Monarchy and Republic in Lombardy and Tuscany from the high middle ages to the Renaissance

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the themes of monarchy and republic in Lombardy and Tuscany from the High Middle Ages to the Renaissance, within the context of the historical development of Italy. A great deal of literature dealing with the topic is widely available, especially from the Italian and English tradition, as well as the primary sources which when possible, were referred to in their original languages, that is; Latin and Italian. These sources were constantly used in the main text with the translations done by myself, whereas the original text is provided below. The work seeks to present the two historical regions as two case studies in order to allow for a comparable analysis, and make a contribution to the subject matter. Furthermore, the selection of two regions allowed for a more systematic study given the vastness of the subject, and the case-studies of Lombardy and Tuscany provide a fitting inquiry due to more or less similar conditions which then shaped their historical development. The first chapter discusses the contributions given in the subject, and provides a survey of the sources employed, especially since a main focus is placed on the narrative and the available primary sources, most of which are available online. The second chapter deals with the Regnum Italiae and how its configuration provided the circumstances which led to the emergence of the communes. The third chapter analyses the communal experience especially its relationship with the empire, and how the communes although still within the regnum, eventually gained complete locally autonomy. The fourth chapter analyses the city-state republics through the discussion of several themes such as contemporary political theory and reflection, and political development mainly the struggles involving the popolo and the wider context of empire and papacy. The fifth chapter studies the rise of the regional states and of the princely houses of the Medici in Florence and Visconti and Sforza in Lombardy within the context of the transition into that which is recognised as the ‘Renaissance state’. As such, the study aims to critically discuss why the kingdom failed, how republic city-states came into being, and how princely families arrived to create quasi-monarchical states yet never officially so.