Archive and Library Theory and Management

CRISTINA MANTEGNA

The course aims to provide students an advanced understanding and a more comprehensive and detailed knowledge on the subject of diplomatic record in Late antiquity and Middle age, with the necessary tools to interpret them in a critical view. During interactive lessons, students will acquire the ability to recognize the diplomatic forms, legal functions and value of the record in relation to the legal system of the production time. By the end of the course, they will be able to analyze in a critical way each type of diplomatic record, regardless of the historical and legal context in which it was produced.

The course aims to provide students an advanced understanding and a more comprehensive and detailed knowledge on the subject of diplomatic record in Late antiquity and Middle age, with the necessary tools to interpret them in a critical view. During interactive lessons, students will acquire the ability to recognize the legal functions and value of the record in relation to the legal system of the production time, as well as the dynamics underlying documentation practices. By the end of the course, they will be able to critically analyze every type of diplomatic document, regardless of the historical era and the legal and institutional context in which it was produced.

A knowledge, even elementary, of Latin language and a basic knowledge of Diplomatics are required.

The first part of the course will be of a general nature and will be dedicated to a general introduction and to the various legal functions recognisable in contemporary records; afterwards, these categories will be applied to the documentary production of the Late Antiquity and Middle Age. Subsequently, focus will be on a deep and more critical analysis of specific cases traced back to the Italian private charter (VIIIth-XIIth centuries), to the Italian judicial records (VIIIth-XIth centuries) and to imperial chancery records of the Carolingian age (IXth century).

G. Nicolaj, Lezioni di diplomatica generale. I. Istituzioni, Roma 2007 (pp. 51-88, except par. 6);
R.-H. Bautier, La chancellerie et les actes royaux dans les royaumes carolingiens, in «Bibliothèque de l’Ecole des chartes», 142 (1984), pp. 5-80 (especially pp. 5-67);
W. Huschner, L’idea della ‘cancelleria imperiale’ nella ricerca diplomatica. Diplomi ottoniani per destinatari in Toscana, in La Tuscia nell’alto e pieno medioevo. Fonti e temi storiografici ‘territoriali’ e ‘generali’ in memoria di Wilhelm Kurze. Atti dell’Incontro di studio (Siena-Abbadia San Salvatore, 6-7 giugno 2003), a cura di M. Marrocchi e C. Prezzolini, Firenze 2007, pp. 183-197;
G. Nicolaj, Formulari e nuovo formalismo nei processi del Regnum Italiae, in La giustizia nell’alto medioevo (secoli IX-XI), Spoleto 1997 (Settimane di studio del Centro Italiano di Studi sull’Alto Medioevo, XLIV), pp. 347-379, ora anche in Id., Storie di documenti. Storie di libri. Quarant’anni di studi, ricerche e vagabondaggi nell’eta antica e medievale, a cura di C. Mantegna, Dietikon-Zürich 2013, pp. 230-246;
Padoa Schioppa, Le rôle du droit savant dans quelques actes judiciaires italiens des XIe et XIIe siècles, in Confluences des droits savants et des pratiques judiciaries. Actes du Colloque de Montpellier, Milano 1979, pp. 341-371 (pubbl. also Il ruolo della cultura giuridica in alcuni atti giudiziari italiani dei secoli XI e XII, in «Nuova rivista storica», 64 (1980), pp. 265-289);
G. Nicolaj, Originale, authenticum, publicum: una sciarada per il documento diplomatico, in Charters, Cartularies, and Archives. The Preservation and Transmission of Documents in the Medieval West.Proceedings of a Colloquium of the Commission Internationale de Diplomatique (Princeton and New York, 16-18 September 1999), ed. by A.J. Kosto and A. Winroth, Toronto 2002, pp. 8-21, now in Id., Storie di documenti. Storie di libri. Quarant’anni di studi, ricerche e vagabondaggi nell’eta antica e medievale, a cura di C. Mantegna, Dietikon-Zürich 2013, pp. 113-120.
C. Mantegna, Il documento privato di area longobarda in età carolingia, in Die Privaturkunden der Karolingerzeit, hrsg. P. Erhart, K. Heidecker, B. Zeller, Dieitkon-Zurich 2009, pp. 57-72.
F. Santoni, il documento privato di area romanica in età carolingia, ibid., pp. 73-83.

The course will be structured in theoretical and practical lessons in classroom, where copies of critical editions of documentary texts will be distributed: through the reading of these sources, students will be encouraged to participate on their historical-juridical exegesis.

Course attendance is not mandatory but highly recommended.
Non-attending students are strictly required to contact the teacher. Likewise, students who have already taken a Codicology exam must contact the teacher.

By the end of the course, the final evaluation will be based on an oral exam with an open-ended question. Students must demonstrate full ownership of language and of thecnical vocabulary used in the field. They will also have to demonstrate the acquired ability to recognize and critically analyze the diplomatic forms and typical legal functions of medieval public and private records. Attendance and active participation in the lessons will contribute to the overall evaluation. Grades will correspond to the evaluation of all of the above aspects.

• The first unit will be dedicated to a general introduction and to the
  various legal functions recognisable in contemporary records; afterwards, these
  categories will be applied to the documentary production of the Late Antiquity
  and Middle Age.
  • Books: G. Nicolaj, Lezioni di
    
    diplomatica generale. I. Istituzioni, Roma 2007 (pp. 51-88, except par. 6).


• The second unit will be dedicated to a deep and more critical analysis
  of specific cases traced back to the Italian private charter (VIIIth-XIIth
  centuries).
  • Books: G. Nicolaj, Originale,
    
    authenticum, publicum: una sciarada per il documento diplomatico, in Charters,
    
    Cartularies, and Archives. The Preservation and Transmission of Documents in
    
    the Medieval West.Proceedings of a Colloquium of the Commission Internationale
    
    de Diplomatique (Princeton and New York, 16-18 September 1999), ed. by A.J.
    
    Kosto and A. Winroth, Toronto 2002, pp. 8-21, now in Id., Storie di documenti.
    
    Storie di libri. Quarant’anni di studi, ricerche e vagabondaggi nell’eta antica
    
    e medievale, a cura di C. Mantegna, Dietikon-Zürich 2013, pp. 113-120;
    
    
    
    C. Mantegna, Il documento
    
    privato di area longobarda in età carolingia, in Die Privaturkunden der
    
    Karolingerzeit, hrsg. P. Erhart, K. Heidecker, B. Zeller, Dieitkon-Zurich 2009,
    
    pp. 57-72;
    
    
    
    F. Santoni, il documento
    
    privato di area romanica in età carolingia, ibid., pp. 73-83.


• The third unit will be dedicated to a deep and more critical analysis of
  specific cases traced back to the Italian judicial records (VIIIth-XIth
  centuries).
  • Books: G. Nicolaj, Formulari e
    
    nuovo formalismo nei processi del Regnum Italiae, in La giustizia nell’alto
    
    medioevo (secoli IX-XI), Spoleto 1997 (Settimane di studio del Centro Italiano
    
    di Studi sull’Alto Medioevo, XLIV), pp. 347-379, ora anche in Id., Storie di
    
    documenti. Storie di libri. Quarant’anni di studi, ricerche e vagabondaggi
    
    nell’eta antica e medievale, a cura di C. Mantegna, Dietikon-Zürich 2013, pp.
    
    230-246;
    
    
    
    Padoa Schioppa, Le rôle
    
    du droit savant dans quelques actes judiciaires italiens des XIe et XIIe
    
    siècles, in Confluences des droits savants et des pratiques judiciaries. Actes
    
    du Colloque de Montpellier, Milano 1979, pp. 341-371 (pubbl. also Il ruolo
    
    della cultura giuridica in alcuni atti giudiziari italiani dei secoli XI e XII,
    
    in «Nuova rivista storica», 64 (1980), pp. 265-289).


• The fourth unit will be dedicated to a deep and more critical analysis
  of specific cases traced back to the imperial chancery records of the
  Carolingian age (IXth century).
  • Books: R.-H. Bautier, La
    
    chancellerie et les actes royaux dans les royaumes carolingiens, in
    
    «Bibliothèque de l’Ecole des chartes», 142 (1984), pp. 5-80 (especially pp.
    
    5-67);
    
    
    
    W. Huschner, L’idea
    
    della ‘cancelleria imperiale’ nella ricerca diplomatica. Diplomi ottoniani per
    
    destinatari in Toscana, in La Tuscia nell’alto e pieno medioevo. Fonti e temi
    
    storiografici ‘territoriali’ e ‘generali’ in memoria di Wilhelm Kurze. Atti
    
    dell’Incontro di studio (Siena-Abbadia San Salvatore, 6-7 giugno 2003), a cura
    
    di M. Marrocchi e C. Prezzolini, Firenze 2007, pp. 183-197.