6 - The ordering of society

Summary

The exotic impression carried away by foreign visitors to the kingdom has been reinforced by many modern accounts of the twelfth-century kingdom. A moment's reflection is enough to recognise what difficulties for society and government were created by bringing together peoples of so many diverse traditions in one political unit. Even the creation of the (Norman) monarchy did not immediately impose the authority and mores of a coherent governing group, as happened in England. Roger II himself tempted capable persons from different cultures to come to his service, not finding in the kingdom all the talents required. Throughout the twelfth century, the kings encouraged men from northern Italy, Spain, France and England to serve them; merchants from Pisa, Genoa and Venice established colonies to promote their trading interests. The governing group, which was itself permeable to new elements, accepted the need to recruit foreign extras throughout society, mainly, but perhaps not quite consciously, in order to strengthen the dominant Latin elements in the island, where all the Latins were immigrants. Manpower was, as such, also limited, and some deliberate efforts were made to attract labourers and add to their number, even by enforced deportations from Greece and North Africa. To the original diversities were therefore added others. If in the long term, all these elements would be submerged by the rising Latin tide, in the short term, local diversities were accentuated and not forced to trim their eccentricities.