
Medieval Rome analyses the history of the city of Rome between 900 and 1150, a period of major change in the city. This volume doesn't merely seek to tell the story of the city from the traditional Church standpoint; instead, it engages in studies of the city's processions, material culture, legal transformations, and sense of the past, seeking to unravel the complexities of Roman cultural identity, including its urban economy, social history as seen across the different strata of society, and the articulation between the city's regions. This new approach serves to underpin a major reinterpretation of Rome's political history in the era of the 'reform papacy', one of the greatest crises in Rome's history, which had a resonance across the entire continent. Medieval Rome is the most systematic analysis ever made of two and a half centuries of Rome's history, one which saw centuries of stability undermined by external crisis and the long period of reconstruction which followed.
This work investigates the socio-political evolution of Rome between 900 and 1150, questioning how the city maintained stability amidst internal crises and the transformative era of the reform papacy. Chris Wickham, a prominent historian of the medieval period, utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to move beyond ecclesiastical narratives. By analyzing material culture, legal records, and urban topography, he constructs a framework that reinterprets the city's political trajectory and cultural identity during a period of significant continental upheaval.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars recognize this volume as a rigorous, systematic analysis that challenges traditional church-centric historiography. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for those studying the complexities of medieval urban governance.
Page Count:
529
Publication Date:
2014-01-01
ISBN-10:
0191030902
ISBN-13:
9780191030901
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