According to tradition, Marsciano was founded in 975 by the family of Bulgaro di Monreale and subsequently granted to them by the emperor
Otto II. By 1075 it was a fief of the counts Bovaccini. In 1210 Cardinal Gualtiero,
legate of
Pope Innocent III, concluded a peace agreement between the cities of
Orvieto,
Todi and Perugia in Marsciano. In 1251
Pope Innocent IV confirmed to the counts of Marsciano the lordship over the castle and several important surrounding places. The Counts Bulgarelli sold the castle to Perugia in 1281 for 5,000 pounds of
denari, although some properties remained with local families. The Counts regained the town in 1296. Between 1310 and 1312 Marsciano experienced a crisis during the
Guelph–Ghibelline conflicts involving Perugia on the Guelph side and Todi and
Spoleto on the Ghibelline side. The town served as a base where Perugian forces assembled. In August 1312 the emperor
Henry VII encamped there, and despite existing agreements imperial troops sacked the town and its territory. Marsciano was almost entirely destroyed. Reconstruction began in the early 14th century under Perugian direction, accompanied by repopulation. A peace agreement with Todi in 1314 ushered in a period of relative stability lasting several decades. Papal authority over Perugia was asserted in 1346 by
Pope Clement VI. A dispute over ecclesiastical patronage arose in 1352, when Bulgaro di Tiberiuccio assumed such rights, and in 1355 the town was visited by
Charles IV. In 1391 a tower was built to curb unrest among the inhabitants. Conflict resumed in the early 15th century with the campaigns of
Braccio Fortebraccio. Marsciano resisted before capitulating in 1412. Attempts to recover the territory followed in 1413–1414, ending with its return to Perugia, although Braccio regained control over the region between 1416 and 1424. In the mid-15th century papal temporal authority became firmly established under
Pope Martin V. Military activity continued to affect the settlement during the 15th century, when the troops of
Francesco Sforza encamped in the area and caused damage. In the early 16th century Marsciano offered refuge to members of the
Baglioni family. In 1504 its inhabitants were granted Perugian citizenship. The aftermath of the
Salt War in 1540 brought papal repression and separation from Perugia, with a brief phase of self-rule, before reintegration under Perugian jurisdiction in 1558. During the late 18th and early 19th century Marsciano functioned as a cantonal seat under Napoleonic administration. In the early 19th century it was reduced to a
podestà jurisdiction and later placed under the administration of Perugia. Before Italian unification the municipality was governed by a prior and four elders and included dependent districts. In 1860 Marsciano was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, after which these districts became subdivisions of the municipality. In 1895 the population of Marsciano was 11,662 inhabitants. == Geography ==