Society and Politics in Medieval The Evolution of the Civil Life, woo-1350 NEW STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL HISTORY General Editor: Denis Bethell Society and Politics in Medieval Italy

The Evolution of the Civil Life, I000-1350

J. K. HYDE

Macmillan Education ISBN 978-0-333-11460-5 ISBN 978-1-349-15504-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-15504-0 © J. K. Hyde I973 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1973 978-0-333-11459-9 1\11 rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission.

First published I973 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Associated companies in New York Dublin Melbourne Johannesburg and Madras

SBN 333 11459 0 (hard cover) 333 11460 4 (paper cover)

The paperback edition of this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re·sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. For Maura Contents

Acknowledgements ix Chronological Table xi

INTRODUCTION 1

THE SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF MEDIEVAL ITALY 10 The Slow Death of Roman Italy 10 The Divided Society: the Seventh to the Tenth Century 16 The Reopening of the Mediterranean by the Latins 29 2 THE EMERGENCE oFOF THE CoMMUNESCOMMUNES 38 The Old Regime 38 The Nature of the Commune 48 The Mental Climate 60 3 THE CENTURY OF GROWTH, 1150-1250 65 The Developing Economy 65 The Foundations of Secular Culture 83 4 THE CoNsoLIDATIONCONSOLIDATION oFOF THE CoMMUNEs,COMMUNES, 1150-12501150 - 12 5 0 94 From the Consulate to the Podesta 94 The Triumph of the Popolo 104104 Frederick II and the First Despots 119l19 5 POLITICSPoLITICS IN THE AGE OF DANTE 124 The Papacy and the Eclipse of the Empire 124 The Age of the Guelphs and the Ghibellines 132 The Signoria 141 6 THE FLOWERING OF THE 'VITA CIVILE' 153 The Heyday of the Cities 153 International Merchants 158 The Ruling Class 165 viii CONTENTS 7 THE END OF AN ERA 178 The Disasters of the Mid-fourteenth Century 178 Marsiglia of 's Plan for Peace 186 Abbreviations to Bibliographies and References 199 Bibliographies: Introductory Note 200 I Select Bibliography of Works in English 200 II Select Bibliography of Works in Other Languages 207 References 217 Index 223

MAPS 1 Byzantine and Lombard Italy, c. 616 xvii 2 Italy in the tenth century xviii 3A Overseas trade of Genoa, c. 1too-1300 xix B Northern trade of Genoa, c. 110o-13oo xx 4 Northern Italy in 1310 xxi The relative wealth of the chief north Italian cities in 1311 xxii 5 Major Italian cities, c. 1340 xxiii 6 The trading world of Francesco Pegolotti, c. 1340 xxiv

PLATES between pages 72 and 73 I Two planned towns of northern Italy from the air II The Veronese Commune receives a standard from St Zeno III The crucial role of law in communal society IV The strong arm of the law in Genoa, 1190 V The Signore triumphs over the Commune VI The ideal of the Vita Civile Acknowledgements

As the idea of this book first arose out of my teaching at Man• chester, so my first debt is to the students who attended my classes on Italian history over the years whose questions and comments helped to shape the subject in my mind. The materials were pro• vided by the diligent researches of many scholars, most but not all of whom are mentioned in the notes and bibliographies; in work• ing their separate findings into a general pattern, I hope I have not distorted what they intended to say. I owe a special debt of grati• tude to Professor Donald Bullough, who found time among many other commitments to read the early chapters; his expert observa• tions saved me from many a blunder. From the editor of this series, Mr Denis Bethell, I have received more in the way of constructive guidance and encouragement than any author could expect or hope for; as this book has grown chapter by chapter, so has our friendship. Finally, I am aware that my family have had a lot to put up with while this book has been in preparation. I wish to thank them for their patience, especially my wife, who besides much support and encouragement gave time to read each succes• sive draft as it appeared; her lay comments led to improvements on almost every page.

The author and the publishers wish to thank the following for permission to reproduce the illustrations appearing in this book: the Ministry of Defence (Air) and the Pitt Rivers Museum, Ox• ford, for Plates IA and In; Dr Julian Gardner and the Courtauld Institute of the University of London for Plate II; Orlandini of Modena and Librairie Armand Colin: © Naissance de l'Europe by R. S. Lopez, published by Armand Colin S.A., Paris, for Plate III; the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, for Plate IV and Editions d'Art Albert Skira, Geneva, for Plate VI. The author and the publishers also wish to thank the Columbia University Press for permission to reproduce on pages 154-5 a pas• sage from R. S. Lopez and I. W. Raymond, Medieval Trade in the Mediterranean World (1955), and C. T. Davis for permission to reproduce on page 165 a passage from his 'Il Buono Tempo An• tico' inN. Rubinstein (ed.), Florentine Studies (1g6g). c.s.-1* Chronological Table c. 235-68 Civil wars and barbarian invasions greatly impoverish western Roman Empire. 330 Foundation of Constantinople as second capital of the Roman Empire. Invasion of Italy by the Goths; imperial court withdraws from to Ravenna. 452 Huns under Attila destroy Aquileia and other cities of N.E. Italy. Deposition of last emperor in the West; barbarian armies settled on the land. 493-526 Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, rules the Italians in the name of the emperor. 534-c. 54 Italy devasted by Justinian's Gothic war. 568 Lombards invade Italy. 653-61 King Aribert I: official conversion of the Lombards from Arian to Catholic Christianity. 75 1 Lombards finally capture Ravenna; collapse of Byzantine power in North Italy. Franks under Pepin raid at request of Pope Stephen III. 774 Charlemagne, king of the Franks, conquers Lombard kingdom. 8oo Charlemagne crowned emperor in . 831 Saracens capture Palermo. 841-71 Saracens hold Bari. 875-962 Decline of the kingdom of Italy; power passes to local bishops and nobility. 876-c. 1025 Byzantine political hegemony over South Italy. 899-954 Intermittent Magyar raids on Italy. 915 Local forces under Pope John X destroy the Saracen stronghold on the Garigliano. 962 Otto I of Saxony crowned emperor in Rome. c.979 Archbishop Landulph enfeoffs milites with lands of the church of Milan. Regency of the Empress Theophanu for her son Otto III; rights of the palace at Pavia alienated(?). xii CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

99~ Golden Bull granting trading privileges in the Byzantine Empire to the Venetians.

100~ Death of Otto III ends the attempt to re-establish the imperial capital at Rome.

10~4 Death of the Emperor Henry II; destruction of the imperial palace at Pavia. Norman mercenaries settled on land at A versa. Constitutio de feudis promulgated by Emperor Conrad II while besieging Milan. 1039 General mobilisation of Milanese by archbishop Aribert who institutes the first carroccio. Norman settlement of Apulia under the Hauteville family begins. 1046 Council of Sutri initiates age of papal reform. 1056 Death of Henry III; minority of Henry IV. 1057 Rise of the patarini in Milan. 1064 Pisa cathedral founded; Pisan fleet raids Palermo. 107~ Palermo taken by the Normans. 1076 Outbreak of the Investiture Contest between Henry IV and Gregory VII, brought to a head by the investiture of the archbishop of Milan. Venetians granted freedom of trade with Constantinople in return for naval support against the Normans. 1081-5 Emergence of the consulate at Pisa. 1087 Joint Pisan-Genoese expedition against Mahdia. 1093 Consuls at the small town of Biandrate near Novara. Genoese and Pisan fleets support the crusaders in the Levant; emergence of the Genoese consulate. 1115 Death of the Countess Matilda of ; her lands disputed between the Empire and the Papacy; destruction of the imperial palace and the emergence of the commune at Bologna. Concordat of Worms between Empire and Papacy. Death of Henry V begins period of imperial weakness in Italy. Norman South united under Roger II. Amalfi sacked by the Pisans. CHRONOLOGICAL TARLE xiii

1143 Formation of the Roman commune; emergence of the council at Venice. Guido da Sasso first recorded podesta at Bologna. Frederick Barbarossa crowned emperor; execution of Arnold of . Frederick consults Italian jurists at the Diet of Roncaglia. Formation of the against Frederick I. Lombard cities defeat Frederick I at Legnano. Peace of Constance; Frederick I recognises jurisdiction of the cities of the Lombard League. ugo Death of Frederick I on crusade; succeeded by Henry VI who claims Naples and Sicily by right of his wife Constance and conquers them. 1197 Death of Henry VI; Frederick II king of Sicily, Germany and Italy contested between Otto of Brunswick (Welf) and Philip of Swabia (Waiblingen=Ghibelline) until 1208. c. ug8 Credenza di Sant'Ambrogio formed in Milan. ug8 Innocent III becomes pope: virtual foundation of papal state in central Italy. c. 1200 Universitates of law students formed at Bologna. 1204 Fourth Crusade dominated by Venetians captures Constantinople. uwg First rule of St Francis. uns Fourth Lateran Council; Boncompagno's Rhetorica Antiqua read at Bologna. Frederick II crowned emperor; university of Padua founded. 1.224 Frederick II founds the university of Naples. 1226 Death of St Francis. 1227 Rising of the communanza at . 1228 Rising of the popolo at Bologna; Accursian gloss completed. Publication of Frederick II's Sicilian law-book, the Liber Augustalis. 1235 Frederick II undertakes subjugation of the Lombard communes. xiv CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE Frederick II captures and Padua; de facto signori a of Ezzelino III da Romano in E. Lombardy established. Azzo VII d'Este captures Ferrara and establishes de facto signoria. Deposition of Frederick II by Council of Lyons. Formation of Primo Popolo in Florence; death of Frederick II. Gold genovins and florins first coined. Capture and death of Ezzelino III da Romano. ; beginning of Ghibelline hegemony in Tuscany. 1261 Michael VIII Paleologus captures Constantinople; end of the Latin Empire; Genoese gain access to Black Sea; election of Urban IV. Obizzo II d'Este elected signore of Ferrara. Battle of ; death of Manfred; Charles of Anjou becomes king of Sicily; beginning of Angevin predominance in Italy. u68 Death of , last of the , at Tagliacozzo. Rudolph of Habsburg elected king of the Romans; Napoleone imperial vicar of Milan; abortive reconciliation of Florentine parties by Gregory X. Battle of Desio; Visconti expel della Torre from Milan; Alberto della Scala elected signore of Verona. First Genoese galleys sent to Flanders and England. Nicholas III (Orsini) enforces papal claim to Romagna. 1279-80 Peace mission of Cardinal Latino to Bologna and Florence. ; French lose Sicily to Aragonese; Ordinamenti sacrati (anti-magnatiallaws) at Bologna. Genoese defeat the Pisans at Meloria. Alberto Scotto elected signore of Piacenza. Ordinances of Justice at Florence. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE XV Boniface VIII pope; who builds up the power of his own family, the Caetani; is a formidable enemy of the White party, and who is defeated and humiliated by the French king Philip the Fair. c. 1295-1301 Conflict of Blacks and Whites in Florence. 1301 Mission of Charles of Valois and expulsion of Whites from Florence. Guido della Torre expels Visconti from Milan. Election of Clement V; beginning of the line of 'Avignon' popes. Fall of White stronghold of Pistoia. Clement V claims Ferrara for the papacy; war with Venice; Henry of Luxemburg elected king of the Romans. 1310-13 Henry VII in Italy. c. 1314-21 Dante's written. 1320 John XXII sends Bertrand du Poujet as legate against the Visconti. Marsiglia of Padua completes Defensor Pacis. Fall of Paduan commune to Cangrande della Scala of Verona. 1327--9 Lewis of Bavaria in Italy. 1329 Lucca sold by German mercenaries. 1332-3 Intervention of John of Bohemia inN. Italy. 1337 Taddeo Pepoli signore of Bologna; end of the last free commune north of the Apennines. 1342-3 Walter of Brienne signore of Florence. 1343 New regime in Florence; Peruzzi and numerous other banks fail; death of Robert king of Naples. Bardi go bankrupt. The Black Death in Italy. ~ Territory held by ~~ Lombards, c. 616

MAP 1 XC,_,.

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NORTH ITALIAN CITIES IN 1311 In February 1311 Henry of Luxemburg tried to impose a tax on his Italian kingdom north of the Apennines to maintain his Vicar-General, Amadeus V of Savoy, his staff and a standing army of 1,500 cavalry. An annual sum of nearly 3oo,ooo florins was divided among some fifty Lombard cities and territorial magnates. Although political factors may have influenced some of the bar• gains made, and there had been little time for a detailed assess• ment, there is no reason to doubt that the figures do represent, in a general way, what Henry's advisers believed the various cities and lords could reasonably pay. The assessment is the best source for the relative wealth of the Lombard cities that we have.

Genoa Milan Venice Padua Brescia Verona Asti, , Parma Treviso Piacenza, Pavia Mantua Como Vercelli Vicenza Modena Novara Reggio Lodi Tortona Chieri, , Mq. Montferrat APPROXIMATE POPULAnON, c.1340 0 MILAN SO.Q00- 1 00,000 • hlermo c.50,000 0 Veron• 20,000-40,000 A flrrar• c.to.ooo

Bound6ry of Kingdom of Nsplu

MAP 5 THE TRADING WORLD OF FRANCESCO PEGOLOTII c 1340

e f1orenee Major entries in 'Pratic6 dells Mercatura'

0 C.gl i•ri Minor entn'es

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MAP 6