Charles of Bourbon’s accession to the Neapolitan throne in 1734 gave rise to several plans to reform the kingdom, most of which were aimed at limiting feudatories’ excessive power and reforming the tax system. Having chosen a “legal route” to pursue these aims, the government was led to involve rural communities in the campaign against the feudal landlords. Hence, rural populations were urged to revive old rights and to recover customary common goods: some of them went so far as to challenge some aspects of feudal rule. In the end, however, the monarchy, afraid of the turn that the conflict was taking in some towns, yielded to pressure from aristocrats, whose support was needed to govern the kingdom. Some communities, who were disappointed by the uncertainties of the legal process, resorted to violence. By focusing on the struggle in four towns/villages, and on the frequent shifts from trials to riots, this paper assesses the contentious nature of the legal procedures of the 1730s. Moreover, it shows how the fight against feudal lords brought about some changes within the local communities’ parties and factions. Lastly, it highlights some hints of politicization in the countryside: encouraged to bring legal actions, peasant communities were led to formulate their claims and grievances in political and legal language.