by Joanna Drell (Editor), Paul Oldfield (Editor)
This volume on Norman Italy (southern Italy and Sicily, c. 1000-1200) honours and reflects the pioneering scholarship of Graham A. Loud. An international group of scholars reassesses and recasts the paradigm by which Norman Italy has been conventionally understood, addressing varied subjects across four key themes: historiographies, identities and communities, religion and Church, and conquest. The chapters revise and refine our understanding of Norman Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, demonstrating that it was not just a parochial Norman or Mediterranean entity but also an integral player in the medieval mainstream.
Back Jacket
The uniqueness of Norman Italy (Southern Italy and Sicily c. 1000-1200) has long rested on its geographic location at Latin Europe's periphery, a circumstance that led to the intermixing of Latin Christians with Byzantine Greeks and Muslims and fostered a vibrant multiculturalism.
While elements of this characterisation remain valid, new scholarship has brought to light the significant cross-pollination between Norman Italy and the wider medieval world throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Emphasising that it was not just a parochial Norman or Mediterranean entity but also an integral player in the medieval mainstream, this collection endeavours to move beyond the frontier and to articulate Norman Italy's contribution to broader historical currents. Honouring and reflecting on the pioneering scholarship of Graham A. Loud, Rethinking Norman Italy features chapters on an array of topics, including the secular and monastic church, aristocratic networks, the papacy, crusading, urbanisation, Byzantium and Islam. It reassesses and recasts the paradigm by which Norman Italy has conventionally been understood, making it essential reading for students and scholars studying the region.Author Biography
Joanna H. Drell is Professor of History at the University of Richmond
Paul Oldfield is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Manchester