Following the donations of the Carolingian kings to the Pope and the administrative system developed with Charlemagne, each kingdom of the Holy Roman Empire is organized into duchies, marquisates and counties.

Since 900 AD, the territories of the Exarchate of Ravenna and Pentapolis have been entrusted to the dukes and counts Severi, an important noble family from Ravenna, of Byzantine origin.

This family is also invested of the County of Giaggiolo (or Ghiaggiolo) until the marriage of Orabile sive Beatrice, the last descendant, with Paolo il Bello Malatesti in 1269.

Count Severo, together with his brother Pietro, is an important figure of the era who sits in the imperial diet. It is called Sigizone “Battisigillo” and has three children: Tarrardo, Arrardo, Rodolfo, whose children are invested of the castle of Giaggiolo in 2021.

The Duchy of the Romanula [or ancient Romagna] extended from the river Esino (Ancona) in the south, to the river Po (Adria) in the north, up to the river Reno [Bologna] in the west while the river Tiber marked the border with Tuscia until the Ducati of Spoleto and Rome.

The border lands between the Romanula [then Romagna] and the Tuscia [later Tuscany] were managed from the sixth century AD by the powerful Abbey of Sant’Ilario which ruled the assignment of the territories initially on behalf of the Ravenna bishops exarchs, then later as autonomous diocese of the Papal States, dissolved in 1785.