Un sistema di relazioni. Autorità regia e comunità cittadine nel regno italico al tempo di Barbarossa

This essay reassesses the relationship between Frederick Barbarossa and the cities of the regnum Italicum. It moves beyond the traditional view of an inevitable clash between empire and communes, interpreting the relationship between the sovereign and urban communities as a dynamic system of relations. Indeed, the kingdom configured itself indeed as a system of actions of government and of power relations in an ever-evolving becoming, fueled by mediation networks and bonds of loyalty. Within this framework, the sovereign’s action was intermittent yet pragmatic; while managing conflicts, royal authority actively sought consensus to integrate local powers into the imperial system. Similarly, individual cities were not cohesive collectivities but fragmented communities, split into factions and driven by power struggles of which the elites were fully aware. Their political configurations were constantly reshaped by shifting coalitions of interest among various actors, within which the sovereign himself entered in his own right. The direct ties that families, factions, and urban elites forged with Barbarossa configured urban political spaces through continuous interaction with the empire. Consequently, this study demonstrates that the conflict did not pit two opposing models against each other, but rather involved a complex network of actors operating within a single political system. The affirmation of urban autonomy and the consolidation of royal authority were part of a joint process of political reorganization. In the second half of the twelfth century, this process forged a new governance for the Italian kingdom, placing it on equal footing with contemporary European monarchies.