In the 12th century, under its Norman rulers, Sicily stood as one of the most flourishing regions of the Mediterranean; by the late 15th century it had sunk into the state of semi-colonial depression and dependence that has chartacterized so much of its modern history. It is this transformation ” a process of socio-economic change that went hand in hand with political turmoil ” that forms the subject of this volume. Henri Bresc approaches this both from the viewpoint of particular topics, such as the notarial class or the tiny island of Pantelleria, and that of larger themes. One of these is the composition of Sicily's population. These articles trace the deteriorating status of the Arabs and Greeks on the island, the demographic circumstances that brought in new immigrants (notably Albanians, but also corsairs), and the emergence of a society now dominated by its Latin and Italian components. Other articles contrast the intensive suburban agriculture with the empty spaces of the large estates, and throw light on the development of a new landowning structure, based on these estates which were given over to cereals, grown for export in order to meet the financial demands of the long conflict with the Angevins. Au 12e siècle, sous le règne de rois normands, la Sicile était une des régions les plus prospères de la Méditerranée. A la fin du 15e siècle, elle avait sombré dans l'état de dépression et de dépendance semi-coloniale qui est devenu la marque d'une grande partie de son histoire moderne. Cette transformation ” un processus de changement socio-économique accompagne de bouleversements politiques ” forme le sujet de cet ouvrage. L'approche d'Henri Bresc se fait à deux niveaux: selon l'angle de sujets spécifiques, tels la classe notariale, ou encore la minuscule île de Pantelleria et à partir de thèmes plus vastes; parmi ces derniers, se trouve la composition de la population sicilienne. Ces articles retracent la détérioration du s

This book examines the significance of the cotton trade in the Mediterranean traffic in the Later Middle Ages and evaluates its effects on the economy of the Occident. It covers all aspects of the production of, commerce and trade in cotton. The merchants of Venice, Genoa, Barcelona and Florence played the most important role in the cotton trade in the Mediterranean. The massing of supplies of raw material by the merchants of the four maritime cities led to the mass fabrication of cotton products. In this way Western society saw a remarkable growth in the consumption of cotton products in the Later Middle Ages.

This book is a collection of milestone articles of a leading scholar in the study of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, a crossroads of Latin-Christian, Greek-Byzantine, and Arab-Islamic cultures and one of the most fascinating but also one of the most neglected kingdoms in the medieval world. Some of his articles were published in influential journals such as English Historical Review, Viator, Mediterranean Historical Review, and Papers of the British School at Rome, while others appeared in hard-to-obtain festschrifts, proceedings of international conferences, and so on. The articles included here, based on analysis of Latin, Greek, and Arabic documents as well as multi-lingual parchments, explore subjects of interest in medieval Mediterranean world such as Norman administrations, multi-cultural courts, Christian-Muslim diplomacy, conquests and migrations, religious tolerance and conflicts, cross-cultural contacts, and so forth. Some of them dig deep into curious specific topics, while others settle disputes among scholars and correct our antiquated interpretations. His attention to the administrative structure of the kingdom of Sicily, whose bureaucracy was staffed by Greeks, Muslims and Latins, has been a particularly important part of his work, where he has engaged in major debates with other scholars in the field.

The historical study of war in the Spain of Philip II forms the starting point for the articles in this volume. They approach this not so much from a military angle, but as a problem of organization, procurement and finance. In a sense, the articles represent an assessment of the effectiveness of the Spanish government and so, given the apparent precocity of government growth in 16th-century Spain, they can also be seen as a critical commentary on the operational capabilities of the early-modern absolutist state. Six of the essays here focus on the Spanish Armada, in terms of its political and military objectives, but demonstrating how these were conditioned by basic systems limitations, not least in the procurement of suitable cannon. In the final articles Dr Thompson turns to the impact of war and its financing on the social structure, bearing in particular on the definition of nobility (and its sale), and on local democracy, and making full use, here as elsewhere, of the relatively unexplored local sources. Two of the papers here appear for the first time in English, whilst a third has been newly prepared for this volume. L’étude historique de la guerre sous Philippe II, roi d’Espagne, est à la base des articles contenus dans le présent recueil. Ceci est abordé non tant sous l’angle militaire, mais comme un problème d’organisation, d’acquisition de matériel et de financement. En un certain sens, ces documents représentent une évaluation de l’efficacité du gouvernement espagnol et peuvent par conséquent, étant donnée l’apparente précocité de la croissance gouvernementale en Espagne au 16 siècle, être considérés comme un commentaire critique quant aux capacités opérationnelles de l’Etat absolu proto-moderne. Une demi douzaine des essais font l’examen de l’Armada espagnole, en terme d’objectifs politiques et militaires, tout en démontrant comment ces derniers étaient conditionnés par des contraintes structurales,

This volume presents a series of penetrating analyses of particular poems and problems of literary history illustrating the many sides of medieval poetry and the interactions of learned, popular and courtly traditions. The first and longest essay, 'Waltharius-Gaiferos', aims to characterize the diverse treatments of one of the major European heroic themes - in modes that include lay and epic, saga and ballad, and range from pre-Carolingian times to the Renaissance. There follow three interrelated essays on the medieval transformations of Ovid, and a larger group devoted to close reading of medieval lyrics. After discussing some brilliant Latin compositions, of the 9th-12th centuries, both sacred and profane, and the work of two of the most captivating 'goliard' poets, Peter Dronke looks at the earliest formations of love-lyric in two vernaculars, Spanish and English. Finally, he explores the unique symbiosis of Latin and vernacular imagery in two key moments of Dante's Divine Comedy. Ce volume contient une série d’analyses perspicaces de poèmes spécifiques et de certains problèmes de l’histoire littéraire illustrant les multiples facettes de la poésie médiévale et l’interaction des traditions érudites, populaires et courtoises. Le premier essai, "Waltharius-Gaïferos", tente de décrire les divers traitements de l’un des principaux thèmes héroïques européens selon des modes qui incluent: le lai et l’épique, la saga et la ballade et qui s’étendent sur une période allant de l’époque pré-carolingienne à la Renaissance. Suivent trois articles corrélatifs sur les adaptations médiévales des textes d’Ovide, ainsi qu’un groupe d’études voue à la lecture détaillée de la poésie lyrique médiévale. Après avoir considéré l’oeuvre de deux des plus passionnants poètes "goliards" et un certain nombre de remarquables compositions latines, sacrées et profanes, datant du 9e-12e siècles, Peter Dronke se tourne vers les pre

This selection of articles by Robert-Henri Bautier deals with the political and institutional history of France between the 6th and 12th centuries, and is above all concerned with the changing extent of the rulers' power from the rise of the Carolingians onwards. A subsequent volume will focus on the Capetians, while a further pair of volumes deal with economic history. The first studies here examine two general topics: the emergence of Paris as the undisputed capital of France, and the ceremony of Royal coronation and consecration. The following articles, on Carolingian France, reconsider the significance of the battle of Roncevaux and the importance of the region of Neustria, then study the decomposition of the Carolingian empire in Southern France and Catalonia. The last group is concerned with various aspects of the re-expansion of central power under the early Capetian kings and, finally, with the evolution of one of the fundamental organs of medieval municipal government, the échevinage. Cette sélection d’articles par Robert-Henri Bautier traite de l’histoire politique et institutionnelle française entre le VIe et le XIIe siècle, et s’intéresse avant tout à l’éntendue territoriale changeante du pouvoir monarchique dès le début de la dynastie carolingienne. Un volume subséquent se concentre sur les Capétiens et deux autres ont pour thème l’histoire économique. Les premières études inclues dans le présent recueil examinent deux sujets d’ordre général: l’avènement de Paris en tant que capitale incontestable de la France et le développement de la cérémonie du couronnement et de la consécration royale. Les études suivantes considèrent à nouveau la signification de la bataille de Roncevaux et l’importance de la région de Neustrie. L’auteur passe ensuite à l’analyse de la désagrégation de l’empire carolingien dans le Midi de la France et en Catalogne. Le dernier groupe d’études concerne divers aspects de la ré