The King and the Cathedral Canons. Hugh of Arles’ Policies towards Local Aristocracies in the Kingdom of Italy (926-945). Digital Edition

The analysis of a series of original charters issued in favour of the canons of the cathedral of Vercelli between 943 and 945 by Hugh of Arles (king of Italy between 926 and 945-7), together with the reassessment of their political context offered by a new interpretation of the Polipticum quod appelatur Perpendiculum by the bishop Atto of Vercelli (924-960 ca.), may shed light on the deposition of Hugh in 945 and on the true significance of those diplomata: they are an attempt on king Hugh's part to establish a direct connection with the local elites, “cutting off” any intermediation by the local bishop and the local marchio, both hostile to king Hugh. This specific case may be paralleled with a group of other similar interventions in favour of canonical chapters around the kingdom, highlighting a feature of Hugh’s politics toward city elites, which is coherent with that enacted with regard to judges and marchional vassals: the direct linking to the king of local elites as a mean of marginalising the high aristocracy. This presentation is intended to be a part of a larger study on the reign of Hugh of Arles, a pivotal point in the history of the kingdom of Italy.