Southern Italy in the Late Middle Ages—Demographic, Institutional and Economic Change in the Kingdom of Naples, c.1440-c.1530

The dramatic increase in commercial activity in southern Italy in the 15th century and the eventual growth of state power are the subject of this detailed study. Based on research into an impressive number of primary and secondary resources, Sakellariou (U. of Crete, Greece) quantifies the region's human and geographic strengths, with chapters on the region's markets, the changes in agriculture and textiles, and detailed discussion of population change. Several appendices detail population statistics, maritime transport, grants of toll franchise, currency and measurements, and several commodity maps, among other topics. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Eleni Sakellariou, Ph.D. (1996) in History, University of Cambridge, is Assistant Professor of Medieval European History at the University of Crete. She has published in English, Italian and Greek, on late medieval southern Italian history and on the history of the eastern Mediterranean after the Crusades.