Nuevas aproximaciones a la historia urbana de Italia: el Renacimiento temprano

Abstract

Since the XIXth century, the interpretation of the history of the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period in Italy has been strongly influenced by north-south dichotomies and core-periphery models. This article undermines dualist arguments through an analysis of the late-medieval «crisis» which underlines the factors of integration at work, but also the development of regional differentiation in European economies. The text describes in detail the dynamics of urbanization of Italy between the late XIVth and the early XVIth centuries focusing on the transformation which occurred in urban networks and hierarchies in a period of stagnation in urbanization rates. Institutions are considered the main factor accounting for the changes in urban patterns, and its variety expresses the regional differentiation experienced by Italy along with the development of territorial States.