The Medieval Mediterranean

Islamic and Norman Sicily (800–1200)

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44. The Monreale census lists of lands and men

On the 1178 census list, 354 households were registered for the town of Corleone in western Sicily. This included the names of 47 household heads who were listed separately as Christians, along with a list of 6 newlyweds from among their sons and brothers. Their names were derived from a mix of Arabic and Greek suggesting that this was an mixed community of indigneous, Arabicised 'Greek' Christians. Among them there were two pig farmers and several other names imply an occupation, profession, nickname or placename. The list even includes two people called 'Muhammad'.

 

A major project is now underway to publish new critical editions of the Monreale census lists. To view the project poster (2Mb .pdf), click here

List of topic areas

1. Early history of the central Mediterranean

2. Sources for medieval Mediterranean history

3. Introduction to Mediterranean historiography

4. Geography of Sicily and the central Mediterranean

5. Arab-Muslim North Africa (647–827)

6. Late Byzantine Sicily and the Muslim conquest

7. Christians under Muslim rule

8. The Amirate of Bari

9. Law and learning in Muslim Sicily

10. Rebellions in the Fatimid period

11. Taxation, land tenure, the army and administration

12. Ibn Hawqal In Sicily

13. The Muslim Civil War (c.1030–60)

14. South Italy before the Normans

15. Al-Mujāhid's attack on Sardinia

16. The rise of the Normans in south Italy

17. The Hilalian ‘invasion' of Zirid Ifrīqiya

18. The Norman conquest of Sicily (1061–72)

19. The Norman conquest of Sicily and Malta (1072–91)

20. Muslim responses to the Norman conquest

21. Ecclesiastical lordships

22. The rise of new administrators

23. The early Norman administration of lands and men in Sicily

24. Rebellious lords and the incastellamento question

25. The regency of Adelaide

26. Christodoulos and George of Antioch

27. Roger II as Count of Sicily

28. Sicily and the Mediterranean (1118–28)

29. Formation of the new kingdom

30. Consolidation and development of the kingdom

31. Law, authority and kingship

32. Art and architecture of the royal palaces

33. The royal fiscal administration of lands and men

34. The trial of Philip of Mahdiyya

35. The Norman conquest and loss of Africa

36. William I and the crises of 1155–6

37. The History of Hugo Falcandus

38. The revolts of 1161–2

39. Stephen of Perche and the French contingents

40. Science, translation and patronage

41. The familiares regis

42. External relations and overseas diplomacy

43. The foundation of Monreale

44. The Monreale census lists of lands and men

45. Ibn Jubayr in Sicily

46. Abū l-Qāsim and the Muslims

47. The reign of Tancred

48. Markward and the 'amirate in the mountains'

49. The Norman legacy

50. Frederick II and the Staufen dynasty

51. The Sicilian Vespers

 

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