The Monastery of Montevergine Its Foundation and Early Development
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The Monastery of Montevergine Its Foundation and Early Development (1118-1210) Isabella Laura Bolognese Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of History September 2013 ~ i ~ The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. The right of Isabella Laura Bolognese to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. © 2013 The University of Leeds and Isabella Laura Bolognese ~ ii ~ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS What follows has been made possible by the support and guidance of a great many scholars, colleagues, family, and friends. I must first of all thank my supervisor, Prof. Graham Loud, who has been an endless source of knowledge, suggestions, criticism, and encouragement, of both the gentle and harsher kind when necessary, throughout the preparation and writing of my PhD, and especially for sharing with me a great deal of his own unpublished material on Cava and translations of primary sources. I must thank also the staff and colleagues at the Institute for Medieval Studies and the School of History, particularly those who read, commented, or made suggestions for my thesis: Dr Emilia Jamroziak and Dr William Flynn have both made important contributions to the writing and editing of this work. My examiners, Prof. Julia Barrow and Prof. Frances Andrews, also improved the quality of my thesis a great deal, for which I owe them my gratitude. This thesis simply would not have been possible without the late Prof. Maurice Beresford, who funded my research through the Beresford Scholarship, and whose work on the economy of the Middle Ages has inspired and directed my own. Anyone who has received similar funding, or indeed, anyone who has missed the opportunity, will instantly understand the privilege and importance of working as a PhD student with financial security, with the ability to devote oneself entirely to one’s research. And it is inevitable, particularly in the current climate, to feel awe towards a man who placed such great value on historical research. The Economic History Society also merits my thanks for funding a trip to the British Library and Warburg Institute in London, which was necessary to supplement the extensive material and services offered by the Brotherton Library in Leeds. The ever-patient and helpful staff of the latter, and of the Biblioteca Statale di Montevergine were also of great value for the duration of this project, and I extend my gratitude to them, as well. I am grateful also to Dr Giorgio Massola for providing me with the Italian translation of the life of William, which was of great use when producing my own English translation. ~ iii ~ I have great pleasure in thanking my parents, Cosetta and Giuseppe, who managed to make themselves indispensable even from across the globe, with their constant support and guidance, not to mention proof-reading and Latin lessons and translations. I am lucky and enormously grateful to have had them nearby (through almighty Skype) in this process. Honourable mentions also go to all of my siblings, Gerardo, Giandomenico, Michelangelo, Niccolò, Caterina, and Giansamuele, who have shown their support in many ways in the past years. I am especially grateful to the friends who have made this venture a pleasure to carry out in all respects. In particular I would like to thank my fellow Le Patourel room users and comrades in theses, Kirsty Day and Audrey Thorstad, and especially Kirsty and Steve Werronen for reading over a complete draft and making many useful comments and suggestions; Otávio Pinto, who has shown whales of support and encouragement during the final stages of my degree; and Rene Hernandez and Geno Castiblanco for their inestimable friendship. They are already tangible proof that good things have come from this degree. ~ iv ~ ABSTRACT This thesis examines the institutional and socio-economic development of the monastery of Montevergine during the twelfth century in the Kingdom of Sicily. Founded as a hermitage c. 1119 by the Italian hermit, William of Vercelli, Montevergine grew into a conventional Benedictine establishment by the end of the twelfth century. Over the course of the century, the religious community of Montevergine built an extensive land patrimony that went hand in hand with the growth of its pool of donors, and consequently caused the institutional identity and structure to evolve, and the monastery to increase its network of dependencies across its landholdings. This thesis aims to disentangle the events surrounding the monastery’s foundation, to explore its economic activities, and its relationships with its donors and the local lay community. The thesis is divided into two sections, the first taking a linear narrative approach to the study of Montevergine’s early development, and the second adopting a more thematic approach to the study of the economic, social, and institutional development of the monastery. Chapter 1 focusses on the foundation of Montevergine; Chapter 2 looks at its development during Norman rule of the Kingdom of Sicily; Chapter 3 follows its development during Hohenstaufen rule up to 1210; Chapter 4 surveys the geographical setting of Montevergine to provide a better understanding of its economic activities, which are the subject of Chapter 5. Chapter 6 explores the monastery’s relationships with the laity and the networks it built among the local lay community; Chapter 7 looks at the internal administrative and institutional development of Montevergine, while Chapter 8 analyses the expansion of its monastic network, focussing on a number of the monastery’s dependencies as case studies. ~ v ~ TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. vii List of Tables and Figures ................................................................................................................... viii List of Maps................................................................................................................................................ viii Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Scope and Aims ....................................................................................................................................... 1 The Primary Sources ............................................................................................................................ 4 Structure and Methodology ........................................................................................................... 14 Section I: History ................................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 1: William of Vercelli and the Foundation of Montevergine ............................. 18 Chapter 2: The Development of Montevergine Under the Normans .............................. 47 Chapter 3: The Development of Montevergine Under the Hohenstaufen .................... 76 Section II: Themes ................................................................................................................................ 97 Chapter 4: Montevergine and the Environment ....................................................................... 98 4.1. The Campania .............................................................................................................................. 98 4.1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 98 4.1.2. Physical geography of the region .............................................................................. 99 4.1.3. Climate................................................................................................................................. 107 4.1.4. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 108 4.2. Montevergine and Irpinia ................................................................................................... 109 4.2.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 109 4.2.2. Physical geography of the region ........................................................................... 110 4.2.3. Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 114 Chapter 5: The Economy of Montevergine: Production and Management in the Charters of Montevergine ................................................................................................................. 117 Chapter 6: