ABSTRACT

Verona, Peter's home town, played a significant role in the political life of northern Italy. The city had broken the power of the counts of San Bonifacio, who had ruled Verona and its territories since the ninth century. This allowed the citizens to establish communal government as early as 1136. By the year 1205 Verona was plunged into brutal conflict. Leading families such as the Montecchi and the Cappelletti came to represent the political strife which led ultimately to dictatorship. The year 1219 saw the coming of Dominic de Guzman to Bologna. He was the head of an already international order, though it was barely five years old at the time. The Spanish former canon had gained experience combating heresy in the early years of the thirteenth century. Dominic's arrival in Bologna was the decisive turning point for Peter, as it was for many others. When he arrived the stir the Preachers were causing reached a fever pitch.