Le ‘origini’ del comuni rurali nelle Marche: un tema storiografico nella medievistica del primo Novecento

This essay investigates a notable period of historiography on medieval Italy, in the early 20th Century, in relation to a peripheral area: the ‘Marche’. At that time the interest was focused on the origin of ‘comune rurale’ and in Tuscany this topic was investigated by leading scholars, such as Gioacchino Volpe and Romolo Caggese. Also in the Marche a broad discussion expanded on this issue, launched by scholars who had carried out thorough research in archives of the smaller towns, mainly Gino Luzzatto, Francesco Filippini, Andrea Menchetti. Through essays, reviews and replies, the issue of ‘origins’ and social composition of ‘comune rurale’ was further discussed and analysed from different points of view. It was a comparison far from a provincial one, because it was based on the achievements of recent studies, wisely combined with the territorial area investigated.