Gattinara

Gattinara, a town in the Novara region of northern Italy, occupies a small but significant place in the history of the heretical movements that shadow the events of the abbey. It was here, during the early years of the fourteenth century, that the rebellion of Fra Dolcino and his Apostolic Brethren intersected with local political conflicts, turning the town into a site of violent upheaval and embedding it in the tangled web of heresy, feudal power, and popular revolt that the characters repeatedly invoke.

Historical Context and the Dolcinian Rebellion

The story of Gattinara is inseparable from the broader conflict between the Bishop of Vercelli and the local populace. The vassals governing the town in the bishop's name had been driven out by the inhabitants, who then welcomed Dolcino's outlaws as worthy allies. This act of rebellion against ecclesiastical authority was not an isolated event but part of a larger pattern of unrest in the region, where the preaching of poverty and the promise of a new age resonated with the disenfranchised. The Bishop of Vercelli, in response, appealed to Pope Clement V, who proclaimed a crusade against the heretics, granting a plenary indulgence to anyone who took part. This crusade drew forces from Savoy, Provence, and France, and the Bishop of Vercelli himself became the supreme commander, turning the area around Gattinara into a theater of war.

The Role of Gattinara in the Conflict

Gattinara's role in the Dolcinian affair is narrated by Ubertino of Casale during his conversation with Adso of Melk. Ubertino explains that when Dolcino reached the Novara region, he found a situation favorable to his revolt because the vassals governing Gattinara for the Bishop of Vercelli had been expelled. The populace, having freed themselves from the bishop's control, welcomed Dolcino's followers as allies. This local conflict among families in the city of Vercelli was exploited by the Pseudo Apostles, who saw it as an opportunity to preach their struggle against private ownership. The feudal lords hired mercenaries to rob the citizens, while the citizens sought the protection of the Bishop of Novara, creating a chaotic environment in which Dolcino's band could operate. Ubertino, however, is unable to clearly state whose side Dolcino was on, describing him as a faction unto himself who entered into all these disputes, seeing them as a means to advance his own agenda.

Narrative Significance and Thematic Resonance

The mention of Gattinara serves a crucial narrative function, grounding the abstract theological debates about poverty and heresy in a concrete, violent historical reality. It illustrates how the ideal of poverty, when taken to its extreme by figures like Fra Dolcino, could become a justification for revolution, looting, and the perversion of behavior. The town becomes a symbol of the dangerous fusion of spiritual fervor and temporal rebellion, a theme that William of Baskerville and the abbot debate at length. The abbot uses the example of Gattinara and the Dolcinians to argue that the Minorites of the Perugia chapter, whom William defends, are dangerously close to such heretical bands. William, in turn, tries to distinguish between the movements, but the shadow of Gattinara—and the violence it represents—hangs over their discussions, foreshadowing the chaos and destruction that will ultimately consume the abbey itself.