Transregional Lordship and the Italian Renaissance
René de Challant, 1504-1565
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Amsterdam University Press
Published:20th Apr '20
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
René de Challant, whose holdings ranged from northwestern Italy to the Alps and over the mountains into what is today western Switzerland and eastern France, was an Italian and transregional dynast. The spatially dispersed kind of lordship that he practiced and his lifetime of service to the house of Savoy, especially in the context of the Italian Wars, show how the Sabaudian lands, neighboring Alpine states, and even regions further afield were tied to the history of the Italian Renaissance. Situating René de Challant on the edge of the Italian Renaissance helps us to understand noble kin relations, political networks, finances, and lordship with more precision. A spatially inflected analysis of René’s life brings to light several themes related to transregional lordship that have been obscured due to the traditional tendencies of Renaissance studies. It uncovers an ‘Italy’ whose boundaries extend not just into the Mediterranean, but into regions beyond the Alps.
"This is a thoroughly researched study based on vast archival materials in over a dozen different archives in France, Italy, and Switzerland. And as a study of lordship—the exercise of noble privileges and responsibilities, or as the author puts it, the exercise of spatial politics—this is a fascinating and significant case study that deserves a wide readership."
- Mack P. Holt, Renaissance and Reformation, 43.4 (Fall 2021)
"C’est donc un bel ouvrage qui, en plus de renouveler le regard sur un personnage important des guerres d’Italie et pour le duché de Savoie, propose de reconsidérer le rôle de l’État durant la Renaissance italienne en partant de la subsistance de liens féodaux étendus à l’échelle européenne."
- Jean Sénié, Laboratoire italien, October 2020
"Specialists in the wide range of fields that Vester touches on, especially for those with interests in transregional connections, will find his work a treasure trove of useful information for comparative purposes. The breadth, depth, and thoroughness of Vester’s scholarship are truly impressive, and offer a good indication of what research in the history of smaller states and less well-known political actors might yet produce."
- James R. Smither, Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 75, No. 2
ISBN: 9789463726726
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
330 pages