Peace, Piety, and Vendetta in Medieval Italy

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Italians and Italianists at Kalamazoo

Organizer Name

Jennifer Stiles, Kyler Williamsen

Organizer Affiliation

Univ. of Akron, Western Michigan Univ.

Presider Name

Jennifer Stiles

Paper Title 1

"Siena could not stop them": Vendetta as a Political Tool in Late Medieval Siena (Twelfth-Fourteenth Centuries)

Presenter 1 Name

Kyler Williamsen

Paper Title 2

Establishing an Honorable Peace: The Role of Forgiveness, Penance, and Mercy in Forgoing Vendettas in Trecento Italy

Presenter 2 Name

Glenn Kumhera

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Pennsylvania State Univ.-Erie, The Behrend College

Paper Title 3

Peace Is the Word: Peacemaking during the Bianchi Processions of 1399 in Tuscany

Presenter 3 Name

Alexandra Lee

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Univ. College London

Start Date

12-5-2017 10:00 AM

Session Location

Schneider 1255

Description

Vendetta, and the perpetual attempt to resolve it, was an integral part of daily life throughout medieval Italy. This panel seeks to highlight the role of both vendetta and peacemaking as experienced by individuals, family groups, and the greater community. While diverse in focus, the papers within this session are linked thematically by their examination of both sacred and secular influences on medieval concepts of vengeance, honor and reconciliation. Topics include the peacemaking activities of the Bianchi in Tuscany; the approach to vendetta and reconciliation of the Salimbeni and Tolomei of Siena; and the role of repentance, penance, and confession in peacemaking throughout Siena, Rome, and Cascia.

Karina F. Attar