States of Enmity - (Studies in Early Modern European History) by Stephen Cummins (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book establishes the crucial significance of the politics of enmity and pacification in the early modern Kingdom of Naples.

Book Synopsis

State of enmity explores how relations of hatred and enmity played political and social roles in the early modern Kingdom of Naples. Exploring the pervasive notion of enmity and practices of reconciliation, the book provides new insight into the social dynamics of southern Italy in the early modern period. In particular, widespread banditry and the violent tenor of local politics are analysed through a wide variety of criminal trials and other sources.

From the Back Cover

States of enmity establishes the central role of interpersonal enmity and peace-making in the society of southern Italy in the seventeenth century. It demonstrates the roles enmity, in its diverse manifestations, played in early modern politics, legal culture and social relations.

Through analysing the effects of hatred and reconciliation, the book charts a history of Spanish Naples, spotlighting its most evocative yet misrepresented characters: violent bandits and the unruly soldiers set against them; overbearing feudal lords and restive vassal; intrepid missionaries and penitent murderers; grand Spanish viceroys and poor Neapolitan rebels. Notably, this monograph is a rare example of research on early modern southern Italy that uses records from criminal courts, providing the closest encounter with the actual people involved in Naples' notorious 'disorder', constituted by homicide, banditry, feudal oppression and the Spanish regime's governing tactics.

This book shows how states of public enmity and practices of peace-making structured both local politics and the central state's interaction with the provinces of the kingdom. The Kingdom of Naples was one of the most violent regions of Europe in the early modern period, States of enmity explores why this was so.

Review Quotes

'This fascinating volume represents a significant contribution to the study of early modern history in the Kingdom of Naples. Through a series of meticulously researched and thoughtfully presented case studies, "States of Enmity" investigates the cultural and anthropological framework that influenced the dynamics of hatred, vendetta, law-breaking, dissent, peace-making and religious devotion. As the author convincingly shows, these factors played a crucial role in defining the connections and distances between the provinces of the Kingdom and the centres of power in the capital, Naples.'
Lorenza Gianfrancesco, University of Chichester

About the Author

Stephen Cummins is a Researcher at the Center for the History of Emotions at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.