
The name Italy evokes history and splendor. Toga-clad Romans, sweeping vistas of vineyards and olive groves, the majesty of a Papal mass, Dante's Comedia, and Leonardo's haunting Mona Lisa. Few nations can boast as rich an artistic and cultural legacy, and yet, the concept of Italy as a single, autonomous political entity is a young one, dating back a mere 125 years. Fragmented both by North-South rivalries and foreign invasions, the peninsula struggled for nearly 1500 years after the fall of the Roman Empire to become a cohesive whole.Now, in The Oxford History of Italy, two millennia of political turmoil and artistic glory are brought to life. Written by twelve leading scholars, this attractively designed volume paints a vivid portrait that ranges from the first hints of a nascent Italian consciousness (which often clashed with Rome's authority in the first century), to the Fascist struggles of the twentieth. We discover how the sack of Rome in 410 by the Goths created an enormous power vacuum, filled only by the proliferation of city-states and the ascendancy of the Pope. The book examines the artistic explosion of the Renaissance, illuminates the legacy of the Medici family and the great Italian masters--Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael--and visits ports such as Venice and commercial centers such as Milan, which prospered in the aftershock of the Black Death and the Great Schism. And the contributors explore the succeeding economic and political troubles of the following centuries: sharp depressions, inter-state wars, foreign invasions first by Spain, then by Austria and France. Not until the 19th century upsurge in nationalist fervor, fueled by Garibaldi's victorious war against the Habsburg overlords, was Italy's future as an independent nation guaranteed. Yet even today, Italy's political atmosphere is stormy: from the lingering Fascist sentiments, to the growing Northern separatist movement, to the rampant corruption that rocks the government a
This volume investigates the complex evolution of Italy from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the modern era, questioning how a region defined by fragmentation and foreign influence coalesced into a unified political state. Edited by George Holmes, the work compiles contributions from twelve leading scholars who utilize historical analysis and cultural examination to trace the development of Italian consciousness across two millennia. The text argues that Italy's identity is rooted in a tension between its profound artistic legacy and its turbulent history of political division.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this volume as a comprehensive and accessible survey of Italian history suitable for both students and general readers. Readers frequently note that the collaborative nature of the work provides a balanced perspective on the diverse cultural and political forces that shaped the peninsula.
Page Count:
424
Publication Date:
2001-05-24
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192854445
ISBN-13:
9780192854445
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