Crusades in northern Italy in the thirteenth century

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

This chapter will explore and discuss the introduction, consolidation, and impact of crusading against Christians within the world of the Italian city republics, which took place in the thirteenth century. This is especially worth exploring because the Italian city republics had very distinctive experiences of non-monarchical government and popular sovereignty in medieval Europe. While Italian historiography has generally overlooked crusading against Christians, the first seminal work on the topic focussed on Italy, namely, Housley’s The Italian Crusades (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1982). Housley’s book, however, covered the entire peninsula and only the period after 1254. Yet, while the topic has not been expanded since Housley’s book, crusading against Christians was actually introduced in northern Italy in the first half of the thirteenth century. After outlining the phenomenon and the historiography on it, this chapter will discuss its nature (the role of heresy for instance), its impact and evolution by comparing the two halves of the century. One of its main arguments is that this type of crusade did not attract overt criticism in northern Italy in the first half of the century, but, around the middle of the century, it did give an unprecedented religious dimension to the endemic factional strife within and among the city republics, exacerbating it. That, however, gradually became more and more problematic in the second half of the thirteenth century because of the consolidation of the use of crusades within northern Italy, which contributed to the downfall of many republican regimes and started to attract harsher criticism.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCrusading against Christians in the Middle Ages
EditorsMike Carr, Nikolaos G. Chrissis , Gianluca Raccagni
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Chapter4
Pages81-113
Number of pages33
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9783031473395
ISBN (Print)9783031473388, 9783031473418
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Mar 2024

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Lombardy
  • Frederick II
  • Ezzelino da Romano
  • heresy
  • Italy
  • communes

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  • Conclusion

    Carr, M., Chrissis, N. G. & Raccagni, G., 28 Mar 2024, Crusading against Christians in the Middle Ages. Carr, M., Chrissis, N. G. & Raccagni, G. (eds.). 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan, p. 349-368 20 p.

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

  • Crusades against the Catalans of Athens, c.1311-1334

    Carr, M., 28 Mar 2024, Crusading against Christians in the Middle Ages. Carr, M., Chrissis, N. G. & Raccagni, G. (eds.). 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan, p. 213-229 17 p.

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

  • Crusading against Bosnian Christians, c. 1234–1241

    Day, K., 28 Mar 2024, Crusading against Christians in the Middle Ages. Carr, M., Chrissis, N. & Raccagni, G. (eds.). 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan, p. 191-212 19 p.

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

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