The Norman royal charters of S. Bartolomeo di Carpineto

The history of the old Benedictine abbey of S. Bartolomeo di Carpinetoi n the Abruzzi was written at the end of the twelfth century by one of its monks, Alexander. This chronicler tells us much concerning the quarrels of the abbots during his lifetime with their unruly neighbours, chiefly the famous count palatine Roberto di Loritello and the bishop of Penne. Although he very seldom gives the year of the events he records, Alexander's narrative is firmly based for, as he tells us, he made use of the documents contained in the archives of the monastery. His statement to this effect is confirmed, in the case of the papal bulls, by several original documents which are known to have survived in the archives of the Cistercian abbey of S. Maria di Casanova, to which foundation Carpineto had been united in 1258. Of the remaining documents, royal and private charters, only a few were till recently known.