"...Skinner has succeeded in creating a detailed picture of life in the region between Rome and Naples....The heart of Skinner's political narrative is her careful and highly successful reconstruction of local families in the manner typical of studies of the north, but unusual in local studies of the south....through a thoughtful consideration of what resources were necessary for town life, as well as grains, tenants, and market crops, Skinner is able to create an image of a relatively robust economy that continued to flourish in the twelfth century." American Historical Review

• Preface; Abbreviations; Maps and figures; Introduction; 1. Sources; Part I. From the Beginnings to the Eleventh Century: 2. The origins of dynastic rule; 3. The foundations of ducal power in the tenth century; 4. Noble families in the tenth century; Part II. A Time of Change: The Eleventh Century and Beyond: 5. From local dukes to Norman kings; 6. The emergence of new families; Part III. The Economics of Power: 7. Landowners and exchanges in the Tyrrhenian; 8. Local exchange and long-distance contacts: the Norman kingdom and the North; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

"...Skinner has succeeded in creating a detailed picture of life in the region between Rome and Naples....The heart of Skinner's political narrative is her careful and highly successful reconstruction of local families in the manner typical of studies of the north, but unusual in local studies of the south....through a thoughtful consideration of what resources were necessary for town life, as well as grains, tenants, and market crops, Skinner is able to create an image of a relatively robust economy that continued to flourish in the twelfth century." American Historical Review

• Preface; Abbreviations; Maps and figures; Introduction; 1. Sources; Part I. From the Beginnings to the Eleventh Century: 2. The origins of dynastic rule; 3. The foundations of ducal power in the tenth century; 4. Noble families in the tenth century; Part II. A Time of Change: The Eleventh Century and Beyond: 5. From local dukes to Norman kings; 6. The emergence of new families; Part III. The Economics of Power: 7. Landowners and exchanges in the Tyrrhenian; 8. Local exchange and long-distance contacts: the Norman kingdom and the North; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

"...Skinner has succeeded in creating a detailed picture of life in the region between Rome and Naples....The heart of Skinner's political narrative is her careful and highly successful reconstruction of local families in the manner typical of studies of the north, but unusual in local studies of the south....through a thoughtful consideration of what resources were necessary for town life, as well as grains, tenants, and market crops, Skinner is able to create an image of a relatively robust economy that continued to flourish in the twelfth century." American Historical Review

• Preface; Abbreviations; Maps and figures; Introduction; 1. Sources; Part I. From the Beginnings to the Eleventh Century: 2. The origins of dynastic rule; 3. The foundations of ducal power in the tenth century; 4. Noble families in the tenth century; Part II. A Time of Change: The Eleventh Century and Beyond: 5. From local dukes to Norman kings; 6. The emergence of new families; Part III. The Economics of Power: 7. Landowners and exchanges in the Tyrrhenian; 8. Local exchange and long-distance contacts: the Norman kingdom and the North; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.