Colloque international : « The Prince and the Condottiero in Italian Humanism and Renaissance: Literature, History, Political Theory and Art », en ligne, 17-18 juin 2021

The Prince and the Condottiero in Italian Humanism and Renaissance: 

Literature, History, Political Theory and Art 

A two-day International Conference
University of Warwick, 17-18 June 2021

Master of Griselda, Alexander the Great, c. 1494. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham.

New research on the evolution of political power between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and on the cultural horizon connected to it, has been carried out in recent scholarship through innovative interdisciplinary perspectives. This approach, thanks to the synergy of studies in different fields (history, literature, philosophy, art) and the analysis of sources belonging to various domains, has allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the complex and multifaceted cultural dynamics that characterize this crucial age of European history. This conference aims to contribute to this research area and, by adopting new interdisciplinary angles, to explore the process of definition, evolution and representation of the figures of the prince and the condottiero in Italian Humanism and Renaissance. These two roles often appear as interconnected and, in some cases, are embodied by the same political figure, who is both a military leader and a signore, or a prince. The centrality of these actors in the historical scene also becomes the reflection of a more general phenomenon: the emergence of a personalistic political power, based on individual human virtue.

Bringing together scholars from different fields and disciplines, this conference focuses on two complementary and often interrelated dimensions in the history of political thought: the theoretical and ideal representation of the models of the perfect prince and condottiero; and the depiction of historical political actors. Over two days, the participants will analyse the different forms and genres through which the definition and representation of these key political figures have been put forward: historical narratives, political treatises, chivalric romance, historical-epic poetry, visual and artistic representations. These different media overlap in various ways, but have been only rarely considered through a comparative and unified perspective: such a viewpoint should be able to point out synergies, similarities, and specificities of these fields, and help recognize their actual contribution to the evolution of political ideologies in the Italian Renaissance. Particular attention will go to the fruitful interplay between history, literature and art, for instance the role played by various works and authors in establishing the characteristic traits of the prince and the condottiero. Furthermore, this conference adopts an approach that goes beyond traditional periodizations and boundaries, spanning the timeframe from the beginning of the fifteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century (and beyond), and considering, among others, the cultural areas of Naples, Florence, Milan, and Ferrara.

PROGRAMME 

Convenors: Dr Marta Celati (Leverhulme Research Fellow, University of Warwick, Centre for the Study of the Renaissance), Dr Maria Pavlova (Leverhulme Research Fellow, University of Warwick, School of Modern Languages and Cultures).

The conference will be held via Zoom on 17-18 June, starting at 13:30pm (BST) on Thursday 17 June. Participation is free of charge, and the conference languages are English and Italian.

Registration is now open. To reserve a place, please fill in the registration form HERE.

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