| Sumario: | Through an examination of the contents, context, and material characteristics of the first administrative register surviving at the abbey of Cava dei Tirreni, this essay argues that the "documentary revolution" in thirteenth-century Italy was not only the accomplishment of the communal governments of the north. Political instability throughout the peninsula in the late twelfth century fostered enduring changes in documentary practices in both monastic and diocesan institutions. The first Cava register, drawn up under Abbot Balsamon (r. 1208-1232)-- possibly responding to the legislation of his sovereign, Emperor Frederick II--reveals that he and his brothers innovated to protect the property underpinning their religious life. The artifacts of their innovation, moreover, underscore the primary influence of temporal rulers, rather than the papacy, on ecclesiastical administrative practices.
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