties, including Turin, Auriate, and Albenga, into a coherent frontier territory. Its geographic scope extended across the Po Valley from the Western Alps southward to the Ligurian Sea, giving its rulers control over key alpine passes and trade routes in northwestern Italy.
Phase II: Zenith
At its height, the march's capital Turin served as the primary seat of the Arduinici marquises, who were documented there far more frequently than elsewhere. The territory commanded strategically vital alpine corridors and Ligurian coastal access, enabling the dynasty to exert influence over commerce and military movements between Italy and the transalpine world. Susa, though later prominent under the House of Savoy, remained secondary during this period.
Phase III: Decline
The march effectively ended in 1091 when its last Arduinici marchioness, Adelaide of Turin, died and control passed to the House of Savoy through inheritance. The valley and city of Susa subsequently gained prominence as Savoy's marquises styled themselves 'marquises of Susa,' transforming the political identity of the region and absorbing the former march into a broader dynastic domain.
Notable Imperial Reigns
Selected rulers mapping the empire’s trajectory