Notaries and urban signoria. Notes on the Mantua’s Bonacolsi public written records between 13th and 14th centuries (re-reading Pietro Torelli)

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Gian Maria Varanini

Abstract

In several Italian cities between the 13th and the 14th century the political power is monopolized by a signore (a lord), thanks to the attribution of the arbitrium from the communal councils, later confirmed by the emperor or the pope in the form of the concession of the vicariate on the same city. These lords adopt new practices in choosing their men, organising the offices, producing different typologies of acts and cautiously elaborating new documentary models. The documentary communal system, and the notaries who produced and directed it, could adapt itself to the new political situation, at least at the beginning of this process. The essay focuses on these topics in order to analyse the case of Mantova under the Bonacolsi rule, reconsidering the researches of Pietro Torelli. The text explores the relationships between the lords of the city and a selected group of notaries, at the same time loyal to their original function as communal officers, but also clearly conscious of the rising documentary needs of the ruling family, mostly in the years 1290-1310.

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How to Cite
Varanini, Gian. 2008. “Notaries and Urban Signoria. Notes on the Mantua’s Bonacolsi Public Written Records Between 13th and 14th Centuries (re-Reading Pietro Torelli)”. Reti Medievali Journal 9 (1), Art. #7. https://doi.org/10.6092/1593-2214/96.
Section
Essayes in Monographic Section