Rethinking Norman Italy

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.