ASSETTI ISTITUZIONALI E CULTURA POLITICA NELLA MARCA DI TUSCIA FRA LA TARDA ETÀ OTTONIANA E LA PRIMA ETÀ SALICA

Institutional Structure and Political Culture in the March of Tuscia Between the Late Ottonian Age and the Early Salic Age The foundation of the monastery of S. Miniato al Monte was part of a more general strategy of consolidation of the episcopates of Florence and Fiesole, which aimed to recover ecclesiastical properties and to relaunch the cult of saints of the city tradition. The empire controlled and conditioned these strategies at the local level through the March of Tuscia, a very efficient political-ecclesiastical structure based on collaboration between ecclesiastical institutions, monasteries and local aristocracies. This system has been defined «feudal church» in a negative sense, which repeats the condemnation that the reformers of the 11th century expressed about it, but historiography cannot accept this condemnation. In fact, it was formulated by the reformers who wanted to overthrow this «ancient» system and who had no interest in highlighting its positive characteristics