Undergraduate Course: 'The State as a Work of Art' in Northern Italy, c.1300-c.1650 (LLLE07042)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course charts the development and progress of the influential states of Northern Italy in the Renaissance and early modern period. The states will be considered in their political, economic and cultural contexts, placing them alongside the contemporary growth of major European powers. |
| Course description |
Starting from the nineteenth-century Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt's premise of the 'State as a Work of Art', the course charts the development, flowering and sometimes the decline of the patchwork of states that covered Northern Italy in the Renaissance and early modern period. Individual dynasties will be examined against the growing influence of major European powers. We will also explore the political and economic transformation of these regional states and the cultural magnificence of their courts that was central to the identity of their rulers.
The course will include lectures, seminar discussion and one-to-one discussion of the course and formative assessment to feedforward to the final assessment. Students will be introduced to a range of contemporary sources (history, literature, architecture, art) and will develop their critical analysis skills during lectures and group discussion.
Content summary:
1. The State as a Work of Art: Introduce Jacob Burckhardt's work and the section on the evolution of the city-state. Introduce the northern states of the Italian peninsula and provide an overview of historical context and key events.
2. The Duchy of Milan: Political structures and power relations in Milan. The Visconti and the Sforza. Events during the Italian Wars (1494-1535). Imperial and Spanish Milan in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
3. Small Principalities 1: Mantua. Analysis of the political structure and image construction. The Gonzaga dynasty: patronage and war.
4. Small Principalities 2: Ferrara and the Este dynasty.
5. Genoa: Maritime Republic.
6. Venice: The Most Serene Republic.
7. Duchies, marquisates and feudal principalities: Montferrat, Saluzzo, Trent, Aquileia.
8. The Rise of Piedmont and the House of Savoy.
9. Women and Power: Isabella d'esme, Marchioness of Mantua; the Duchesses of Savoy and other regents.
10. Conclusions: Discuss the influence of the state, trade and the economy, the cultural and political changes during the period, and compare the forms of government and image projection considered throughout the course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, an understanding of the different forms of the Italian city-state and the role of particular dynasties in the politics of Renaissance and early modern Italy.
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, comprehension of strategies of Renaissance image management, both in public and private, and acknowledge the role of the court.
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, a critical awareness of Italian Renaissance cultural productions, including works of material culture, art, architecture, and literature, and be aware of the role of patronage.
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, an understanding of the wider political, economic and cultural context of Northern Italy in this period.
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Reading List
Burckhardt, J., 1990. The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy. London: Penguin.
Cole, A., 1995. Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts. London: Orion.
Gambarini, A. and Lazzarini I., 2012. The Italian Renaissance State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hollingsworth, M., 1994. Patronage in Renaissance Italy. London: John Murray.
Martines, L., 1979. Power and Imagination: City-states in Renaissance Italy. London : Allen Lane
Rosenberg, C. M., 2010. The Court Cities of Northern Italy: Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Mantua, Ferrara, Bologna, Urbino, Pesaro, and Rimini. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Written and oral analytical skills.
Handling a range of historical sources.
Confidence in contributing to group discussion. |
| Special Arrangements |
This is a for-credit course offered by the Centre for Open Learning (COL); only students registered with COL should be enrolled. |
| Keywords | Italy,renaissance,early modern |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sally Crumplin
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: |
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