Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia provides an introduction to the many and diverse facets of Italian civilization from the late Roman empire to the end of the fourteenth century. To speak of "Italy" is, of course, anachronistic—a geographical rather than a political designation—given that Italy did not become a nation until the second half of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the idea of "Italy" was present in the mind of Dante and Petrarch and many others who longed for the peace and stability that they presumed and hoped a nation-state would provide. The two volumes of this encyclopedia present articles, both long and short, on a wide range of topics that concern the civilization of medieval Italy: history, literature, art, music, urban development, commerce and economics, social and political institutions, religion and hagiography, philosophy, science, and so on. We have attempted to bring together in one convenient reference work all these aspects of Italian civilization; however, given the vastness and the complexity of the subject matter, we make no claim for completeness. We hope to have provided a well-balanced, informative, and up-to-date reference work that will serve the interests of students and the general public, as well as those of scholars in a variety of disciplines.
The entries in this encyclopedia range in length from about 100 words to more than 10,000. Shorter entries usually treat very specific topics; longer entries are intended to trace the history and development of individual cities and to explain and interpret major institutions, writers and works, cultural movements, and monuments. As much as possible, we have tried to provide an interdisciplinary focus, for that sort of integrative approach not only will make a topic more accessible to a larger audience but also will enable readers to see relationships and connections that might not be immediately apparent. Although scholars will generally be familiar with the basic information and bibliographies found in those articles in their own areas of expertise, they should find articles in other areas valuable for critical orientation, interpretation, and bibliography. The analytical index at the end of Volume 2 and the cross-references at the end of most articles will serve as indispensable aids to using the work.
Entries are arranged alphabetically, and individual entry titles are in either English or Italian, depending on what we considered the more common usage. The works of a specific author are usually discussed in the entry devoted to that author, although some general entries (e.g., Italian Poetry: Lyric) discuss in a chronological, topical, or synthetic way numerous authors, each of whom has a separate entry. Some problems emerged in the alphabetizing of personal names, and some inconsistencies may have been unavoidable. The guiding principle has been to list the person under the name that would be most natural or most familiar to most readers; thus Dante Alighieri is listed under D and Cino da Pistoia under C, while Giovanni Boccaccio is found under B and Guido Cavalcanti under C; Peter Damian is found under D, but Peter Lombard is listed under P. The bibliographies were prepared for specialists and nonspecialists alike and include, when appropriate, indications of primary sources (editions), translations, and a wide variety of secondary sources and critical studies, all of which provide a wealth of material for further reading and study. This encyclopedia also includes maps, illustrations for many entries, and an appendix listing popes and rulers.