The French in the Kingdom of Sicily, 1266-1305

by Jean Dunbabin

Overview

Charles of Anjou's conquest of the Sicilian Regno in 1266 transformed relations between France and the kingdom of Sicily. This original study of contact and exchange in the Middle Ages explores the significance of the many cultural, religious and political exchanges between the two countries, arguing that the links were more diverse and stronger than simply the rulers' family connections. Jean Dunbabin shows how influence flowed as much from south to north as vice versa, and that France was strongly influenced by the experiences of those who returned after years of fighting in the Regno. As well as considering the experiences of notable crusading families, she sheds new light on the career of Robert II d'Artois, who virtually ruled the Regno for six years before returning to France to remodel the government of Artois. This comparative history of two societies offers an important perspective on medieval Western Europe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139012607
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/03/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	641 KB

About the Author

Jean Dunbabin is a Senior Research Fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. Her previous publications include Charles I of Anjou: Power, Kingship and State-Making in Thirteenth-Century Europe (1998) and Captivity and Imprisonment in Western Europe, 1000–1300 (2002).

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. Means of Communication: 1. Routes and journeys; 2. Meetings, embassies and correspondence; 3. The movement of money; Part II. Indirect Channels of Communication: 4. Lesser means of diffusing Angevin influences; Part III. Settlers in the Regno: 5. Robert II d'Artois; 6. The Dampierres, the comital family of Flanders; 7. Other French aristocratic families; 8. Foundations and degrees of French aristocratic commitment to the Angevin regime in the Regno; 9. The French experience in the Regno; Part IV. Cultural and Political Impacts: 10. Royal ideology: the saintly family; 11. Religious politics and practices; 12. The universities of Naples and Paris; 13. Medicine and science; 14. Law; 15. Administrative practices; 16. Navy and army; 17. Literature; Epilogue: spurs to remembering; Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

"Amongst the many excellent features worth highlighting is the book’s discussion of the role of Robert II d’Artois. This reflects a profound knowledge of the sources, both printed and archival...an extremely important work. It is a model of comparative history, and offers historians of late medieval France important new ways of thinking about the reigns of the later Capetians." Chris Jones, Parergon - Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies

"...interdisciplinary and innovative..." -Steven A. Epstein, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

From the Publisher