Istituzioni diocesane e comunità locali in Umbria (secc. XI-XIII)

The basic ecclesiastical institutions in the Middle Ages found themselves at the crossroads of processes and events of great importance for the history of the entire West and were involved in events that would have had totally unexpected developments that could hardly be underestimated. Tracing their multifaceted vicissitudes therefore allows us to intercept some fundamental lines of the history of this 'region' in the Middle Ages. In fact, the vicissitudes of the prelates and their districts intersect with the institutional dynamics of the cities and with the political evolution of the so-called 'lands of the Church', coinciding with an ever more pronounced prominence of the Apostolic See starting with particular clarity from the 11th century. If we then move on to the thirteenth-century segment of our history, then the complication introduced by Assisi being the cradle of the deflagrating Franciscan novitas, with its ineliminable consequences on the entire system, stands out. In these pages, I aim to examine the ways and times in which these dynamics influenced the relations between diocesan institutions and local communities, from time to time favouring or complicating the relations of bishops and cathedral chapters with the local communities residing in their ecclesiastical district.