Pontifical power, politics and Crusade in the letters of St. Catherine of Siena in the second half of the fourteenth century
Church, Politics, Holiness, Sociability Network
The present research has as main objective to understand and to identify the network of sociability formed by Saint Catherine as foundation and base for its political action in century XIV. The temporal cut of this research comprises the life trajectory of Saint Catherine, between 1347 and 1380. The main sources considered for our work are the letters sent by the saint to several key personalities of her society (meanwhile we will also consider, as auxiliary sources, some of hagiographic character). Thus, we will try to understand the means found by St. Catherine that allowed her to enjoy an important position in society and, especially, with the Catholic Church, in order to actively exercise her influence in the political sphere.