Humanism and empire : the imperial ideal in fourteenth-century Italy

For more than a century, scholars have believed that Italian humanism was predominantly ‘civic’ in outlook. Often serving in communal government, fourteenth-century humanists like Albertino Mussato and Coluccio Salutati are said to have derived from their reading of the Latin classics a rhetoric of republican liberty that was opposed to the ‘tyranny’ of neighbouring __signori__ and of the German emperors. In this groundbreaking study, Alexander Lee challenges this long-held belief. From the death of Frederick II in 1250 to the failure of Rupert of the Palatinate’s ill-fated expedition in 1402, Lee argues, the humanists nurtured a consistent and powerful affection for the Holy Roman Empire. Though this was articulated in a variety of different ways, it was nevertheless driven more by political conviction than by cultural concerns. Surrounded by endless conflict—both within and between city states—the humanists eagerly embraced the Empire as the surest guarantee of peace and liberty, and lost no opportunity to invoke its protection. Indeed, as Lee shows, the most ardent appeals to imperial authority were made not by ‘signorial’ humanists, but by humanists in the service of communal regimes. The first comprehensive, synoptic study of humanistic ideas of Empire in the period __c__.1250–1402, this volume offers a radically new interpretation of fourteenth-century political thought, and raises wide-ranging questions about the foundations of modern constitutional ideas. As such, it is essential reading not just for students of Renaissance Italy and the history of political thought, but for all those interested in understanding the origins of liberty. Cover Humanism and Empire: The Imperial Ideal in Fourteenth-Century Italy Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations A Note on Humanism Introduction: Empire and Humanism A HISTORIOGRAPHICAL PROBLEM CONFLICT AND EMPIRE LIBERTY AND EMPIRE HUMANISM AND EMPIRE TOWARDS A NEW PARADIGM PART I: THE DEFENCE OF EMPIRE 1: Communes, Signori, and Empire (c.1260–c.1335) THE BUON TEMPO ANTICO THE WAGES OF SIN SIGNORI AND EMPIRE COMMUNES AND EMPIRE Loss, War, and Empire Factionalism and Empire 2: History, Providence, and Empire (c.1290–c.1335) EMPIRE, ROME, AND PROVIDENCE IN VERONA GIOVANNI DA CERMENATE 3: Italy, Rome, and Empire (c.1335–1369) URBAN CONFLICT COMMUNES AND SIGNORI ‘ITALIC AND CIVIL WAR’ AN ITALIC PEACE THE PROBLEM OF ROME Renovatio Romae Renovatio Imperii ROBERT OF NAPLES AND THE MANTLE OF EMPIRE (c.1335–1347) Robert of Naples: Convenevole da Prato’s Regia carmina Robert of Naples: Petrarch COLA DI RIENZO AND ROME (c.1347–1350) PETRARCH AND CHARLES IV (1350–1374) 4: The Twilight of Empire (c.1369–1402) THE WAR OF THE EIGHT SAINTS AND ITALIAN LIBERTY TOWARDS A DANTEAN EMPIRE LIBERTY AND EMPIRE IN THE VISCONTI WARS The First Visconti War Realignment The Mantuan War The Rebirth of a ‘Dantean’ Empire: Florence and Rupert of the Palatinate THE END OF EMPIRE PART II: THE DYNAMICS OF EMPIRE 5: The Bounds of Empire DISPUTING IMPERIAL TERRITORY FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE TRECENTO HUMANISM AND THE VARIETIES OF UNIVERSALISM UNIVERSALISM IN PADUA AND VICENZA AN UNCERTAIN UNIVERSALISM: VERONA THE RETURN OF PROVIDENTIAL UNIVERSALISM: GIOVANNI DA CERMENATE THE ZENITH OF ROMAN UNIVERSALISM Roma Caput Mundi (c.1337–1347) The Roman People and the World (c.1347–1352) Roma Caput Mundi (c.1350–1368) THE END OF UNIVERSALISM 6: Imperium and Sacerdotium PRAGMATIC DUALISM HISTORICAL DUALISM (1296–1302) THE TURNING OF THE TIDE (1302–1308) THE MIDDLE WAY (1308–1314) THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM (1315–1322) THE STORM CLOUDS BREAK (1322–1335) RESTORATION (1335–1342) ROMAN RENEWAL (1342–1347) THE END OF THE STRUGGLE (1347–1369) THE OPENING OF THE SCHISM AND THE VIA FACTI (1369–1389) THE EMPIRE RETURNS: FROM VIA CESSIONIS TO VIA CONCILII GENERALIS (1389–1400) A PANDORA’S BOX (1398–1403) 7: An Elective Empire A HESITANT BEGINNING, c.1257–1272 THE BREWING STORM (c.1272–1308) NEW DIRECTIONS (1308–1314) PRINCELY PRETENSIONS (1314–1322) PRINCES AND PEOPLE (1322–1335) THE ‘ROMAN TURN’: POWER TO THE PEOPLE (c.1335–1347) THE ‘ROMAN TURN’: POWER TO THE CITY (c.1347–1369) THE ‘DANTEAN TURN’ (c.1369–1388) THE ‘DANTEAN TURN’ (c.1388–1402) AUX ARMES, CITOYENS! (1402) Epilogue: Humanism and Empire Bibliography PRIMARY SOURCES SECONDARY SOURCES Index "For more than a century, scholars have believed that Italian humanism was predominantly civic in outlook. Often serving in communal government, fourteenth-century humanists like Albertino Mussato and Coluccio Saltuati are said to have derived from their reading of the Latin classics a rhetoric of republican liberty that was opposed to the "tyranny" of neighbouring signori and of the German emperors. In this ground-breaking study, Alexander Lee challenges this long-held belief. From the death of Frederick II in 1250 to the failure of Rupert of the Palatinate's ill-fated expedition in 1402, Lee argues, the humanists nurtured a consistent and powerful affection for the Holy Roman Empire. Though this was articulated in a variety of different ways, it was nevertheless driven more by political conviction than by cultural concerns. Surrounded by endless conflict--both within and between city-states--the humanists eagerly embraced the Empire as the surest guarantee of peace and liberty, and lost no opportunity to invoke its protection. Indeed, as Lee shows, the most ardent appeals to imperial authority were made not by "signorial" humanists, but by humanists in the service of communal regimes. The first comprehensive, synoptic study of humanistic ideas of Empire in the period c.1250-1402, this volume offers a radically new interpretation of fourteenth-century political thought, and raises wide-ranging questions about the foundations of modern constitutional ideas. As such, it is essential reading not just for students of Renaissance Italy and the history of political thought, but for all those interested in understanding the origins of liberty."-- Publisher's website For more than a century, scholars have believed that Italian humanism was predominantly civic in outlook. Often serving in communal government, 14th-century humanists like Albertino Mussato and Coluccio Saltuati are said to have derived from their reading of the Latin classics a rhetoric of republican liberty that was opposed to the 'tyranny' of neighbouring signori and of the German emperors. In this study, Alexander Lee challenges this long-held belief. From the death of Frederick II in 1250 to the failure of Rupert of the Palatinate's ill-fated expedition in 1402, Lee argues, the humanists nurtured a consistent and powerful affection for the Holy Roman Empire. Though this was articulated in a variety of different ways, it was nevertheless driven more by political conviction than by cultural concerns The First Comprehensive, Synoptic Study Of Humanistic Ideas Of Empire In The Period C.1250-1402, Humanism And Empire Offers A Radical New Interpretation Of Fourteenth-century Political Thought, And Raises Wide-ranging Questions About The Foundations Of Modern Constitutional Ideas And The Origins Of The Concept Of Liberty.