Comparing examples: crisis and transformation of the elites in 8th century north-western Tuscany

Abstract

Thanks to a particularly rich sample of private documents it is possible to outline, starting from the beginning of Liutprand’s rule and during the whole 8^th century, the formation and the establishment in Lucca of some hegemonic groups, their interactions both with the royal and the ducal court, and the local society. These social growth processes however, need to be compared with situations of political difficulty and marginalization, which gave to other kin groups already active in the territory of Lucca the opportunity to gain a prominent role. These are some of the topics that this article aims to investigate: in this paper are outlined the social dynamics and the transformations of Lombard Tuscan elites during the 8^th century through various examples. Lastly, together with the political and social discontinuities between Lombard and Carolingian rule, are also investigated some continuities which characterized northern Tuscan society and its elites between the end of the 8^th and the beginning of the 9^th century.