renaissance in italy the age of the despots

Front matter

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PART I—THE AGE OF THE DESPOTS. . a PART IL—THE REVIVAL OF LEARNING. PART IIL—THE FINE ARTS

The supplementary volumes on Tialian Literature ° soon be added to this ee fe: its saa encour their publication.

Petal OF THE DESPOTS

BY

JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS

AUTHOR OF

‘STUDIES OF THE GREEK POETS,’ ‘SKETCHES IN ITALY AND GREECE,’ ETC. .

‘Di questi adunque oziosi principi, e di queste vilissime armi, sara piena la mia istoria’ Macu. Jst. Fror. lib. i.

NEW. YORK Ut ESE HENRY HOLT! AND? COMPANY: °°” 1881

Copyright, 1881,

BY

LT & CO.

HENRY HO

TO

MY FRIEND

JOHN BEDDOE, MD., F.RS. e | I DEDICATE MY WORK ON

THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE.

PUBLISHER’S ADVERTISEMENT.

The original three volumes of Mr. Symonds’ History of the Renaissance in Italy, are now before the public in an American edition corresponding substantially with the English edition, except that the American edition has an index. Whether the two supplementary volumes on Italian Literature shall be added, depends upon the reception given those now ready,

Pena beta ©. 1,

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Tus volume is the First Part of a work upon the ‘Renaissance in Italy” The Second Part treats of the Revival of Learning. The Third, of the Fine Arts. These have been already published. The Fourth Part will be devoted to Italian Literature.

Owing to the extent of the ground I have attempted to traverse, I feel conscious that the students of special departments will find much to be desired in my handling of each part. In some respects I hope that the several portions of the work may complete and illustrate each other. Many topics, for example, have been omitted from Chapter VIII. in this volume because they seemed better adapted to treatment in the future.

One of the chief difficulties which the critic has to meet in dealing with the Italian Renaissance is the determination of the limits of the epoch. Two dates, 1453 ‘and 1527, marking respectively the fall of Constantinople and the sack of Rome, are convenient for fixing in the mind that narrow space of time during which the Renaissance culminated. But in order to trace its progress up to this point, it is necessary to go back to a far more remote period; nor, again, is it possible to mainx PREFACE.

tain strict chronological consistency in treating of the several branches of the whole theme.

The books of which the most frequent use has been made in this first portion of the work are Sismondi’s ‘Républiques Italiennes’; Muratori’s ‘Rerum Italicarum Scriptores’; the ‘Archivio Storico Italiano’; the seventh volume of Michelet’s ‘ Histoire de France’; the seventh and eighth volumes of Gregorovius’ ‘Geschichte der Stadt Rom’; Ferrari’s ‘Rivoluzioni d’ Italia’; Alberi’s series of Despatches; Gino Capponi’s ‘ Storia della Repubblica di Firenze’; and Burckhardt’s ‘Cultur der Renaissance in Italien.’ To the last-named essay I must acknowledge especial obligations. It fell under my notice when I had planned, and in a great measure finished, my own work. But it would be difficult for me to exaggerate the profit I have derived from the comparison of my opinions with those of a writer so thorough in his learning and so delicate in his perceptions as Jacob Burckhardt, or the amount I owe to his acute and philosophical handling of the whole subject. I must also express a special debt to Ferrari, many of whose views I have adopted in the Chapter on ‘Italian History.’ With regard to the alterations introduced into the substance of the book in this edition, it will be enough to say that I have endeavored to bring each chapter up to the level of present knowledge.

In conclusion, I once more ask indulgence for a volume which, though it aims at a completeness of its own, is professedly but one part of a long inquiry.

Sree EIN 1S.

CHAPTER - I.

THE SPIRIT OF THE RENAISSANCE, PAGE

Difficulty of fixing Date—Meaning of Word Renaissance—The Emancipation of the Reason—Relation of Feudalism to the Renaissance—Medizval Warnings of the Renaissance—Abelard, Bacon, Joachim of Flora, the Provengals, the Heretics, Frederick II.—Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio—Physical Energy of the Italians—The Revival of Learning—The Double Discovery of the World and of Man—Exploration of the Universe and of the Globe—Science—The Fine Arts and Scholarship— Art Humanizes the Conceptions of the Church—Three Stages in the History of Scholarship—The Age of Desire—The Age of Acquisition—The Legend of Julia's Corpse—The Age of the Printers and Critics—The Emancipation of the Conscience— The Reformation and the Modern Critical Spirit—Mechanical Inventions—The Place of Italy in the Renaissance : ee

CHAPTER. IL ITALIAN HISTORY.

The special Difficulties of this Subject—Apparent Confusion— Want of leading Motive—The Papacy—The Empire—The Republics—The Despots—The People—The Dismemberment of Italy—Two main Topics—The Rise of the Communes— Gothic Kingdom—Lombards—F ranks—Germans—The Bishops—The Consuls—The Podestas—Civil Wars—Despots— The Balance of Power—The Five Italian States—The Italians fail to achieve National Unity—The Causes of this Failure— Conditions under which it might have been achieved—A Re-

* public—A Kingdom—A Confederation—A Tyranny—The Part played by the Papacy . > : pokes #132

Xil CONTENTS.

Chapter III. The Age Of The Despots

PAGE Salient Qualities of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries in Italy

—Relation of Italy to the Empire and to the Church—The Illegitimate Title of Italian Potentates—The Free Emergence of Personality—Frederick II. and the Influence of his Example—Ezzelino da Romano—Six Sorts of Italian Despots—F eudal Seigneurs—Vicars of the Empire—Captains of the People —Condottieri—Nephews and Sons of Popes—Eminent Burghers—Italian Incapacity for Self-government in Commonwealths—Forcible Tenure of Power encouraged Personal Ability—The Condition of the Despot’s Life—Instances of Domestic Crime in the Ruling Houses—Macaulay’s Description of the Italian Tyrant—Savonarola’s and Matteo Villani’s Descriptions of a Tyrant—The Absorption of Smaller by Greater Tyrannies in the Fourteenth Century—History of the Visconti—Francesco Sforza—The Part played in Italian Politics by Military Leaders—Mercenary Warfare—Alberico da Barbiano, Braccio da Montone, Sforza Attendolo—History of the Sforza Dynasty—The Murder of Galeazzo Maria Sforza— The Ethics of Tyrannicide in Italy—Relation of the Despots to Arts and Letters—Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta—Duke Federigo of Urbino—The School of Vittorino and the Court of Urbino—The Cortegiano of Castiglione—The Ideals of the Italian Courtier and the Modern Gentleman—General Retrospect . > . > . ° . . . + 99

Chapter IV. The Republics

The different Physiognomies of the Italian Republics—The Similarity of their Character as Municipalities—The Rights of Citizenship—Causes of Disturbance in the Commonwealths— Belief in the Plasticity of Constitutions—Example of Genoa— Savonarola’s Constitution—Machiavelli’s Discourse to Leo X. —Complexity of Interests and Factions—Example of Siena— Small Size of Italian Cities—Mutual Mistrust and Jealousy of the Commonwealths—The notable Exception of Venice— Constitution of Venice—Her wise System of Government— Contrast of Florentine Vicissitudes—The Magistracies of Florence—Balia and Parlamento—The Arts of the Medici— Comparison of Venice and Florence in respect to Intellectual Activity and Mobility—Parallels between Greece and Italy—

CONTENTS. xiii

: PAGE Essential Differences—The Mercantile Character of Italian

Burghs—The ‘Trattato del Governo della Famiglia ’—The Bourgeois Tone of Florence, and the Ideal of a Burgher— Mercenary Arms . . F . F 5 . : . 193

Chapter. V. The Florentine Historians

Florence, the City of Intelligence—Cupidity, Curiosity, and the Love of Beauty—Florentine Historical Literature—Philosophical Study of History—Ricordano Malespini—F lorentine History compared with the Chronicles of other Italian Towns— The Villani—The Date 1300—Statistics—Dante’s Political Essays and Pamphlets—Dino Compagni—Latin Histories of Florence in Fifteenth Century—Lionardo Bruni and Poggio Bracciolini—The Historians of the First Half of the Sixteenth Century—Men of Action and Men of Letters: the Doctrinaires —Florence between 1494 and 1537—Varchi, Segni, Nardi, Pitti, Nerli, Guicciardini—The Political Importance of these Writers—The Last Years of Florentine Independence, and the Siege of 1529—State of Parties—Filippo Strozzi—Different Views of Florentine Weakness taken by the Historians— Their Literary Qualities —F rancesco Guicciardini and Niccolo Machiavelli—Scientific Statists—Discord between Life and Literature—The Biography of Guicciardini—His ‘Istoria d'Italia,’ ‘ Dialogo del Reggimento di Firenze,’ ‘Storia Fiorentina,’ ‘ Ricordi’—Biography of Machiavelli—His Scheme of a National Militia—Dedication of ‘The Prince’—Political Ethics of the Italian Renaissance—The ‘ Discorsi "—The Seven Books on the Art of War and the ‘ History of Florence.’ . y . 246