Historical Studies

The title of the module is “Writing Italian History in the Sixteenth Century”. Starting out from the theoretical considerations developed by the humanists and the connections between humanist historiography and the classical tradition, the course will examine the historical and political terms of a vast output of history writing whose object is the history and geography of the Italian peninsula with special emphasis on the changes that occurred during the transition from the period known as the Italian Wars to the Council of Trent and the beginning of the Counter-Reformation.

Basic knowledge of modern history. Must have completed at least 6 credits in Modern History in the undergraduate degree program.

- Francesco Somaini, Geografie politiche italiane tra Medioevo e Rinascimento, Cremona, 2012; -Juan Carlos D’Amico, 1525-1526. Da Pavia a Madrid. Francesco I prigioniero di Carlo V, Roma, Edizioni Nuova Cultura, 2025; - Elena Bonora, Aspettando l’imperatore. Principi italiani tra il papa e Carlo V, Torino, 2014 [libro esaurito rivolgersi alla docente] - E. Valeri, «Scrivere le cose d’Italia». Storici e storie d’Italia tra umanesimo e controriforma, Roma, Sapienza Editrice, 2020; - Riccardo Fubini, L’idea di Italia fra Quattro e Cinquecento: politica, geografia storica, miti delle origini, in «Geographia Antiqua», VII, 1998, pp. 53-66; - Adriano Prosperi, Alle origini di una identità nazionale. L’Italia fra l’antico e i « barbari » nella storiografia dell’Umanesimo e della Controriforma, in Le sentiment national dans l’Europe méridionale aux XVIe et XVII siècles (France, Spagne, Italie), Études réunis et présentées par A. Tallon, Madrid, 2007, pp. 169-188; Da leggere : Francesco Guicciardini, Storia d’Italia, libro I (ediz. Consigliata : Einaudi, a cura di S. Seidel Menchi).

Face to face lesson and and seminars by scholars specialized in the course topic.