The essay offers an overview of the most recent and innovative research on the history of the ar-istocracy and the development of local powers in the Kingdom of Italy between the 10th and 12th centuries. Particular attention is devoted to the relationship between aristocracies and public power, the importance of the distribution of fiscal assets, family structures, the different modes and intensities of affirmation of territorial lordships, and, finally, a critical analysis of the most recent hypotheses on the role of lordship in stimulating economic growth in the central centu-ries of the Middle Ages.
Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-8908-6896
Chapter Title
Rethinking social and economic changes in the 10th-12th centuries: new approaches to aristocracy and local power in central-northern Italy
Authors
Maria Elena Cortese
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1076-8.13
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
In Search of the High Middle Ages. Change and Continuity in 11th–12th-century Italy
Editors
Alberto Cotza, Giuseppe Petralia
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
560
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1076-8
ISBN Print
979-12-215-1075-1
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-1076-8
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-1078-2
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079