Genova e Roma nella crisi di Castro

This paper opens a window on the relations between Rome and Genoa during the crisis of Castro, in the 40s of the 17th century. The war between Rome and an alliance of Italian States brings out the complex positioning of Genoa in the Italian geopolitical context. On the one hand, the private interests of Genoese groups tied to the Barberini, pushing for an alliance with Rome, on the other, the observance of a traditional neutralism of the Republic, which has no significant military forces and has no direct interest in the war. Among official neutrality and active involvement of the private groups, Genoa is a political and diplomatic battlefield animated by secret movements in support of Rome and the Barberini (even after the end of the pontificate of Urban VIII), and by ambitious diplomatic and propagandistic strategies implemented by the two parts to push the Republic into war. The production of pamphlets and the activism of a prince directly involved in the conflict, Francesco d'Este, encourage a political communication on important political issues of the Republic (the recognition of the royal honors), which is submitted to the Spanish protectorate and has to use with extreme caution private and informal instrument of negotiation.