Sculdais and Gastalds. Notes on Minor Officials in the Principality of Salerno in 9th-11th Century
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Abstract
This essay explores social profiles and prerogatives of minor officials in the Principality of Salerno between the 9th and the 11th centuries. Some rich documentary dossiers show a coherent picture. Sculdais and gastalds were endowed with modest riches; they normally exercised their power in the area of origin, away from Salerno; they rarely consolidated their social standing or became counts – i.e., a more prestigious rank. Chances for promotion were limited. This is best shown through the case of a gastald named Vivo, son of Pietro, who lived in the second half of the 11th century – that is, between the last decades of Lombard rule and the ultimate success of the Normans.
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