County and Nobility in Norman Italy

Whilst historians often regard the Norman Kingdom of Sicily as centralised and administratively advanced, County and Nobility in Norman Italy counters this traditional interpretation; far from centralised and streamlined, this book reveals how the genesis and social structures of the kingdom were constantly fraught between the forces of royal power and local aristocracy authority. In doing so, Hervin Fernandez Aceves sheds important new light on medieval Italy. This book is the result of thorough research conducted on the vast source material for the history of this fascinating 12th-century world. Starting with the activities of Norman counts and the configuration of the counties, it explores how social control operated in these nodes of regional authority, and argues that the Sicilian monarchy relied on the counties (and the counts' authority) to keep the realm united and exercise control.

Hervin Fernández Aceves is a Fellow of the Royal Historial Society and has published works in English and Spanish investigating aristocratic power, prosopography, digital humanities, and the socio-political history of the medieval Mediterranean. His scientific work has refined new mixed methodologies based on historical interpretation, network analysis, prosopography, and textual digitalisation. His broad research interests include cultural history, rural societies, archaeology, sociological theories, and humanities outreach. He currently works as an Honorary Researcher at the University of Lancaster, UK, Editor-in-Chief for the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, Lecturer at TecMilenio University, Mexico and content creator for podcasts, radio, and television. He was educated at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Central European University, Hungary, and the University of Leeds, UK. He has been an Overseas Fellow of the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT) and a Rome Awardee at the British School at Rome.

List of Figures List of Maps List of Tables and Diagrams Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Counts of Norman Italy Before Roger II 2. The New Kingdom's Nobility and the Creation of the South Italian Counties 3. Leadership and Opposition of the Nobility under the Count of Loritello 4. Coalition and Survival over the Ascent of Gravina 5. New Spheres of Comital Action Under Margaret's Regency 6. Consolidated Counties During the Reign of William II 7. Beyond the County: The Counts' New Military and Political Role Conclusions Appendix 1. A Note on the Duana Baronum Appendix 2. Figures Bibliography Index