Criminal justice and crime in late Renaissance Florence : 1537-1609

This book uses as an index of princely power a thorough examination of the major elements of the Florentine system of criminal justice--court of the Otto Di Guardia e Balia (Eight on Public Safety), police, prisons, relations with lesser courts in the dominion--which reveals the extent of their effectiveness in the capital city and the subject territory. The author's analysis reveals the determinative role played by the fiscal limits placed on the system. These limits are more important to understanding the character of the system than is any ideology of repression or absolutism. In fact, the system of criminal justice was one of negotiation, in which various players, all with some power, deployed strategies that helped them to realize their interests. Thus, the system was flexible and relatively moderate. By this index, the terms "absolutist" and "absolutism" are not helpful in understanding the type of power exercised by the Medici Grand Dukes.

This book uses as an index of princely power a thorough examination of the major elements of the Florentine system of criminal justice-court of the Otto Di Guardia e Balia (Eight on Public Safety), police, prisons, relations with lesser courts in the dominion-which reveals the extent of their effectiveness in the capital city and the subject territory. The author's analysis reveals the determinative role played by the fiscal limits placed on the system. These limits are more important to understanding the character of the system than is any ideology of repression or absolutism. In fact, the system of criminal justice was one of negotiation, in which various players, all with some power, deployed strategies that helped them to realize their interests. Thus, the system was flexible and relatively moderate. By this index, the terms absolutist and absolutism are not helpful in understanding the type of power exercised by the Medici Grand Dukes.

This book examines in detail the Florentine system of criminal justice under the reign of the first three Medici grand dukes, from 1537 to 1609. The author discusses the structure and functions of the court, the operation of the two city prisons, and the definition and treatment of the major categories of crime. His main purpose is to shed light on the character of the Medicean state by examining the effectiveness of its main instrument of social control. The study is important for the amount of detail that it offers for such an early period, and it helps to vitiate the usefulness of the term 'absolutist,' which conveys a misleading picture of the early modern state. This book examines in detail the Florentine system of criminal justice under the reign of the first three Medici grand dukes, from 1537 to 1609. The author discusses the structure and functions of the court, the operation of the two city prisons, and thee definition and treatment of the major categories of crime. His main purpose is to shed light on the character of the Medicean state by examining the effectiveness of its main instrument of social control. The study is important for the amount of detail that it offers for such an early period. And it helps to vitiate the usefulness of the term "absolute", which conveys a misleading picture of the early modern state This is a study of Florentine criminal justice under the first three Medici grand dukes. It is important for the amount of detail it offers for such an early period, and it helps to vitiate the usefulness of the term 'absolutist', which conveys a misleading picture of the early modern state. The Otto's rise to prominence as Florence's chief criminal magistracy, with wide jurisdictional competence in the city itself and its subject territories, did not occur immediately at its founding in 1378. A study of Florentine criminal justice under the reign of the first three Medici grand dukes John K. Brackett. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 152-155) And Index.