ITALY - HISTORY (cont.)

Italian History - Bibliography

It is difficult to indicate in a short space the most important sources of Italian as distinguished from imperial or ecclesiastical history. Muratori's great collection of Rerum Italicarum Scriptores, in combination with his Dissertationes, the chronicles and other historical material published in the Archivio Storico Italiano, and the works of those detached annalists of whom the Villain are the most notable take the first rank. Next may be mentioned Muratori's Annali d'Italia, together with Guicciardini's Storia d'Italia, and its continuation by Carlo Botta.

Troya's Storia d'ltalia del Medio Evo and Sismondi's Republiques Italiennes form perhaps the most valuable modern contributions to the history of the whole peninsula. Ferrari's Rivoluzioni d'ltalia deserves special notice, as a work of singular vigour, though of less scientific value ; and Cesare Balbo's Sommario presents the main outlines of the subject with brevity and clearness.

With regard to the history of separate provinces, it may suffice to notice the Storia Fiorentina of Machiavelli and Corio's Storia di Milano, Capponi's Storia della Repubblica di Firenze, Colletta's History of Naples, Romanin's History of Venice, Amari's Musulmani di Sicilia, and the Stadt Rom of Gregorovius.

From the point of view of papal history, Von Ranke's History of the Popes is distinguished for exact insight into one epoch of Italian development.

From the point of view of biography, Von Reumont's Lorenzo de Medici and Villari's Savonarola and Machiavelli are equally instructive.

From the point of view of general culture Burckhardt's Cultur der Renaissance in Italien, Quinet's Revolutions d'Italie, and J. A. Symonds's Renaissance in Italy, 5 vols., may prove of service.

No comprehensive work can be indicated for the history of Italy during the present century, though Reuchlin's Geschichte Italiens, Treitschke's Essay on Cavour, and Massari's Life of Cavour supply important materials. (J. A. S.)






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Italy - Table of Contents