| Popis: |
In the context of southern feudalism in the fifteenth century, the estate of Taranto prince Giovanni Antonio Orsini del Balzo (1420-1463) is remarkable above all for its exceptional manner of achieving territorial consistency within its feudal area in Taranto. To gain an understanding of the relationship between the prince and the various feudal communities over which he exerted jurisdictional prerogative and which provided him with a living, the example offered by the Francavilla area (today in Brindisi province) is extremely useful. The town, a fief of the princes of Taranto since the early 14th century, was included in the overall administration of the Orsini family from 1455 onwards. The essay focuses on documentation relating to Francavilla's eight years of direct government by the Orsini prince (1455-1463), examines the feudal and jurisdictional rights pertaining to the prince's officials and gives a broad analysis of the local administrative apparatus and the composition of the feudal rent. |
