City and Community in Norman Italy

by Paul Oldfield

• ISBN13: 9780521898041
• ISBN10: 0521898048
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-04-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This pioneering study of urban society in twelfth-century mainland Norman Italy examines the self-governing role of urban communities and explores their social ordering, identities and communal activities. Drawing on charters, chronicles, annals and other sources, Paul Oldfield uncovers notable continuities in a range of cities across southern Italy throughout a period of regime change and disruption. Unlike traditional interpretations which suggest that the Normans, and the creation of a monarchy in 1130, stifled urban development, this book suggests that south Italian urban communities were still able to enjoy a level of autonomy under the Norman monarchy. By emphasising the fluidity of the social structures and groups found in these cities, alongside the influential role of both the Church and civic consciousness, the author sheds new light on the multi-layered complexity of the urban communities of Norman Italy and provides a more balanced comparison with the cities of northern Italy.

Author Biography

Paul Oldfield is a lecturer in Medieval History at the Department of History and Economic History, Manchester Metropolitan University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements page	p. x
Abbreviations	p. xii
Map of Southern Italy	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Urban government and communal independence	p. 15
Before 1085: The Arrival of The Normans	p. 17
The Fragmentation of Power (1085-1127)	p. 29
Civil War and Unification (1127-1139)	p. 55
The Norman Kingdom of Sicily (1139-1189)	p. 82
From The Normans to The Staufen (1189-1220)	p. 124
Urban society: community, identity and wealth	p. 163
Populations, Cultural Identity and Citizenship	p. 165
The Community	p. 184
The Church, Bishop and Civic Identity	p. 226
The Urban Economy	p. 246
Conclusion	p. 263
Appendix	p. 266
Bibliography	p. 271
Index	p. 288
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