Sovereign City: The City-State Ancient and Modern (Reaktion Books - Globalities)

The city has had a rich and tumultuous history, evolving from a powerful political entity in ancient times to its modern role as a local hub of tourism and commerce. Sovereign City examines the nature of the city's ever-changing status, as Geoffrey Parker investigates the city-state as a geopolitical form and explores its distinctive niche within different types of states. This probing work analyzes the various forms of city-states throughout world history, from the Greek polis , which Plato and Aristotle considered the perfect type of state, to the Roman imperial capital, to the political role of the city in early Islamic society. Parker also considers the revival of the European city-state in late medieval and Renaissance Italy and northern Europe, which culminated in the Hanseatic League, and how the rise of the nation-state contributed to the decline of the city-state. Sovereign City is a wide-ranging and vigorous examination that seeks to understand the role of the city-state from the birth of Western civilization through its re-emergence at the dawn of the twenty-first century in the Far East and Islamic world. Sovereign City Cover......Page 1 Imprint page......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 1 Nation, Empire and City: A Geopolitical Typology of States......Page 9 2 The Birth of the City-State......Page 19 3 The Ancient Greek Polis......Page 30 4 The Hellenistic Foundations......Page 49 5 No Mean City: Rome from Urbs to Imperium......Page 59 6 Serenissima: Venice and the City-States of theAdriatic......Page 80 7 Bishops, Dukes and Republics: The City-States of Renaissance Italy......Page 94 8 Princes, Bishops and Republics: Cities and City-States in Russia......Page 118 9 The German Hanse......Page 134 10 The Comunidades of Castile......Page 153 11 City, Province and Nation in the Netherlands......Page 163 12 Third Rome versus City Republics: Moscow, Novgorod and the Baltic......Page 185 13 The Fall and Rise of the Hanse Cities......Page 196 14 The Globalization of the City-State......Page 215 Epilogue: The Ideal and the Reality......Page 227 References......Page 235 Acknowledgements......Page 243 PhotographicAcknowledgements......Page 245 Index......Page 247 Geoffrey Parker Examines The City-state As A Geopolitical Form, And Determines Its Distinctive Place Within A Range Of Types Of State. Sovereign City Is A Detailed Account Of Its Changing Role, Tracing The Evolution Of The City As Political Entity Through To The Twenty-first Century.--jacket. Nation, Empire, And City : A Geopolitical Typology Of States -- The Birth Of The City-state -- The Ancient Greek Polis -- The Hellenistic Foundations -- No Mean City : Rome From Urbs To Imperium -- Serenissma : Venice And The City-states Of The Adriatic -- Bishops, Dukes, And Republics : The City-states Of Renaissance Italy -- Princes, Bishops, And Republics : Cities And City-states In Russia -- The German Hanse -- The Comunidades Of Castile -- City, Province, And Nation In The Netherlands -- Third Rome Versus City Republics : Moscow, Novgorod, And The Baltic -- The Fall And Rise Of The Hanse Cities -- The Globalization Of The City-state -- Epilogue : The Ideal And The Reality. Geoffrey Parker. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-239) And Index.