The Politics of Exile in Renaissance Italy (Cambridge Studies in Italian History and Culture)

Political exiles were a prominent feature of political life in Renaissance Italy, often a source of intense concern to the states from which they were banished, and a ready instrument for governments wishing to intervene in the affairs of their rivals and enemies. This book, first published in 2000, provides a systematic analysis of the role of exiles in the political life of fifteenth-century Italy. The main focus is on the experiences and reactions of the exiles, and on how Italian states dealt with their own exiles and those of other powers. Siena, notorious in the 1480s for the numbers of her citizens in exile, is used as the model with which other cities are compared. Such a detailed study of the phenomenon of exile also provides alternative perspectives on the nature and power of governments in fifteenth-century Italy, and on ideas about the legitimacy of political authority and political action. "Political exiles were a prominent feature of political life in Renaissance Italy, often a source of intense concern to the states from which they were banished, and a ready instrument for governments wishing to intervene in the affairs of their rivals and enemies. This book provides the first systematic analysis of the role of exiles in the political life of fifteenth-century Italy.". "The main focus is on the experiences and reactions of the exiles, and on how Italian states dealt with their own exiles and those of other powers." "Such a detailed study of the phenomenon of exile also provides fresh perspectives on the nature and power of governments in fifteenth-century Italy, and on ideas about the legitimacy of political authority and political action."--BOOK JACKET. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 9 Abbreviations......Page 10 Introduction: The wheel of fortune......Page 12 1 Into exile......Page 16 2 The justice of exile......Page 66 3 Places of exile......Page 98 4 Life in exile......Page 121 5 Keeping track......Page 154 6 Finding friends......Page 183 7 Going home......Page 214 Conclusion......Page 245 Bibliography......Page 251 B......Page 258 C......Page 259 E......Page 260 F......Page 261 L......Page 262 M......Page 263 P......Page 264 R......Page 265 S......Page 266 T......Page 267 Z......Page 268 Political exiles were a prominent feature of political life during the Renaissance, often a source of intense concern to the states from which they were banished, and a ready instrument for governments wishing to intervene in the affairs of their rivals and enemies. This book provides the first systematic analysis of the role of exiles in the political life of fifteenth-century Italy. It also provides fresh perspectives on the nature and power of governments during this period, and on ideas about the legitimacy of political authority and political action. A systematic analysis of the role of exiles in the political life of fifteenth-century Italy, first published in 2000 Italy was not the only region of Western Europe in which there were political exiles in the later fifteenth century. Christine Shaw. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 240-246) And Index.