Italy and the European Wars: The Impact of War, 1503-1530
University of Warwick, 30 May – 1 June 2003
The idea behind this international conference, held at Warwick University
from 30 May to 1 June 2003 by the AHRB Centre for the Study of
Renaissance Elites and Court Cultures (with support from the Society for
Renaissance Studies, and from the Humanities Research Centre of the
University of Warwick), was to reflect on the impact of invasion and war on
Italy during the first decades of the sixteenth century. Our aim was to
interpret this as widely as possible, and to consider military campaigns
alongside political society and ideas, and culture. In some respects, this
conference followed on from that held at Warwick in 1998, The World of
Savonarola: Italian Elites in Crisis, and consequently did not set out to
investigate evidence of spiritual crises provoked by the Italian wars, a focus
of that earlier conference. We endeavoured to cover as much of Italy as
possible, and were pleased to have papers that ranged from Naples to
Genoa and Milan, as well as the more familiar territory of Rome, Florence
and Venice. Unfortunately, we were not able to have as many papers as we
would have liked which directly addressed the cultural influence of the
French and Spanish soldiers and officials, and the reactions and resistance
they provoked. While much more work is now being done, especially by
Italian scholars, on the period of the Spanish hegemony in Italy, the earlier
decades of the sixteenth century are still comparatively neglected. This was
one reason why those who attended and contributed to the conference told
us that they had found it useful and interesting, to the gratification of the
organisers, and that it had given them a valuable opportunity to discuss
common interests and problems with colleagues from different fields.
Genoa – in particular, the ritual of the entries by French monarchs
into the city – was the focus of the opening paper by George Gorse
(Pomona, California), and also featured in the discussion by Nicole Hochner
(Jerusalem) of the evolution of French perceptions of Italy. Fabrizio Nevola
(Warwick) spoke about the preparations for a triumphal entry, that of Leo X
into Siena in 1515, that in the end did not take place. An unaccustomed
perspective on the impact of the French in Milan was presented in the paper
by Letizia Arcangeli (Milan) on the stimulus to representative government
they gave, while the French military campaigns in Milan and Naples were
examined by Robert Knecht in his consideration of the career of one of the
major French commanders, Louis de La Trémoille. The great defeat
inflicted on the Spanish-Imperial fleet off Capo d’Orso near Naples in 1528
(by the Genoese fleet commanded by Filippo Doria in the service of the
French) was analysed in detail by Maurizio Airoli (Warwick and Pisa).
Logistical problems were the focus of the discussion by Anthony
Antonovics (Bristol) of the reasons for the French defeat in Naples in 15034. The broader setting of the kingdom of Naples during the first decades of
Spanish rule was provided by David Abulafia (Cambridge) in his paper on
Ferdinand the Catholic.
The effects and influence of the war on areas of Italy that were not
conquered and occupied were also examined. John Najemy (Cornell) spoke
of the responses in Florence to Machiavelli’s scheme for the militia, while
Humfrey Butters (Warwick) considered the question of political structures
and allegiance in the thinking of Machiavelli and Guicciardini. Christine
Shaw (Warwick), in a paper on the Roman barons and Clement VII, argued
that the wars had yet to alter significantly established patterns in the
relations between popes and barons. The ultimate failure of the Varano to
hold on to the signoria of Camerino was analysed by John Law (Swansea).
Francesco Benelli (Columbia) discussed the consequences for architecture in
Bologna of the affirmation of papal rule following the expulsion of the
Bentivoglio by Julius II, while Eva Renzulli (Venice) described the
fortification of the shrine at Loreto against attacks it was feared would be
launched by the Turks.
Consideration of the wider military aspects of warfare in Italy in this
period was provided by Michael Mallett (Warwick), in his analysis of the
changing composition of armies and the balance between cavalry, infantry
and artillery, while Simon Pepper (Liverpool) discussed architectural
responses to siege warfare in the development of fortifications.
An unusual response to political crisis and war was analysed by Iain
Fenlon (Cambridge) in his paper on the political compositions of Philippe
Verdelot during the period of popular government in Florence in 1527-30.
A less grave aspect of musical culture, the secular music played by and
associated with courtesans in Rome was presented by William Prizer
(California, Santa Barbara). Paul Joannides (Cambridge) provided another
unaccustomed cultural perspective, in his discussion of Raphael as a painter
of battles. A panoramic view of the impact of the wars on Italian
universities was supplied by Jonathan Davies (Warwick). Christiana EscheRamshorn (Cambridge) considered some architectural developments around
St Peter’s in Rome.
These wide-ranging papers gave rise to some even more wide-ranging
discussions, which greatly benefited from the variety of disciplines and
expertise that those attending the conference as well as the speakers brought
to them.
Dr Christine Shaw, University of Warwick