«Pro cohercitione hominum»: Leonessa e le città di fondazione angioina ai confini del Regno di Sicilia tra XIII e XIV secolo

Abstract

The town of Leonessa was born in 1278 in the northern frontier region of the Kingdom of Sicily, and it is one of the most documented cases among the new towns promoted by the Angevin dynasty. By studying its birth and development, we can obtain precious data regarding these new towns, all built between the second half of 13 th and the first half of 14 th century and marked by many common factors: they were all synoecisms, they all involved both the lower population and the nobility, their urban structure was carefully planned, they were all erected to control relevant routes accessing the Kingdom and to guarantee the kings against rebellions. The comparison between Leonessa and the other new towns, however, allows us to ascertain the reasons behind its peculiar development: Leonessa indeed stands out for its geographical position, extremely close to the border, and for its slow but steady growth, which progressed despite the many problems the new town had to face.