The life of Leo IV included in the Liber pontificalis is a valuable text for reflecting on the Roman aristocracy during the years of the Emperors Lothar I and Louis II. It contains numerous episodes in which Roman proceres appear alongside the pontiff or are depicted as the main protagonists of the events. In this paper, I have analysed the possible targets of these representations by highlighting the “aristocratic” involvement in the process of writing papal biographies. The study led to a consideration of the role played by the superista Gratian as the focus of the network constituted by elite papal officials. Hence, it provides evidence on the relations maintained by Gratian’s elite with emperors and pontiffs; the ways in which the elite was formed, and the strategies deployed to ensure its social pre-eminence in spite the succession of pontiffs.
Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0003-3666-598X
Chapter Title
Who wrote the life of Leo IV? Gratian, the superista, and his network
Authors
Maddalena Betti
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0771-3.15
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Aristocratic networks. Elites and social dynamics in Italy in the age of Lothar I
Editors
Giuseppe Albertoni, Manuel Fauliri, Leonardo Sernagiotto
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
350
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0771-3
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0770-6
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0771-3
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0773-7
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079