Governments of the Universitates: Urban Communities of Sicily in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries

330 Pages·2009·4.509 MB·English

by  Fabrizio Titone

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GOVERNMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITATES
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SEUH
21
STUDIESINEUROPEANURBANHISTORY(1100–1800)
SERIESEDITOR
MARCBOONE
Ghent University
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GOVERNMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITATES
Urban Communities of Sicily in the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries
FABRIZIOTITONE
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Regione Siciliana
Assessorato dei Beni Culturali ed Ambientali e della Pubblica Istruzione
Pubblicazione per iniziativa direttamente promossa dal Dipartimento Regionale per i Beni
Culturali e Ambientali ed Educazione permanente
Cover illustration:Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Architektonische Vedute (1490/1500)
Source:Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
© 2009, Brepols Publishers n.v., Turnhout, Belgium
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise,without the prior permission of the publisher.
D/2009/0095/97
ISBN 978-2-503-52757-4
Printed in the E.U. on acid-free paper
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
Explanatory Notes VII
Units of measure VII
Maps IX
Introduction 1
CHAPTER1 THEESTABLISHMENTOFARAGONESERULE
1.1 Demographic estimates 15
1.2 The institutional realm from the time of Peter III to Frederick IV 17
1.3 Fiscal policy during the reigns of Frederick III and Frederick IV:
an initial adaptation to the needs of theuniversitates 34
1.4 Theuniversitates during the viceregal period: a suggested interpretation 41
CHAPTER2 CITIESFROMTHETIMEOFMARTINI TOALPHONSOV:
A POLYCENTRICSYSTEM
2.1 Martin I and the re-establishment of an urban coalition 49
2.2 The electoral system: a long-term model with few variations 62
2.3 The town councils 77
CHAPTER3 URBANMAGISTRACIESINTHEALPHONSIANPERIOD
3.1 Power relations in municipal administrations: the
practice of shared governance 93
3.2 The office of thebaiulus 103
3.3 Institutional differences in government organizational structures 109
3.4 A system safeguarding municipal prerogatives: the judicial sphere—
theprivilegium fori and appellate court, the royal commissioner,
and the right to reply 113
3.5 Exgratia concessions andfamiliares et domestici regis 126
CHAPTER4 FINANCIALANDFISCALPOLICYDURINGTHEREIGN
OFALPHONSOV
4.1 The urban tax system 131
4.2 Municipal deficit and direct taxation 140
4.3 Alienation of the captaincy 148
4.4 Alienation of theuniversitates 162
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER5 SOCIO-PROFESSIONALGROUPSANDELECTORALCOMPETITION
FROMTHETIMEOFMARTINI TOALPHONSOV
5.1 Social Stratification 169
5.2 Conflicts over Access to Local Government 184
Conclusions 215
Manuscript sources and abbreviations 219
Printed sources and abbreviations 219
Bibliography 223
Appendix, Notes to the Appendix 247
Tables 249
Indexes 303
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EXPLANATORYNOTES
References to the archival sources of the Cancillería, the Real Cancelleria, the
Protonotaro del Regno, and the Atti Bandi e Provviste of the town councils indicate the
number of the volume—or cassetta (cass.) for Atti Bandi e Provviste—followed by the
number of the folio and the indication of the recto or verso side. In contrast, for Gaudioso’s
collections and the Atti dei Giurati of Catania, the volume number is given, the number of
the quire,and the page number of the summarized document (regesto).
In transcriptions from documentary sources, information which is assumed but
still uncertain is enclosed in parentheses; square brackets are used for words missing from
the original text, words added or omitted, or missing dates which can be ascertained on the
basis of indirect references. Quotations in the vernacular have be translated.
In the primary sources, the title and/or designation of notariusis frequently given
as notarus.All references to a notarushave been consistently changed to notarius.Italian-
ized forms of given names have been used and the original form has been included only for
those cases where the correspondence between the different forms is less obvious. All sur-
names have been transcribed in their original form and variations of surnames are enclosed
within parenthesis.
Appellate judge is used to translate iudex primarum appelacionum, appellate notary
refers to notarius primarum appelacionum, and the appellate court is the curia primarum
appelacionum.
UNITSOFMEASURE
The unit of currency in medieval Sicily was the onza which corresponded to
30tarì.A tarìwas worth 20 graniand a granowas equivalent to 6 denari.
The cantaro was the most common unit of weight—equal to 79.35 kilograms—
and was subdivided into 100 rotoli.
Cereals, legumes, and other agricultural products were measured in salme.To the
west of the Salso River, a salmaequalled roughly 2.75 hectolitres but contained 20% more
in the area east of the river.
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MAPS
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