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.
The Two Italies: Economic Relations Between the Norman Kingdom of Sicily and the Northern Communes
List of maps Preface A note on the tables Abbreviations Part I. The Foundations: 1. The sources 2. The resources Part II. The Development of Trade: 3. The first phase of alliances, 1116-54 4. The maritime alliance of 1156 and its afternath 5. Crisis and recovery, 1162-79 6. An age of peaceful competition, 1179-89 7. The last phase of alliance, 1189-91 8. Quid plura? 1191-5 Part III. The Structure of Trade: 9. The structure of Genoese trade with Sicily, 1155-64 10. The structure of trade in the late Norman period Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Gender and History in Medieval English Romance and Chronicle
New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt/M., Oxford, Wien. This reading of canonical texts of medieval English literature - Sir Gawain and the Green Night and Chaucer's Man of Law's Tale - alongside Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae and other Anglo-Norman and English chronicles offers a broader context for reading the romance narratives and re-evaluates romance conventions in light of the genealogical priorities of these chronicles. By arguing that maternity is featured as a position of power, Gender and History in Medieval English Romance and Chronicle adds to our understanding of women and sovereignty, and the ways gender and authority were rhetorically linked to medieval texts.