The economic development of the Po Valley in the Middle Ages was closely related to water management. Entire areas were claimed to be put under tillage. Complex drainage works were undertaken, as were several structures to protect fields... more
The economic development of the Po Valley in the Middle Ages was closely related to water management. Entire areas were claimed to be put under tillage. Complex drainage works were undertaken, as were several structures to protect fields from floods. During the 12th century the administration of the territory was increasingly dominated by urban governments, which englobed rural communities (which were largely responsible for water management at local level) in their administration practices. Cities remained the fulcrum of the administration of the territory as regional states developed, remaining a fundamental element in the administration of the countryside. Urban elites had to balance different and often conflictual interests, since waterways could be used for very different economic purposes, as transport, irrigation, energy (water mills). This paper will study water management in normal situations in the Po Valley between 12th and 15th centuries, largely on the bases of normative texts, looking at the different economic interests link to water resources. Water management in normal situations had important implications on the hydrogeological equilibria of these areas. The paper tries to formulate some general conclusions, in order to submit to a new analysis old historiographical issues but also to ask new questions which could open new research lines in the study of the relationship between society and water management.
