Duchy of Amalfi
Duchy of Amalfi | |||||||||
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958–1137 | |||||||||
Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Church | |||||||||
Government | Elective duchy | ||||||||
Duke | |||||||||
• 957–958 | Mastalus II (first) | ||||||||
• 1096–c.1100 | Marinus Sebastus (last) | ||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Duke elected | 958 | ||||||||
• Sacked by Pisa | 1137 | ||||||||
Population | |||||||||
• 1131 | 70,000 | ||||||||
Currency | Solidus Tarì | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Today part of | Italy |
The Duchy of Amalfi (
During the 10th and 11th centuries Amalfi was estimated to have a population of 50,000–70,000 people.
History
The city of Amalfi was founded as a trading post in 339. Its first bishop was appointed in 596. In 838, the city was captured by
From 1034, Amalfi came under the control of the Principality of Capua and, in 1039, that of Salerno. In 1073, Robert Guiscard conquered the city and took the title dux Amalfitanorum "duke of the Amalfitans". In 1096, Amalfi revolted, but this was put down in 1101. It revolted again in 1130 and was finally subdued in 1131, when the Emir John marched on Amalfi by land and George of Antioch blockaded the town by sea and set up a base on Capri. In 1135 and 1137, Pisa sacked the city and the glory of Amalfi was past.
The Arab traveller Ibn Hawqal, writing in 977 during the great reign of Manso I, described Amalfi as:
... la più prospera città di Longobardia, la più nobile, la più illustre per le sue condizioni, la più agiata ed opulenta. Il territorio di Amalfi confina con quello di Napoli; la quale è bella città, ma meno importante di Amalfi.
... the most prosperous Lombard city, the most noble, the most illustrious for its conditions, the most wealthy and opulent. The territory of Amalfi borders that of Naples; a beautiful city, but less important than Amalfi.
The title "Duke of Amalfi" was revived in the later 14th century as a title used within the Kingdom of Naples.
Importance
After the Amalfitans broke free of Lombard control they did not return to Neapolitan control but instead stated their independence.[2] After 839 Amalfi was an independent entity and created a strong maritime presence. Amalfi had strong economic ties with both the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate.[3][page needed] The Amalfitans had a permanent and important presence in Constantinople during the 10th and 11th centuries. Amalfitans also created Latin Christian outposts in the Levant around 1040 and hostels for Christian pilgrims in Jerusalem and Antioch.[3] During the 10th and 11th centuries Amalfi was dominating trade and commerce with North Africa and the Levant,[4] and one of the major exports from Amalfi during the Middle Ages was the chestnut.[5]
The legacy of the Duchy of Amalfi
While the Duchy of Amalfi never regained its independence after 1137, the city of Amalfi was still important to maritime trade for the next 200 years, until 1343, when an earthquake and a storm destroyed most of its harbor.[1] The most important contribution Amalfi made during those 200 years was probably the perfection of the modern-day box compass. Between 1295 and 1302, Flavio Gioia converted the compass from a needle floating in water to what we use today, a round box with a compass card that rotates 360 degrees attached to a magnetic element.[1]
See also
- Dukes of Amalfi
- Amalfi Coast
- Maritime republics
Bibliography
- Pavan, Massimiliano (1960). Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana.
- ISBN 0-521-52205-6.
- Norwich, John Julius (1967). The Normans in the South, 1016-1130. London: Longman.
- Norwich, John Julius (1970). The Normans in the South 1016-1130. London: Longman.
- Curtis, Edmund (1912). Roger of Sicily and the Normans in Lower Italy, 1016-1154. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- Donald, Matthew (1992). The Norman kingdom of Sicily. ISBN 0-521-26911-3.
- Houben, Hubert (2002). Roger II of Sicily: a ruler between East and West. ISBN 0-521-65573-0.
- Chalandon, Ferdinand (1907). Histoire de la domination normande en Italie et en Sicile (in French). Paris: Librairie A. Picard et fils.
References
- ^ OCLC 45102891.
- ^ OCLC 30112695.
- ^ OCLC 1007067413.
- OCLC 828621064.
- OCLC 671307987.