Biography

Susannah Bain is a historian focused on cities in the late medieval Mediterranean region, with a focus on Italy. She is particularly interested in developing comparative and environmental perspectives on urban political culture. She received her D.Phil (PhD) in History from the University of Oxford in 2024, and remained there as a Departmental Lecturer in Medieval History before taking up her fellowship at I Tatti. Susannah’s first monograph (provisional title: History-Writing, Communication, and the Making of Political Connections in Italian Cities, c. 1270-1347), based on her doctoral thesis, is under provisional contract with Oxford University Press. Susannah Bain is a historian focused on cities in the late medieval Mediterranean region, with a focus on Italy. She is particularly interested in developing comparative and environmental perspectives on urban political culture. She received her D.Phil (PhD) in History from the University of Oxford in 2024, and remained there as a Departmental Lecturer in Medieval History before taking up her fellowship at I Tatti. Susannah’s first monograph (provisional title: History-Writing, Communication, and the Making of Political Connections in Italian Cities, c. 1270-1347), based on her doctoral thesis, is under provisional contract with Oxford University Press.

Project Summary

Susannah’s project explores comparatively water politics in late medieval Siena and Palermo: two cities which faced the chronic threat of water scarcity due to distinct geographical challenges. Despite understanding the importance of water as a vital resource for consumption, hygiene, and industry, it is unknown to what extent potential scarcity shaped the political life of these cities. This study investigates water’s role in the political lives of these urban centers through three themes: protest, legislation, and patronage. By approaching water management thematically, it not only deepens understandings of urban resource coordination, but water becomes a lens for exploring and comparing political cultures. Scholars have long emphasized the benefits of comparing northern and central Italy with the south and Sicily. A comparative approach highlights both commonalities and differences between cities without assuming the superiority of one over the other.Furthermore, it introduces new perspectives to a growing body of research exploring how political agendas interact with ecologies in premodern contexts. Much of this research has focused on works by authorities operating on large scales (e.g., empires). This project centers on dynamics in localized, urban contexts. Palermo and Siena will ultimately serve as case studies in a larger comparative project on drought and water politics in the late medieval Mediterranean.