Tuscany (Medieval Studies)

Death was a common factor during pregnancy and childbirth in both past and recent societies. Nevertheless, the recording of women from archaeological contexts still featuring a fetus in the pelvic cavity or dystocia is very rare. Even less frequent are cases of post mortem fetal extrusion. At the archaeological site of San Genesio (San Miniato, Pisa), a stoppage point along the Via Francigena, the cemetery phases dating from the 6th to the 13th century were investigated. In one of the phases dating to the Early Medieval period, the skeleton of a female individual of about thirty years of age, deceased during the 32nd week of pregnancy, was documented. The fetus was positioned between the femurs, in the opposite orientation to that of the mother. Taphonomic analysis, comparative review of other forensic and archaeological cases and the anthropological study of the recorded skeletons suggest that, due to the accumulation of gas during the emphysematous phase of decomposition, the fetus would have been expelled from the mother's pelvic cavity before the bodies were completely covered by soil. We can define this finding as one of those rare cases of "coffin birth" in an archaeological context.

An ancient Etruscan settlement located in the Valdichiana, along the border between Tuscany and Umbria, Cortona has attracted renewed interest over the last two decades among historians of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Falling into this line of research is the publication of the communal statute from 1325, when the government handed the reins of power to the seigneurial regime revolving around Ranieri Casali. In the same year, Cortona became an episcopal seat and thus also gained the status of a city proper. Through a careful analysis of this extraordinarily rich source, the article outlines the salient aspects of the city's economy and society, with a focus on its environmental resources and urban activities, the distribution of wealth and its poor relief, the condition of women, and the topography of social relations. The picture that emerges from this analysis is that of a lively and dynamic city, arguably at the peak of its development, at a time when many urban centres in Italy and across Europe were already experiencing a downturn after the economic expansion of the Middle Ages.

This essay is concerned with the economic evolution of the Upper Valdarno between the 12th and 15th centuries. In these four centuries, this corner of Tuscany saw a remarkable evolution of the productive activities, of the settlements and of the demographic levels. In particular, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the penetration of Florentine mercantile capitals was very strong, with a progressive diffusion of the city's landed property and a subjection of the local economy to the needs of Florence destined to last until the end of the modern age.

La ricchezza della documentazione notarile conservata negli archivi toscani sta alla base delle ricerche di questo volume collettivo: una documentazione per il basso Medioevo sovrabbondante, capillare, capace di illuminare anche dinamiche sociali ed economiche tradizionalmente avvicinate con fonti di matrice imprenditoriale. I saggi qui raccolti, tuttavia, hanno fatto qualcosa di più che segnalare le possibilità di studio e la varietà di percorsi che si aprono seguendo le carriere dei notai e le loro variegate esperienze professionali. L’analisi delle imbreviature superstiti non è andata disgiunta dalla comprensione del patrimonio documentario ‘virtuale’, perché citato nelle fonti ma non conservato, e comunque in quanto tale indice dell’incidenza complessiva del notariato. Questo lavoro collettivo ha dunque guardato alla messa a punto di alcuni nuclei problematici: dimensione territoriale del lavoro notarile; rapporto dei notai con i molteplici poteri pubblici ed ecclesiastici (tanto nelle città quanto nei contadi); specializzazioni funzionali nell’attività per corporazioni di mestiere, confraternite e fabbricerie; differenziazioni negli usi scrittori e nei livelli culturali raggiunti. Il tutto anche nella prospettiva di altri ambiti regionali (italiani e mediterranei) e per un complessivo progresso della ricerca al riguardo.

Iconografia a cura di Raffaele Argenziano.
La Toscana medievale si caratterizzò, tra XIII e XIV secolo, per una vivacis-sima dinamica religiosa e per la grande quantità di sante donne che localmente incarnarono istanze locali di devozione. Si trattò di un fenomeno riconducibile ad una più complessiva trasformazione della società che ebbe ricadute impor-tanti anche sul piano del costume religioso. Attori di questo rinnovamento fu-rono i Mendicanti che negli ambienti urbani promossero una pastorale specia-lizzata per le donne, contribuendo a dare volto femminile alla pietà. Pur nel diversificarsi delle sue espressioni il fenomeno risentiva di una lunga tradizio-ne devozionale che aveva trovato la sua rappresentazione ideale non solo nel culto per la Madonna ma anche nel vasto sedimento popolare dell'affabulazio-ne sacra. Le donne che in Toscana vissero in fama di santità e si imposero alla memoria devozionale dei fedeli furono espressione del composito divenire del-la società rappresentandone le trasformazioni nel lungo periodo compreso tra pieno medioevo e prima età moderna. I modelli che esse incarnarono si trasfor-marono assieme ai rispettivi contesti storici, rendendo l'immagine agiografica speculare alla realtà vissuta: così alle aristocratiche badesse del pieno medioevo 'monastico' subentrò la rappresentazione di una santità 'irregolare' e laica spes-so caratterizzata dalla marginalità e dalla precarietà esistenziale che rivitalizzò formule antiche della penitenza canonica, come la reclusione volontaria, o det-te vita a nuove sperimentazioni religiose.

ABSTRACT – A road, two canonical parishes. Some notes for the history of Certaldo in the medieval and modern age.
Recalled in documents since the XIV century, the toponym of «Canonica» hasn’t changed over the centuries identifying up to the present day the area located on the SW outskirts of the town of Certaldo, a few hundred meters from the «Via Traversa Romana». Despite the significance of the toponym and the documentary evidence, the memory of the existence of an ancient canonical parish dedicated to Sant’Andrea, in this precise place, got lost. The qualifying adjective «vetus», «old» that according to the documents is associated to the sacred building, indicates that it belongs to an earlier period compared to San Michele Arcangelo, the other canonical parish of Certaldo (attested since 1171) of which Sant’Andrea – together with the church of Santa Maria in Collina – in 1226 was an annexe chapel. At the end of the 18th century the church of Sant’Andrea was incorporated into the body of the «house for Villa and Farm use» (still present although ruined) resulting from the transformations occurred over the centuries to those ancient possessions.

The purpose of this study is to briefly retrace the history of the Francigena medieval route from its beginning until the development projects nowadays, with contextual reference to the Valdelsa track, underlining its touristic and cultural potential. Data for this study were gathered among recent historical studies and academic journals on the subject.

Coniugando i dati provenienti dallo studio della tradizione manoscritta a quelli desumibili dall’analisi di testi particolarmente significativi, questo articolo traccia un profilo critico delle modalità con le quali la tradizione manoscritta trobadorica si è diffusa in area toscana nel corso del Duecento. Si individua cosí un canale di accesso privilegiato alla regione attivo almeno dagli anni Sessanta del XIII secolo in corrispondenza dell’asse Monferrato-Genova-Malaspina. In relazione a questo itinerario fondamentale si definiscono inoltre le tracce di tradizioni minoritarie e si individua un ancora piú antico sostrato di produzione trobadorica legata a quest’area.

Censimento e catalogazione su base informatica dei manoscritti medievali presenti sul territorio toscano. La Regione Toscana ha avviato dal 1992 la catalogazione informatizzata dei manoscritti medievali (cioè datati o databili entro l’anno 1500) presenti sul suo territorio, avendo come fine il censimento, la tutela e la valorizzazione del patrimonio manoscritto toscano. Il progetto, che utilizza il software CDS/ISIS con l’applicativo CODEX specificamente studiato, interessa tutte le biblioteche della Toscana, eccetto le seguenti biblioteche statali: a Firenze le biblioteche Marucelliana, Medicea Laurenziana, Nazionale Centrale, Riccardiana; a Pisa la Biblioteca Universitaria. Oltre alle biblioteche sono censite tutte le possibili sedi di conservazione: archivi statali e comunali, biblioteche e archivi capitolari, monasteri, conventi, chiese, seminari vescovili, accademie e analoghe istituzioni culturali, musei. Ove possibile sono censiti anche i manoscritti di proprietà privata.

Over the 10th and 11th centuries, the dioceses of Florence and Fiesole were governed by important bishops. Their charisma and political power, however, did not prevent them being consigned to obscurity. This paper describes how and why this came about, presenting an analysis of clues found in several texts written by the reformers (Saint Peter Damian's letters, Saint John Gualbert's life). It appears that the authority of the bishops was undermined by the rivalry between two influential religious communities close to the Episcopate – the monastery of San Miniato al Monte and the Florentine cathedral chapter – that came to the fore at about the same time. A powerful Florentine family (the Visdomini) and a group of John Gualbert’s monastic followers took advantage of this conflict, and while the bishops were busy calming the waters between the canons and monks, the Visdomini rose to political prominence and John Gualbert’s fortunes were favoured on the spiritual plane.

The archaeological excavation of the castle of Montecastrese is a good starting point for the study of Versilia region between the 7th and the beginning of the 16th century. Medieval Versilia region coincides with the territory defined in the agreement signed in 1219 between the lords of Vallecchia and Corvaia, and placed between the Apuan Alps to the East, the Ligurian Sea to the West, the Lake of Porta to the North and the Lake Massaciuccoli to the South. Between late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, Versilia was first occupied by the Byzantine limes, then by Lombard’s fortified settlements positioned close to the main roads. Between the 9th and the first half of the 10th century, began a process of incastellamento that led to the predominance of the lords of Corvaia and Vallecchia, who managed to carve out a dominant position in the territory even against Lucca and Pisa. The first sought to dominate a territory rich in resources and landing places that enable it to carry out its trades independently by the second. In the first half of the 13th century, Lucca came out winning from this conflict: it founded the burgs of Pietrasanta and Camaiore, destroyed the neighboring towers and fortifications and neutralized the Versilia nobility. The castrum of Montecastrese stands behind Camaiore and overlooks its valley and the passes towards Garfagnana. The castle is mentioned for the first time in 1219, but perhaps it should be recognized in the “loco ubi dicitur castello" mentioned in a document dated 950. The castle covers an area of approximately 2 hectares, enclosed by a double curtain of walls: one surrounding the enceinte, with  two square towers and what is believed to be a donjon, the other closes the village with a hundred houses and the church of St. Barbara. The archaeological excavation is still ongoing and has so far investigated 5 different areas. The area 2000, the subject of this paper, excavated in 2008/2010, has documented a 8th-10th century structure made of perishable material with a stone socle and rammed earth walls, part of a settlement surrounded by a double timber palisade; a stone fortification built between the 10th and 11th century, a square tower, surrounded by a square curtain wall with a gatehouse, built in the 12th century and demolished at the beginning of the 13th century as a result of Lucca conquest.

La circolazione del fiorino piccolo è chiaramente documentata dal 1256, però solo dal primo semestre 1315 troviamo testimonianza della sua coniazione nel Libro della Zecca, che contiene registrazioni relative agli anni successivi al 1303. Le liste di monete presenti in alcune pratiche di mercatura e trattati di aritmetica redatti tra il 1280 circa ed il 1315 indicano, comunque, che durante la seconda metà del Duecento questo
nominale fu soggetto ad una serie di svalutazioni che dettero probabilmente luogo ad emissioni distinte. Questo articolo presenta una proposta di classificazione dei fiorini piccoli duecenteschi basata sui dati archeologici disponibili e sull’analisi delle caratteristiche stilistiche, epigrafiche e pondometriche, con la distinzione in tre gruppi distinti di emissioni. Ne emerge un quadro piuttosto completo, con le prime emissioni appartenenti agli anni ’50 e ’60 caratterizzate dal busto del santo in stile arcaico, e con la identificazione di una nuova serie coniata con numerosi segni di zecca e databile tra la fine degli anni ’60 ed il 1303. Il confronto tra quest’ultima ed i fiorini piccoli coniati a partire dal 1315 rivela, infine, caratteristiche e differenze utili per la loro classificazione.

The last will of Nino Visconti, king of Gallura.Nino Visconti, the Pisan king of the little Sardinian Kingdom of Gallura, shared for a few mounths (between 1287 and 1288) the rule of Pisa with the famous Count Ugolino, and was equally encountered by Dante in his Comedy. Nino made his will on 1296, July 26. At this time, he was attempting to defend his Kingdom against Mariano, king of Arborea, who had allied himself with the Commune of Pisa. The paper aims to clarify the last years of Nino’s life and his final decision to make a desperate effort to save his political position in Sardinia.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of six dicta testium from the Tuscia from 1177 to 1237, highlighting fascinating elements of political language and discourse. For instance, the study of a particular theme (violent conflict) and several particularly gravid words (guerra, exercitus, cavalcata, oste) indicate the existence of several groups or communities of memoria in the territories documented in the inquisitiones. The contraposition of these groups within the judicial vertices prompted them to manipulate the record through the use of particularly sophisticated and well-chosen language. Indeed, among the principal characteristics of the dicta is the fact that their memoria cannot be reduced to the linear, pacified, coherent thread that emerges from other types of source, for example libri iurium and statutory codes, making them an ideal record for the purposes of counterfactual historical research.

Il lavoro indaga le vicende tardoantiche e altomedievali di una delle più celebri chiese lucchesi sulla base dei riscontri archeologici e, in misura maggiore, delle fonti documentarie ancora a nostra disposizione. Sono messi in particolare luce il rapporto tra la chiesa e il suo leggendario fondatore e vescovo di Lucca, l'irlandese Frediano, e le dinamiche che, nei secoli successivi, intercorrono tra le autorità pubbliche e religiose della città per il controllo dell'ente e per la redistribuzione, in un'ottica clientelare, del suo ricco patrimonio fondiario.

The article opens with a summary of the state of 11th century architecture studies, very advanced in the last decade also in Tuscany. A review of Tuscan baptisteries around the year 1000 shows the exceptional nature of the proto-Romanesque ones. In particular, the monumental cases of Lucca (1023-1056), Arezzo (1014-1032) and Florence are analyzed, whose chronology and liturgy are specified by new documentary and archaeological evidences.
The intertwining of very prestigious models - Pantheon, Anastasis, San Vitale in Ravenna, chapel of Aachen, San Donato in Zara, Galliano baptistery - can be explained with the episcopal commissioner adhering to the reform, in close relationship with empire and papacy. A verification of the holding of the new models is offered by their diffusion in the baptismal churches of the countryside.