Calamities and the economy in renaissance Italy : the grand tour of the horsemen of the apocalypse /
Alfani, Guido,1976-
Italy faced a number of catastrophes in the long sixteenth century. This economic and demographic history follows the consequences of these catastrophes - the action of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War, Famine and Plague, all followed by Death. Guido Alfani considers the short-term effects of the calamities affecting Renaissance Italy as well as the impact they had, in the medium- and long-term, on the general economic and demographic trend of the peninsula. The calamities are shown to be not only the source of destruction, but also the cause of a significant redistribution of population and wealth; in other words, they produced winners as well as losers. This overall picture of the economic conditions of Italy in the late Renaissance challenges the received wisdom that suggests, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Italian economy was still healthy, innovating and dynamic.
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Contents; List of Figures and Tables; Acknowledgements; Epigraph; Introduction; 1 War; The Italian Wars, 1494-1559: an overview of the main events; Damage to human capital: battles and sieges; The tragedy of the 'useless mouths'; The sack of the cities; The long-term consequences of war: the case of Ivrea; Damage in rural areas; Who paid for the Italian Wars? Items for a balance sheet; 2 Famine; The complex interaction between Famine, War and Plague; Dearth, hunger and famine: definitions and the development of extreme hunger; Hunger and famine in the years of the Italian Wars
The great famine of the late sixteenth century, 1590-93The famine in rural areas: the case of Nonantola; Provisioning of cereals, annone and the bread market: successes, difficulties and institutional failures; 3 Plague; The debate on the etiology of the plague and its implications; Plague and typhus from the Italian Wars to the Plague of San Carlo of 1575-77; The intervention of the public health authorities from the Plague of San Carlo to the epidemics at the end of the sixteenth century; Damage to physical and to human capital; Consequences for aggregate demand and the labour market
An overall appraisal of the biological situation: new diseases and the remission of the plague4 Winners and Losers; Redistribution among states; Redistribution among communities: the role of institutions and economic opportunities; The famine of 1590-93 as a factor of rebalancing; Redistribution among socioeconomic groups and individual opportunities; 5 Population and the Economy: Underlying Trends; Lowland, mountain and coastal areas: physical environment and demographic regimes; The Alps and Apennines; The cities; Cities and rural areas
A comparison between different rural areas: agrarian innovation and Malthusian trapsPopulation theories put to the test: Malthus and Boserup; General demographic trends in northern Italy in the 'long' sixteenth century: a reconstruction; 1595-1620: an Indian summer or a solid recovery?; Conclusion: Towards the Seventeenth Century; Appendices; Appendix 1 Chronology of the principal plagues and famines in Italy, 1470-1627; Appendix 2 Births and deaths per region and macro-region, 1550-1628; Notes; Manuscripts and Printed Sources; Bibliography; Index
Italy faced a number of catastrophes in the long sixteenth century. This economic and demographic history follows the consequences of these catastrophes - the action of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse - War, Famine and Plague, all followed by Death. Guido Alfani considers the short-term effects of the calamities affecting Renaissance Italy as well as the impact they had, in the medium- and long-term, on the general economic and demographic trend of the peninsula. The calamities are shown to be not only the source of destruction, but also the cause of a significant redistribution of population and wealth; in other words, they produced winners as well as losers. This overall picture of the economic conditions of Italy in the late Renaissance challenges the received wisdom that suggests, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Italian economy was still healthy, innovating and dynamic.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
History, Modern.
Italy—History.
Civilization—History.
Europe—History.
Social history.
Economic history.
Modern History.
History of Italy.
Cultural History.
European History.
Social History.
Economic History.
Calamities and the economy in renaissance Italy