The pontificate of Innocent II (1130-1143) has long been recognized as a watershed in the history... more The pontificate of Innocent II (1130-1143) has long been recognized as a watershed in the history of the papacy, marking the transition from the age of reform to the so-called papal monarchy, when an earlier generation of idealistic reformers gave way to hard-headed pragmatists intent on securing worldly power for the Church. Whilst such a conception may be a cliché its effect has been to concentrate scholarship more on the schism of 1130 and its effects than on Innocent II himself. This volume puts Innocent at the centre, bringing together the authorities in the field to give an overarching view of his pontificate, which was very important in terms of the internationalization of the papacy, the internal development of the Roman Curia, the integrity of the papal state and the governance of the local church, as well as vital to the development of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Empire.
The pontificate of Innocent II (1130-1143) has long been recognized as a watershed in the history... more The pontificate of Innocent II (1130-1143) has long been recognized as a watershed in the history of the papacy, marking the transition from the age of reform to the so-called papal monarchy, when an earlier generation of idealistic reformers gave way to hard-headed pragmatists intent on securing worldly power for the Church. Whilst such a conception may be a cliché its effect has been to concentrate scholarship more on the schism of 1130 and its effects than on Innocent II himself. This volume puts Innocent at the centre, bringing together the authorities in the field to give an overarching view of his pontificate, which was very important in terms of the internationalization of the papacy, the internal development of the Roman Curia, the integrity of the papal state and the governance of the local church, as well as vital to the development of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Empire.
The Friars and their influence in Medieval Spain, 2017
This chapter explores the long and varied career of Ramon de Penyafort, a thirteenth-century Domi... more This chapter explores the long and varied career of Ramon de Penyafort, a thirteenth-century Dominican who had a lasting impact on the development of canon law, the history of the Dominican Order, and the lands of the Crown of Aragon. Various works of his student days at Bologna are examined, as well as the Summa de Casibus and the Liber Extra. His role in revising the constitutions of the Dominicans while master general is described. There is also a discussion of his influence on legislation concerning the reconciliation of heretics, the conversion of Muslims, and the diminution of the status of Jews in Catalonia. It is argued that, through study of Ramon's various works in combination, it is possible to come to an overall understanding of his character.
A b s t r a c t : This study concerns the accounts of the vicar of Barcelona, Pere Ferrer, for 12... more A b s t r a c t : This study concerns the accounts of the vicar of Barcelona, Pere Ferrer, for 1240–1. Few account booklets of the Aragonese king's officials survive from this period and this is the first chronologically. The accounts provide us with important information on the role of the king's vicar in the government of the city of Barcelona and also offer us an interesting insight into the law and society of the time. Most significantly, the accounts reveal the circumstances and development of an inquisition against heretics in the region of Barcelona and the manner in which that society was organized for the pursuit of those considered guilty of heretical error.
The Llibre dels Fets or Book of Deeds, James I of Aragon's autobiographical account of many of th... more The Llibre dels Fets or Book of Deeds, James I of Aragon's autobiographical account of many of the major events of his political and military life, was constructed for more than one audience and for multiple purposes (Cingolani, 31-74; Aurell, 39-54). Set down most probably in its entirety during the final years of James's sixty-three year reign, the Deeds reacted to the official histories designed at the court of the king's son-in-law, Alfonso X of Castile, and, more immediately, to waspish criticism of James's own failed attempt to crusade to the Holy Land in 1269 (Cingolani, 75-95). Narrated or performed before his knights and written down by his scribes, the Deeds justified the ways of James to men, while also serving as a guidebook to his sons and successors on how to rule (Badia, 55; Smith, 7). Its structure can only be properly understood when it is remembered that it is designed to inform his successors about the political affairs of the past which he considered relevant to the future. It is for this reason that James dwells on his distant (and faulty) memories of the Aragonese conflicts in his youth, the war in Urgell, and the parleys with Sancho VII of Navarre (Smith, 7). It is equally the reason why he does not mention the treaty of Corbeil with Louis IX of France. The former were all matters that still needed resolution. The latter was not. It is also for this reason that James spent a great length of time explaining the series of negotiations through which he captured the kingdoms of Majorca, Valencia and Murcia. This makes it very relevant to our current topic because, whatever else it is, the Deeds is certainly a guide on how to conduct negotiations and since those negotiations were for the purpose of bringing a resolution which avoided conflict, even though James is often his own diplomat (and not quite yet the representative of a state), we can consider the Deeds in a broad sense as a guide to diplomacy. One important aspect of medieval diplomacy which has not been dealt with in any great detail in the Deeds or indeed elsewhere concerns food and especially dining. The topic of food was of course of great importance to James personally (Burns 1976, 31-2) since he had acute memories of the times when he was hungry and thirsty. Indeed among his earliest memories was that on his arrival at the Templar castle of Monzón, after he had been rescued from Simon de Montfort, there was not even enough food for one day, so wasted and pledged was the land (LF, 11). In the Majorcan campaign, after the battle at Portopí, the king recalled that in the evening he was very hungry and had not eaten all day (Oliver de Termes then provided him with a meal) (LF, 67). When trying to flush out his opponents from the caves of Artana, by the last day before their surrender, the king dined with Nunó Sanxes and a good hundred men on just seven pieces of bread (LF, 102). In the Valencian campaign, during the siege of Borriana, James remembered being so thirsty that, before going to eat, he drank more than anybody else, indeed two whole jugs of watered wine (LF, 161). The king's concern for his own well-being was matched by his consciousness that an army marches on its stomach. That vital siege at Borriana almost had to be abandoned for lack of provisions (LF, 164-7). The siege at Cullera was abandoned for the same reason under advice from the nobles since there was only five days supply of food (LF, 195). More
Uploads
Books by Damian Smith
Papers by Damian Smith