Politics and piracy: The duchy of Gaeta in the twelfth century
The history of the duchy of Gaeta in the early twelfth century is ignored by historians of southern Italy, as attention focuses on the activities of the Gaetans' Norman overlords in this period. This paper argues that the political developments in Gaeta in this period deserve further recognition, being significantly different to those in other southern cities. The emergence of a consulate in the city links it with the better-known communal structures of cities in northern Italy at this time. Commercial exchanges between Gaeta and northern cities, especially Genoa, are examined as a possible cause of this political novelty. It is concluded that the division of Italian historiography on the twelfth century into studies confined to the southern kingdom of Sicily and the northern communes overlooks parallel developments in each and underestimates the level of exchange between the two halves of the peninsula.
Medieval Sicily and Southern Italy in Recent Historiographical Perspective
Sicily and southern Italy during the Middle Ages have been a neglected area of study for many years, primarily due to the general belief that the area fell into decline after the ‘fall’ of Rome. Recently, however, there has been growing interest in the Muslims of medieval Sicily and Italy, as well as the Jewish and Greek populations that lived under Latin Christian rule for many centuries. There has also been a rise in scholarship on the medieval Mediterranean region as a whole, which has caused a re-evaluation not only of the role and importance of the Mediterranean world, but also of how the medieval European system worked, how Latin Christendom related to the Muslim states on its southern borders, and what roles Muslim cultures and settlements played in the development of Italy’s society.
Continents of Liberty: Emerson and Gerald Vizenor’s Chair of Tears
Ralph Waldo Emerson protested what came to be known as the Trail of Tears in a public letter to President Martin Van Buren in 1838. Th e Cherokee Nation, he argued, had been cheated by a “sham treaty” (Emerson, “Letter” 50), the will of the people ignored, and a false acquiescence to removal written into law. In making a passionate appeal to the highest “chair” of the land, Emerson underscored the great political and moral stakes involved: