Vassals without Feudalism in Carolingian Italy
Giuseppe Albertoni
How does one study the Carolingian vassals after renewal of historiographic paradigms following publication Susan Reynolds' Fiefs and Vassalls? In this chapter, I tried to answer question. It focusses on reconstruction meaning given term vassus in so-called Italic capitularies; latter, although they certainly cannot be considered a homogenous genre, do, nevertheless, share specific coherent political vocabulary. vassalage – whether Italian or not is thus clearly far from being ‘conceptual black hole’, but nor was it merely bulwark against dissolution state, as hypothesized by Ganshof. Vassalage was, fact, very flexible instrument, which could adopted government newly conquered territories relation ‘agents’ who supported king/emperor, counts bishops their functions. also individual ‘magnates’ for services related own domus. Therefore Italy, elsewhere, two models vassalages emerged. This flexibility reason success Italy.
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