Foxes, Lions, Griffins: Reflections on the Construction of the Modern State in Genoa
Abstract
This article investigates the characteristics of the oligarchic structure of the aristocratic Republic of Genoa through an interpretation that, going beyond the usual logic of the dualism between new and old nobility, relies on the Pareto categories of foxes and lions to define the formation of an ‘oligarchic oligarchy’ holding the main prerogatives of power. A working hypothesis that finds some initial confirmation in the correspondence between two Genoese nobles around the relations of the Republic with the newborn Duchy of Parma, where a peaceful modus vivendi is reached hinged on the transfer of the exchange fairs to Piacenza.
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