Description
Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1967. With the waning of the Middle Ages, the life of the Italian polis underwent a gradual but unmistakable transformation. The leisurely decentralization of the medieval commune, which had its roots in feudalism, the code of chivalry, and religious faith, gave place to the tight despotism of the fourteenth century. This in turn yielded to democratized government and finally to a stricter legalistic and puritanical rule. Marvin Becker's two-volume study of Florence examines this metamorphosis and establishes its relationship to the emergence of the Renaissance state. Volume One traces the decline of the communal paideia in its political, social, and cultural aspects. Through an intensive examination of the fiscal and juridical records of the period and the documents of contemporary literature, Dr. Becker demonstrates the relationship between the death of communal ideals and the centralization of political power, and between the emergence of a strong middle clas
Table of ContentsIntroduction
I. The Communal Paideia and the Emerging Humanisn of the Early Trecento
II. Experiments in Popular Government and Dictatorship to 1328
III. The Halcyon Years: The Oligarchy and the Gentle Paideia of the 1330's
IV. The Failure of Oligarchs, Despots, and Magnets the End of the Casual Regimen, 1340-1343
V. Popular Government and the Beginnings of the Stern Paideia, 1343-1348
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
