A Land of Lords: Lordship and State Formation in the Italian Peninsula

The fragmented political landscape of the Italian peninsula during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance witnessed a dynamic interplay between states and the many lordships scattered throughout the peninsula. These smaller entities, far from hindering the development of states (principalities, republics, monarchies), were in fact intricately woven into their evolution. Through collaboration or conflict with these seigneuries, the states acquired crucial elements for their own consolidation, such as officials, territorial control, administrative expertise, new forms of dominion, and so on – all essential attributes for the development of more mature state structures characteristic of the modern era. This chapter delves into this intricate relationship. It explores how different political entities – from the Visconti-Sforza state in Lombardy to the republics of Florence and Venice, and from the principalities of Este, Gonzaga, Savoy and Monferrato to the Papacy and the Kingdom of Naples – interacted with the lordships. It also examines how these, in turn, were shaped by their interactions with the larger states. This analysis aims to provide a comprehensive picture of this complex political tapestry, a veritable crucible for the state-building processes and the development of political, social, and institutional practices in late medieval and Renaissance Italy.