Review by Choice Review
Historians of Renaissance Italy will welcome this book, as will students of writers from Dante to Machiavelli and perhaps even of The Godfather. This is a hard-nosed look at local politics that, for example, explains why German emperors who came to Italy expecting to be welcomed by large numbers of Ghibellines always slunk away in defeat. Regionalism makes sweeping summaries difficult, but there were castellans everywhere--each with a small body of supporters, each independent minded, and each quarreling with relatives and, occasionally, with neighbors. Efforts to root them out failed because primogeniture was uncommon; thus, replacements quickly made up for losses. Efforts to weaken their hold on the country by requiring them to live in cities merely gave them second residences. Barons were found largely in the south, but the same dynamics applied. When the French, Germans, and Spanish came in, they were frustrated by their "adherents" not behaving like vassals. In short, they were as confused by local customs as modern historians--until now. This detailed investigation will answer many questions, but it is not easy reading. The prose is clear, but the details are dense. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty. --William L. Urban, Monmouth College (IL)
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
