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2 - The Politics of Vendetta

from Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2023

Stuart Carroll
Affiliation:
University of York
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Summary

Vendetta was a commonly used term in early modern Italy and widely viewed in as legitimate, contributing to Italy’s very high homicide rates. But vendetta has received surprisingly little attention from historians. Vendetta was not opposed to the state or the law, because it was closely associated with justice. The process of getting even did not require the spilling of blood: an injury could be satisfied in bloodless ways and medieval statutes progressively sought to deny or restrict self-help. The elaboration of more punitive courts institutionalised the system of compensation for an injury. Vendetta was a process of conflict resolution in which the state, church and community brought significant pressure to bear on the parties to renounce enmity and seek peace. This became much more difficult after 1500. The Italian Wars not only unleashed mass violence and regime change on a scale not experienced in the late Middle Ages but also led to the collapse of traditional political loyalties. The violence unleased by civil war changed the nature of faction: factional identities were henceforth forged in blood.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • The Politics of Vendetta
  • Stuart Carroll, University of York
  • Book: Enmity and Violence in Early Modern Europe
  • Online publication: 12 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009287319.004
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  • The Politics of Vendetta
  • Stuart Carroll, University of York
  • Book: Enmity and Violence in Early Modern Europe
  • Online publication: 12 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009287319.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Politics of Vendetta
  • Stuart Carroll, University of York
  • Book: Enmity and Violence in Early Modern Europe
  • Online publication: 12 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009287319.004
Available formats
×