He was the illegitimate son of Marianus III of Arborea and Paulesa de Serra.
Hugh sided with James II of Aragon, who had been invested with the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica by Pope Boniface VIII in 1297.
He became vassal of James for Arborea and probably wanted to expand his control over the whole island, as governor on behalf of the Catalan Crown.
To this end, he assisted the future Alfonso IV in the conquest of 1323 – 1324, when the Republic of Pisa was expelled from the island.
After Alfonso's army disembarked at Palmas, Hugh joined him at the siege of Villa di Chiesa (modern Iglesias).