Modes and methods of power consolidation in the Mediterranean courts: the case of the Giudicato of Arborea in the 14th century

Symbols of power and the use of images to achieve political objectives have been the subject of an increasing number of studies, through decades of scholarship. In this regard, the coats of arms, as well as gold objects, paintings and sculptures are of particular interest not only as status symbols and artistic manufactures per se but also as examples of products commissioned by the élites, often sovereigns, to consolidate their own consensus. During the 14th century, there was a number of important personalities who exploited images as a visual mode to consolidating the authority. Among these were the King of Aragon Pedro el Ceremonioso and the King of Naples Robert of Anjou, both two widely researched as study cases. The present research focuses on Mariano IV, ruler of the giudicato of Arborea, and his relations with other contemporary homologues during the mid-Fourteenth century, when Sardinia was de facto entering within the territorial control of the Crown of Aragon.