| History 211: The city of Florence: Italy and the Development of Urban Culture |
|
| Lecture Sheet 9 |
| History 211: The city of Florence: Italy and the Development of Urban Culture |
|
| Lecture Sheet 9 |
|
Map of Italy in the Thirteenth Century |
| Map of Northern and Central Italian Cities in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries |
| Jacob Burckhardt | Uniqueness of Italy |
campanalismo
Commercial Revolution of the Middle Ages
| Merchants | Merchants selling shoes |
The Development of Civic Government
parlamentum, consuls, priors, podestà
Decline of the Landed Aristocracy
| commune: A commune was a self-governing town; legitimacy of the government was established by a foundation charter or an oath by the citizens of the commune to render to each other mutual aid. | Condottieri: Mercenary soldiers who replaced the landed aristocracy as warriors in the Italian city states | gilds (also spelled guilds): A corporation of artisans, merchants, bankers, lawyers who regulated their trade or industry. The primary function of the gild was to set standards of workmanship and to prevent non-gild members from working in a commune. The gilds played an important political role in the Italian communes. In Florence, only members of gilds were enfranchised, that is able to exercise political rights and hold public office. |
Governance of the City
The governments of the Italian city states needed buildings for the people who conducted the business of the cities. The following are examples of these buildings dating to the thirteenth century in three different cities.
| Siena, Palazzo Publico | Volterra |
| Florence, Palazzo del Podesta | Perugia |
Internal policy: republics or despotisms (signore)
External policy: contado
condottieri (condotta)
| Consolidation of
Regional States
|
Naples |
| Papacy | Milan |
| Florence | Venice |
diplomacy |
ambassadors |
| Ambassadors at the Turkish Court | Detail |
Ermolao Barbaro, "Of the Office of Ambassador": "The first duty of an ambassador is exactly the same as that of any other servant of the government; that is to do, say, advise, and think whatever may best serve the preservation and aggrandizement of the state."
Filippo Visconti, Signore of Milan to the Pope: "as for myself, I value my soul more than my body, but my state more than either."
