Una parola contesa: ‘populus’ al tempo della lotta per le investiture

The Latin termpopulusrefers to both the whole population (the People ofGod) as well as a specific social group (theplebs). This ambiguity allows the term to beused in an ideological manner: it therefore can be used to attribute political authorityto the ‚non­privileged‘ population. According to modern historians, the ideological useof the termpopulusin Italian cities dates back to the middle of the twelfth century,a time when a genuine dialectic emerged between themilitesand the ‚non­milites‘(i. e. thepopulus). Is this really the case? When does the ideological use of the termpopulusreally date back to? This research reveals that the authors involved in theInvestiture Controversy were already aware of the ambiguity of the term, using it tosupport their argumentes, or, on the contrary, they were not convinced about its use.Our study is based on a small number of works, all composed around the last quarterof the eleventh century: the „Liber gestorum recentium“ by Arnulf of Milan (c. 1077),the „Mediolanensis historiae libri quatuor“ attributed to Landulf the Elder (after 1075),the „Vita Arialdi“ by the Vallombrosa abbott Andreas (c. 1075), the „Liber ad amicum“by the Bishop of Piacenza Bonizo (c. 1086), and the „Vita metrica Anselmi“ by the Bishopof Lucca Rangerius (late eleventh century).