Chapter Zeitgeschichtsschreibung in der entstehenden Kommune von Lodi: Otto und Acerbus Morena

Abstract

Otto and Acerbus Morena wrote their chronicle parallel to the reconstitution of the commune after the re-founding of the city of Lodi by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. It recorded the memories and values (honor, concordia) of members of the communal elite and thus served to reassure them of themselves in the present and future. In order to better grasp the influence of experiences of historical discontinuity on the depiction, it is useful to distinguish between ‘Zeitgeschichtsschreibung’ und ‘Gegenwartsgeschichtsschreibung’, as the original intention of the depiction changed under the influence of political developments: the emperor, initially celebrated as the founder of the city, proved unwilling to give in to the complaints of the Lombard cities about his oppressive administration and thus aroused their resistance. The historical work coped with Lodi’s associated change of allegience to the side of the Lombard League opposed to Barbarossa, but – contrary to what is usually tacitly assumed – does not indicate that Lodi itself suffered from Barbarossa’s exercise of power. On the contrary, the Morenas’ historical view that Lodi owed the emperor the very urban space to develop its commune secured the Hohenstaufen a prominent place in the city’s memory – right down to his depiction on the city’s seal.