ABSTRACT

In the late medieval Kingdom of Naples, urban institutions were a traditional field of dialogue between monarchy and towns. During the second half of the fifteenth century, under the Aragonese, interest in procedural aspects grew rapidly, in connection with the need of renewed institutional structures. This chapter attempts to consider urban institutions through the prism of negotiation and focuses on voting and electoral procedures. Although such procedures were already used or known in some communities, their diffusion was, in fact, the most innovative aspect of the reforms, which makes them important in any analysis of political developments in southern Italy during the late middle Ages. The chapter focuses only on demaniali towns, for which sources on procedures are rich enough to build up a discussion, and also because the repercussions of the triangulation town-lord-king on institutions need their own specific study. The monarchy exercised its authority in demaniali towns through a captain, in office for six months or one year.