Italian (European History)

To my knowledge, there is no widely available English translation of the "De Schismate" of Dietrich of Niedheim (or Nyem) (ca. 1345-1318), one of the most important accounts of the chaos unleashed by the Great Western Schism (1378-1417). He worked as a papal bureaucrat, first at the Curia in Avignon and then in Rome, after Gregory XI returned the papacy to the Eternal City in 1377. Dietrich remained reluctantly loyal to Gregory's Roman successor, Urban VI, even as the French cardinals revolted, declared Urban's election invalid, and elected one of their number, Robert of Geneva, who took the name Clement VII, as the "legitimate" pontiff. Clement would eventually establish an alternative Curia in Avignon, and the Church would remain divided between two popes until 1409, when a council in Pisa "deposed" the popes in Rome and Avignon, and elected Peter of Candia, who took the name Alexander V -- at which point there were three claimants to the papal throne. While Dietrich's original Latin can be cumbersome and his memory is faulty, the "De Schismate" has its moments. Dietrich was an eyewitness and occasionally a participant in the events he describes. Book One, which is devoted to the papacy of Urban VI, offers a disturbing portrait of a man known for his simple, austere piety transformed into a paranoid ruler. This is only an initial draft of part of an ongoing project. Suggestions, corrections, and questions are, of course, welcome.

Veranstalter: Stefan Laffin, Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology, Universität Bielefeld; Teresa Malice, Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology, Universität Bielefeld / University of Bologna Datum, Ort: 29.01.2018–30.01.2018, Bielefeld Bericht von: Stefan Laffin, Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology, Universität Bielefeld; Teresa Malice, Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology, Universität Bielefeld / University of Bologna

This article discusses the problem of counting the number of casualties suffered by the French Army during the 1859–1860 campaign in the Second Italian War of Independence, a bloodbath that infamously motivated the Swiss philanthropist Henry Dunant to found the Red Cross to care for wounded soldiers. The sources for this article come from the Paris Archives Nationales and the Service Historique de la Défense, not to mention printed material produced on the subject by contemporary military doctors and statisticians. Efforts were made by the French military to evaluate (albeit inaccurately) losses; military doctors subsequently tried to establish an accurate final death toll for the campaign so as to be able to impress upon their hierarchy the need for reform of the Army Health Service. The article also considers the long-term implications of the campaign and these statistics for the state, doctors, the army, and the general public.

It’s a valuation about the V Centenary of the death of Andrea Mantegna, the expositios during 2006, its catalogues and some publication because of this celebration, to conclude the importance of Leon Battista Alberti in the Mantova of the Gonzaga.

Este comentario crítico gira en torno al reciente libro de Alfio Cortonesi titulado Il Medioevo degli alberi. Piante e paesaggi d’Italia (secoli XI-XV). Tomando en consideración las investigaciones de base realizadas en los últimos años, el autor propone una síntesis interpretativa de especial relevancia que puede ser considerada un modelo a seguir en los próximos años.

This critical commentary revolves around the recent book by Alfio Cortonesi entitled Il Medioevo degli alberi. Piante e paesaggi d'Italia (secoli XI-XV). Taking into account the basic research carried out in recent years, the author proposes an interpretative synthesis of particular relevance that can be considered a model to be followed in the coming years.

Editor’s note: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Italo Calvino on October 15, 2023, the journal California Italian Studies has published a special issue, edited by Anna Botta and Lucia Re, titled "Calvino's Memos: Between the Old and the New Millennium". Including in this issue is a chapter in translation from the ground-breaking, magisterial study of Calvino’s corpus by Domenico Scarpa, "Calvino fa la conchiglia. La costruzione di uno scrittore", published earlier this year in Italy. What follows here is a translation of the book’s introduction.

This paper explores the national landscape of Argentina from 1880-1914 as a means to analyze the Italian immigration experience. The central question which is posed is whether the internal factors within Argentina enabled Italian newcomers to successfully assimilate within society. A multilayered approach is utilized to examine Argentina’s immigration policy, constitution, economy, social institutions, and cultural norms. Through this analysis, it is concluded that the internal dynamics of Argentina provided Italian immigrants the capacity, resources and space to thrive which fundamentally led to their assimilation within their host country. Cette dissertation explore la composition nationale de l’Argentine des annees 1880 a 1914 afin d’analyser l’experience des immigrants italiens. La question centrale porte sur les facteurs internes de la societe argentine ayant permis une assimilation reussie des Italiens nouvellement arrives. Une approche multidimensionnelle est utilisee afin d’...

This study offers an exhaustive analysis of Edgar Whitaker, a pivotal figure in Ottoman journalism and one of the primary proprietors of The Levant Herald. The investigation traces Whitaker's path from London through India and eventually to the Ottoman Empire. While previous research has predominantly focused on his political clashes with the Hamidian regime and his diplomatic relations, this study endeavors to expand on the understanding of Whitaker, delving into aspects of his personal life, such as kinship bonds, social interactions, and marriage. Particular attention is given to his association with the Abbotts, exploring his family ties, friendships, and social life in Constantinople. Drawing upon primary sources, archival records, and periodicals, this research presents a wide-ranging perspective of Whitaker's life, illuminating his educational background, early career, and involvement in diverse social and cultural environments. Ultimately, this study enhances the nuanced understanding of Whitaker's personal and professional spheres, revealing his multifaceted achievements as a Levantine journalist and newspaper proprietor in the Ottoman Empire.

I have had the opportunity to organise a series of roundtables on my book, Borders and the Politics of Space in Late Medieval Italy. If you're in the area and are keen to hear more about it or share your thoughts, please consider coming to one of these. I'm very grateful to the friends, colleagues and mentors who agreed to take part. More details below, but please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to know more.

A Castel Franco (ora Castelfranco Veneto) il 24 novembre 1805 vi fu uno scontro chiave tra l'esercito di Napoleone e l'esercito austriaco, che permise la vittoria dei francesi ad Austerlitz il 2 dicembre. E' Napoleone stesso a ricordarne l'importanza all'interno dell'arco di trionfo a Parigi. Quali furono le origini della battaglia e le conseguenze?

Un’analisi di alcuni documenti conservati nell’archivio della Congregazione per la dottrina della Fede permette sottolineare elementi di continuità e rilevare differenze con quei filoni di critica verso l’autorità pontificia. Il termine ‘Anticlericalismo’, che compare in diversi testi che si sono occupati di forme di critica o dissenso, appare però improprio e anacronistico, usato da storici dell’età moderna per sottolineare e comprendere un diffuso e articolato atteggiamento negativo verso il clero, il papa, il potere pontificio nelle sue due ‘anime’, temporale e spirituale. Ma l’anticlericalismo non ha sempre un significato negativo: è anche stato definito un “agente di cambiamento”, un elemento che mostra una tensione verso una riforma. È quindi polisemico nelle sue declinazioni, da non confondere con l’irreligiosità, soprattutto se usato per decifrare situazioni e posizioni che si espressero nell’età moderna. In linea generale manifesta un’insofferenza verso l’onnipotenza del clero e pretende di fissare una divisione fra spirituale e temporale; criticare comportamenti attribuiti in generale al clero o a persone specifiche; discutere dogmi, pratiche religiose non solo per rifiuto, ma per una purificazione di esse. Finora l’attenzione si è focalizzata soprattutto sul Cinquecento, mettendo in relazione l’anticlericalismo con la Riforma e la sua diffusione. La documentazione qui proposta illustra invece difficoltà da parte dell’organismo inquisitoriale a controllare e reprimere espressioni di critica, anche feroce, che trovavano origine da malessere e tensioni sociali, familiari piuttosto che da convinzioni eterodosse.

«Se mala segnoria, che sempre accora/ li popoli suggetti , non avesse-mosso Palermo gridar ''Mora, mora!''» (=Αν δόλιοι άρχοντες, που καταθλίβουν/ Τα πλήθη, δεν έσπρωχναν το Παλέρμο/ "Θανατικό! Θανατικό!" να ουρλιάζει». Οι συγκεκριμένοι στίχοι, από το 8ο Άσμα του Παραδείσου, απεικονίζουν με το λιτό, συμπυκνωμένο τρόπο γραφής του Δάντη και το χαρακτηριστικό παραστατικό ύφος του, τη μετάβαση, ενός τραγικού ιστορικού γεγονότος που έλαβε χώρα στο Παλέρμο του 1282, στο περιβάλλον της Τέχνης του Λόγου. Και μάλιστα στον χώρο της υψηλής ποίησης, σε ένα έργο που προσλαμβάνει εθνικό χαρακτήρα σηματοδοτώντας τη χρονική στιγμή εκκίνησης της Ιταλικής Λογοτεχνίας. Στον πρώτο στίχο της τερτσίνας, ως "mala segnoria" (=δόλιους άρχοντες), ο Δάντης περιγράφει την τυραννική διακυβέρνηση του Καρόλου του Ι των Ανζού, που πληγώνει τους υπηκόους, την καρδιά του λαού, που εξεγείρεται αναζητώντας τιμωρία. Το ρήμα "gridare" (=ουρλιάζω), αποδίδει την κραυγή που αντηχούσε σε όλο το επαναστατημένο νησί: "Θάνατος στους Γάλλους!" (=Muoiano i Francesi)

Il lungo lento inesorabile affermarsi del rito crematorio in Italia La storia della cremazione in Italia e caratterizzata dal lungo contrasto tra Stato e Chiesa terminato con i decreti del Concilio Vaticano II. Dopo averne richiamato, per sommi capi, le principali vicende, si propone una ricostruzione dell’andamento del fenomeno, dalle sue origini moderne ai nostri tempi, basandoci sul materiale statistico a disposizione. Questo ultimo, per quanto limitato, permette di visualizzare l’inesorabile affermarsi del rito crematorio nel nostro paese. The long slow inexorable affirmation of the crematory rite in Italy The history of cremation in Italy is characterized by the long contrast between State and Church ending with the Second Vatican Council. After summarizing the main events, we propose a reconstruction of the evolution of the phenomenon, from its modern origins to our times, based on the available statistical documentation. This material, however limited, allows us to highlight ...

Il medievalismo rappresenta, senza ombra di dubbio, il fenomeno culturale più rilevante della società contemporanea: dalla fine degli anni ’70 del secolo scorso tale rilevanza è stata riconosciuta e praticata nella e dalla storiografia medievistica internazionale, ma in Italia solo negli ultimi decenni alla storia del Medioevo come cadenza cronologica definita dall’interpretazione rigorosa delle fonti si sta in modo progressivo affiancando la storia delle modificazioni ed evoluzioni del Medioevo nell’immaginario occidentale, ovvero delle ‘fortune’ di un tempo che per definizione è tempo pluriel potentiel e ambito preferenziale per praticare una storiografia allargata e incrociata. Il Medioevo del medievalismo, che si può definire ‘divulgativo’, plasma in misura assai significativa la percezione della ‘storia medievale’ da parte del pubblico dei non specialisti, essendo costruito su una serie di stereotipi/topoi molto difficilmente sostituibili – pur se ‘decostruibili’ - per la loro forza tradizionale, la loro efficacia ‘sentimentale’ e la loro innegabile bellezza. Si propone qui una riflessione sulle interferenze e gli incroci fra tali stereotipi e la storiografia medievistica contemporanea, cercando di individuare i termini della ricezione del Medioevo come epoca storica nella società e riprendendo le principali linee interpretative della discussione scientifica più recente in merito allo statuto disciplinare del medievalismo.

Intervista a Domenico Scarpa, sulla genesi e sulle ragioni del suo libro-mondo, “Calvino fa la conchiglia. La costruzione di uno scrittore”, dietro cui ci sono un lavoro lunghissimo, interviste fantasma e casi fortuiti: “Italo Calvino era un narratore nato, ma andava contro questo suo talento, aveva un bisogno spasmodico di contrastarlo, lavorava contro la propria grazia".

Problems of intergenerational justice, also highlighted by an unequal distribution of income to the disadvantage of young people, would require solutions that eliminate its causes rather than mitigate its consequences. Differentiating taxation according to age, by lowering income tax rates on young people’s incomes, does not seem to solve the problem. These proposals raise issues equality since they discriminate between taxpayers based on an element, that is age, which does not seem to indicate a different ability to pay — if not considered together with other elements. Nor do such proposals seem justifiable as concessions backed by social policy reasons. They might instead be justified in the light of a different consideration of the fiscal duty, which re-evaluates the benefit principle — as recent studies have proposed.

L'auteur américain James DiEugenio, qui a mené de longues enquêtes pour tenter de comprendre, non pas par qui et comment mais pourquoi JFK fut assassiné, pose ici la question fondamentale : JFK at -il été abattu pour son revirement en politique étrangère ?

Certamente non è facile distinguere l’eredità culturale latina dall’imperialismo romano, poiché in questo caso si tratta di una sorta di espansionismo culturale – nondimeno il filosofo francese Rémi Brague ha cercato, senza trascurare la realtà storica, di definire come suo tratto centrale l’eccentricità, cioè il fatto di trarre la propria identità da una fonte esterna. Partendo dal concetto che la cultura é un elemento acquisito, qualcosa di secondario, la cultura medesima in quest’accezione, che sorge dalla propria alterità rispetto all’altro, acquisisce un ruolo estremamente importante. Quest’atteggiamento viene definito come «via romana» e viene considerato dall’autore una formula specifica che definisce l’evoluzione di tutta la cultura europea. Le sue fonti esterne sono la grecità, che la cultura europea ha ereditato dal paganesimo romano, e la tradizione religiosa ebraica nella quale è radicato il cristianesimo. Sembra che questa formula si sia realizzata nel contesto reale in...

The lack of adequate historiographical insights has cast a negative light on the role of lordship in the late medieval economy; it has traditionally been seen as an obstacle to the free expression of market forces and thus to growth. While not espousing this dated view, neo-institutionalist models have in fact reiterated this negative judgement. This article puts forward an interpretive proposal aimed at nuancing the image of lordship as an economically regressive force and reconsidering its role in late medieval growth processes.

Watton and Italy : Some Notes on the Dedications to Henry Wotton in Orazio Lombardelli’s Fonti toscani and Fabio Glissenti’s Morte innamorata · This article exam-ines the dedicatory letters to Henry Wotton of two books published in Italy : Fonti toscani by Orazio Lombardelli (Siena 1598) and Morte innamorata by Fabio Glissenti (Venice 1608). Wotton came into contact with Lombardelli during his first Italian journey of 1591-1593. The volume dedicated to him describes the readings he probably did under Lombardelli’s guidance to learn Italian during his stay in Siena. The dedica-tion of Glissenti’s Morte innamorata to Wotton, the Protestant ambassador of a heretic king, sparked controversy and protest from the Inquisitor, the Nuncio, and the Curia of Rome. The reconstruction of these controversies adds to our understanding of what has been defined as the philo-Protestant period in Venice (1606-1609)

Supplement_Table for Reliability and Validity of Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale in Turkish Population by Gizem Ayan, Ceyda Afacan, Burc Cagrı Poyraz, Onur Bilgic, Suna Avci, Hakan Yavuzer, Mehmet Yuruyen, Deniz Suna Erdincler, Burak Ayan, and Alper Doventas in American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias