Medieval Italian Politics

The article deals with the problem of Ezzelino da Romano’s legitimization as a ruler of several cities in the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy) in the central decades of the 13th century. With the help of a wealth of secondary literature, it first highlights the patterns for the acquisition of consent that were staged by him. Then, it recalls the  successful efforts of  de-legitimization of his authority staged by his filo-papal enemies. In its second part (which rests more on the careful analysis of some first-hand sources), the work delves into the peculiar political situation in the city of Treviso, focusing on the rule of Ezzelino’s brother Alberico (first as an enemy, eventually as an ally) and on the
delicate issues in the restoration of the status quo ante faced by the city government after the decline of the two, both in terms of assessing its own legitimity and in establishing a widely acceptable image of the brothers as tyrants.

In this paper, I will carry out an interdisciplinary analysis of the fabulous histories and myths contained in the chronicle written by the civic notary Giovanni Codagnello of Piacenza (d.1235). Through a philological analysis of the myths, I will argue that Codagnello consciously re-elaborated works by authors such as Isidore of Seville, Paul the Deacon, and others, fitting them to his own purpose: to convince his fellow citizens that the civil war which broke out in his city in the 1220s and 30s was not only disruptive, but also went against a tradition of civic unity and alliance with the city of Milan which originated in times unmemorable. Indeed, a consequence of the civil war was the interruption of the century-long alliance with ‘anti-imperial’ Milan and the passage to the enemy front, led by the ‘pro-imperial’ Cremona, a former arch-enemy of Piacenza. Thus, together with re-assessing these myths (which with few exceptions, have been largely overlooked or misunderstood by historians of communal-age literature and history) and placing them within a precise historical context, I will argue that in communal-age Italy chronicles and fabulous histories could have a high political importance. Indeed, through the analysis of contemporary literature, archival documents, and meta-textual mentions to orality present in the chronicle, I will briefly show that historical texts such as these could be read in civic assemblies – the core of political life in contemporary communes – or anyway incorporated into political orations, thus playing an important role when it came to take decisions of political nature.

Starting from the example of San Miniato al Monte, the essay dwells on the relationship existing between Florentine aristocracy and religious institutions. These were indispensable elements for the occupation of the urban ‘political space’, thanks to the social networks they controlled. Their political role – until now poorly investigated – was clearly recognised by the new ruling groups (Popolo). For this reason, the Florentine Popolo’s regime at the end of the thirteenth century tried to break the connection between aristocratic families and religious institutions, also through the use of precise rules that had become part of the Ordinamenti di Giustizia.
A partire dall'esempio di San Miniato al Monte, il saggio si sofferma sulla relazione tra aristocrazia fiorentina ed enti religiosi. Questi istituti erano elementi indispensabili per l'occupazione dello 'spazio politico' urbano, grazie alle reti sociali che controllavano. Il loro ruolo politico-fino a oggi scarsamente indagato-era chiaramente riconosciuto dai nuovi gruppi dirigenti d'origine popolare. Per questo motivo il regime di Popolo di fine Duecento tentò di rompere la relazione esistente tra famiglie aristocratiche e fondazioni religiose, anche tramite il ricorso a precise norme confluite negli Ordinamenti di Giustizia.

Dire e non dire, senza mai mentire. E' possibile che Dante abbia intenzionalmente nascosto qualche nome per lui compromettente? L'intervento mira a far luce sul rapporto intrattenuto dal Poeta e dalla sua fazione con gli Ubaldini nei primi anni dell'esilio (e subito prima).

Resumo: Este artigo traz uma apreciação comparativa de historiadores anglófonos e italianos que discutem as formas e possibilidades de participação política nas comunas italianas medievais. Percebem-se, na historiografia recente, duas fortes tendências: a primeira ressalta o papel do popolo e das corporações de ofício no incremento dos mecanismos políticos nas cidades-repúblicas, e a segunda interpreta o republicanismo italiano em chaves eminentemente antigas e romanas, em prejuízo de hodiernas manifestações de práticas políticas menos ligadas à tradição romana.
Palavras-chave: comunas italianas; História Medieval; política; partici-pação; republicanismo.

FORMS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN MEDIEVAL ITALIAN COMMUNES

Abstract: This paper brings a comparative appreciation of English and Italian-speaking historians who discuss the forms and possibilities of political participation in Medieval Italian communes. Recent historiography has shown two strong tendencies: the first emphasizes the role of thepopolo and guilds in increasing the political mechanisms in republican cities and the second interprets Italian republicanism eminently in ancient and Roman keys underestimating contemporary manifestations of political practices less closely related to Roman tradition.

A política dos sermões ou os sermões na política: a pregação nas cidades comunais da Baixa Idade Média Resumo Este artigo propõe os sermões da Baixa Idade Média ocidental como parte da linguagem política das comunas italianas. Junto com os discursos de assembleia (conciones), os sermões compunham uma retórica de natureza religiosa com validade cívica apta para os governos citadinos e para o modo de vida urbano. Estuda-se a Summa de Arte Praedicatoria, de Alain de Lille, os Li livres dou Trésor, de Brunetto Latini, os sermões de Giordano de Pisa e a Crônica de Rolandino de Pádua para mostrar como, de um ponto de vista político e cívico, os sermões eram peças importantes do ordenamento social e da resolução de conflitos.
Abstract The political sermons or sermons in politics: the preaching in the communal cities of Middle Ages This paper proposes that the sermons of the Late Middle Ages was part of the Italian communes's political language. In conjunction with the parliament's discourses (conciones), the sermons composed a rhetoric of religious character with civic validity apt for city governments and the urban way of life. To show how, from a political and civic point of view, sermons were important pieces of the social order and for conflict resolution we will study the Summa de Arte Praedicatoria, written by Alain of Lille, the Brunetto Latini's Li Livres dou Trésor, some sermons of Giordano of Pisa and Rolandino of Padua's chronicle.