The Assizes of Capua were the first of three great legislative acts of the

kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily (; ; ) was a state that existed in Sicily and the southern Italian peninsula, Italian Peninsula as well as, for a time, in Kingdom of Africa, Northern Africa, from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was ...

of Frederick II of Sicily,

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

. They were the first, promulgated at Capua in 1220, before the Assizes of Messina on 1221 and the Constitutions of Melfi of 1231. The Assizes were promulgated on the mainland of the realm as they were a reform of the Assizes of Ariano, promulgated by Frederick's grandfather Roger II in 1140 at Ariano Irpino, nearby to Capua. The intent was, as in the previous Assizes and his coming Constitutions, the strengthening of the royal power in the kingdom, usually at the expense of the nobility. From Frederick II's perspective, this was "a sort of practical conservatism ... by sweeping aside the abuses of the last 22 years...."

Provisions

Some important provisions included: * The Crown controlled

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

s. * Barons had to gain approval of their marriages. * Subinfeudation had to be approved by the king. * Privileges granted by Markward van Anweiler and his other predecessors would have to be reviewed, with a substantial fee for renewal. * Adulterine castles would be reigned in. * New royal

customs duties A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...

and tariffs on ports and

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...

s. * Restrictions on

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

. * Jewish people and prostitutes had to wear distinctive clothing.

References

Bibliography

* Carlo Alberto Garufi, ''Ryccardi de Sancto Germano chronica'', 1937, S. 88–93, 94–96. * * Thomas Curtis VanCleve: ''The Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. Immutator Mundi.'' Clarendon Press, Oxford 1972, S. 139–145. * Hermann Dilcher: ''Die sizilische Gesetzgebung Kaiser Friedrichs II. Quellen der Constitutionen von Melfi und ihrer Novellen'' Köln u. a. 1975 (Studien und Quellen zur Welt Kaiser Friedrichs II.,3). S. 18–19: Konkordanzen, weitere Literatur. Medieval legal codes 13th century in the Kingdom of Sicily 1220s in law 1220s in Europe Legal history of Italy Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor {{Europe-law-stub

Provisions

See also

References

Bibliography