Politics and piracy: The duchy of Gaeta in the twelfth century

Abstract

The history of the duchy of Gaeta in the early twelfth century is ignored by historians of southern Italy, as attention focuses on the activities of the Gaetans' Norman overlords in this period. This paper argues that the political developments in Gaeta in this period deserve further recognition, being significantly different to those in other southern cities. The emergence of a consulate in the city links it with the better-known communal structures of cities in northern Italy at this time. Commercial exchanges between Gaeta and northern cities, especially Genoa, are examined as a possible cause of this political novelty. It is concluded that the division of Italian historiography on the twelfth century into studies confined to the southern kingdom of Sicily and the northern communes overlooks parallel developments in each and underestimates the level of exchange between the two halves of the peninsula.