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Charles I of Anjou

Charles I of Anjou

Power, Kingship and State-making in Thirteenth-century Europe

Jean Dunbabin

Jan 1998, Paperback, 264 pages
ISBN13: 9780582253704
ISBN10: 0582253705
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Charles I of Anjou (1225-85), brother of St Louis, was one of the most controversial figures of thirteenth-century Europe. A royal adventurer, who carved out a huge Mediterranean power block, as ruler of Provence, Jerusalem and the kingdom of Naples as well as Anjou, he changed for good the political configuration of the Mediterranean world - even though his ambitions were fatally undermined by the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers. Jean Dunbabin's study - the first in English for 40 years - reassesses Charles's extraordinary career, his pivotal role in the crusades and in military reform, trading, diplomacy, learning and the arts, and finds a more remarkable figure than the ruthless thug of conventional historiography.

Aknowledgements.
Note on names.
Abbreviations.

PART ONE: The Man.

The Prince.
The Capetian.

PART TWO: The Dominions.

The French Lands.
Provence.
The Regno.
The Rest of Italy.
The Mediterranean World.
The Sicilian Vespers.
An Empire?

PART THREE: Policies.

The Papacy.
The Church.
The Economy.
The Army and Navy.

PART FOUR: Court Life and Culture.

Family and Familia.
Chivalry and Display.
Literature, Art and Architecture.
Learning.
Personal Piety.
Genealogical Table.
map.
Bibliography.
Index.

  • Explores through him the international power politics of Mediterranean C13th Europe - as a result of his actions the political map of Europe was redrawn.
  • Assesses Charles' personal responsibility for the Sicilian Vespers.
  • Considers the cultural dimension of French settlement in Naples and his long-term impact on Southern Italy.
  • An important contribution to the study of colonialism in medieval history, now a major topic of current research.
  • Makes an ideal companion to David Abualafia's The Western Mediterranean Kingdoms 1200-1500 which explores the long-term ramification of Charles's imperial ambitions.

Expert Reviews

"...Dunbabin has crafted an excellent introduction to the man and pointed the way to much-need further research"
Journal of Ecclesiastical History
"Dunbabin has performed a signal service, synthesizing succintly a wealth of scholarship on his [Charles I] life, (...) and providing a well-balanced account, securely grounded in surviving documentation, which students and teachers alike will find instructive."
English historical review, 1999

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