The Italian City-Republics

Description

First published 1969 by Pearson Education Limited. Second edition published 1978. Third edition published 1988. Fourth edition published in Great Britain in 2010. Daniel Waley and Trevor Dean illustrate how, from the eleventh century onwards, many dozens of Italian towns achieved independence as political entities, unhindered by any centralising power. Until the fourteenth century, when the regimes of individual 'tyrants' took over in most towns, these communes were the scene of a precocious, and very well-documented, experiment in republican self-government. Focusing on the typical medium-sized towns rather than the better-known cities, the authors draw on a rich variety of contemporary material (both documentary and literary) to portray the world of the communes, illustrating the patriotism and public spirit as well as the equally characteristic factional strife which was to tear them apart. Discussion of the artistic and social lives of the inhabitants shows how these towns were the seed-bed of the cultural achievements of the early Renaissance. In this fourth edition, Trevor Dean has expanded the book’s treatment of religion, women, housing, architecture and art, to take account of recent trends in the abundant historiography of these topics. A new selection of illuminating images has been included, and the bibliography brought up to date. Both students and the general reader interested in Italian history, literature and art will find this accessible book a rewarding and fascinating read. Lists of maps, plates and figures vii Acknowledgements ix Publisher’s acknowledgements x A note on currency xi Preface to the fourth edition xii Introduction xiii 1. The legacy of power 1 Economic changes 3 The nascent commune 8 2. The population 12 Status and occupation 12 Growth of the town 19 New categories and class feeling 23 3. Government 31 Origins of the commune 31 Institutions 34 The podestà 40 Other officials 44 Administration 46 Church and state 52 The presuppositions of government 57 Citizenship 62 4. Town and country 67 The contado 67 Administration in the contado 73 Immigration from the contado 76 Tenurial change in the countryside 77 The liberation of the serfs 80 The feudal nobility 82 5. External relations 85 The role of Empire and Papacy 87 The conduct of diplomacy 90 Military organisation 94 Patriotism 97 6. Civic spirit and the visual arts 105 Palaces and piazzas 107 The walls 112 Fountains 114 Church-building 116 Town planning 119 Painting the city 122 7. Internal divisions 128 Nobles and magnates 129 The Popolo 141 Other private city organisations 155 Guelfs and Ghibellines 158 The ideal of concord 168 8. The failure of the republics 170 Feudal power 170 The triumph of the Signoria 176 9. The historiography of the city-republics 184 Notes and references 198 Bibliography 209 Historical gazetteer 220 Index 233