Rinascimento estense. Politica, cultura e istituzioni di un antico stato italiano

The book aims to describe the distinctive features of the political system of the Este State during the Renaissance, interweaving themes and tools that are too often separated in the practice of historians: institutional dynamics and history of historiography, the composition of political society and the design of urban spaces, the morphology of the territory and the geography of the sources. The first chapter focuses on the writings of memory produced between Ferrara and the other cities of the domain, as expressions of political and social identities. The second chapter deals with the organization of the territory and the long persistence of local political traditions, that the rulers in the fifteenth century did not eliminate, but rather integrated in a 'composite' system. The third chapter focuses on the institutional framework of ducal administrative machinery, both at the center (the offices of the court, the chancellery, the Chamber...) and in the territory (judicial and tax offices, informal practices etc.). The fourth chapter discusses the image of the sovereign and some great programs of magnificence, in the urban field as in the religious one. The fifth chapter deals with the difficult relations with the Holy See and the failure of the political project of Este, challenged by international competition and hostility of the provincial nobility. The sixth chapter, finally, focuses on the urban renewal of Modena after the transfer of the Este court in the new capital.