Academic literature on the topic 'Genoa (Italy) – Economic conditions – 17th century'

The article presents the analytical review of “Troubled Times in Russia in the Early 17th and Early 20th Centuries: Nature and Lessons” conference, dedicated to the jubilee of I.O. Tumentsev, which was held in Volgograd in October 2018. The aims of the conference were to conduct a comparative study of the two turning points in the history of the Russian state and society, to identify the patterns of systemic sociopolitical crises emergence and occurrence, to determine causes, factors, directions and boundaries of socio-cultural, economic and political changes that took place in Russia during the Time of Troubles of the early 17th century and the revolution and Civil War of 1917–1922. The conference takes an opportunity to analyze a wide circle of issues related to internal and external factors of the appearance of the Troubled Times in Russia, the specifics of social elevators functioning in the conditions of the system social crisis, the interaction between the elite and ordinary people in revolutionary times, the transformation of the state apparatus and service in the Time of Troubles, and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church at crucial moments in the Russian history. Scientists from Russia, England, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and the USA: historians, political scientists, economists, leading experts in these fields attended the conference. The article describes the content of the reports that were presented at the conference, analyzes the course of discussions, and presents the decisions that were made based on the results of its work. The scientific results obtained during the conference can be used in research on the history of Russia in the 17th and 20th centuries, the history of the national state and law, and in the analysis of contemporary social and political phenomena and processes.

The historical attire of women from the Lithuania Minor (Klaipėda Region) has a characteristic practical detail: a textile pocket tied at the waist, which functionally corresponds to the modern handbag or pocket. Such textile pockets are called delmonai (pl.) and are usually decorated with colorful ornaments. The purpose of this article is introducing the prototypes of the ornamental motifs in terms of intercultural comparison, employing the visual materials collected by the author and historically formed intercultural contacts. While introducing her hypothesis of possible long-term influences, the author presents décor samples from identical or related textile pockets (from the 17th century until the middle of the 20th century), discussing the possibilities of their finding way to the Lithuania Minor. Researching the change occurring in the décor motifs, the author employs comparative analysis of the traditional (from the beginning of the 19th century until 1930s) and modern (from the beginning of the 21st century) textile pockets, still used as part of the national costume of the Lithuania Minor. The origins of several decorative motifs, e.g. the wreath, the crowned musical instrument, and the flower bouquet, are analyzed in more detail. The vegetal ornaments predominate in the décor of the textile pockets from the Lithuania Minor, including blossoms, branches, bouquets, leafs, wreaths and stylized trees. Certain modes of representation have been appropriated by the folk art from professional art or textiles. The most important centers of high fashion emerging in France, Italy, and Germany, exercised certain impact on tendencies occurring in the folk handicraft. Examples of textile pockets worn by the nobility were widely promoted by the periodicals. The surviving samples of embroidery patterns indicate one of the possible sources for the textile pockets’ décor in the Lithuania Minor: namely, the printed sheets with ornamental patterns, used by the nobility and lower social classes alike. Another likely source would be functionally similar needlework by women from the neighboring countries, since textile pockets make part of the national costume there as well. Sea trade created favorable conditions for commercial and cultural interchange between neighbors. The motif of wreath, rather frequently used in the Lithuania Minor, and the occasional motif of the flower bouquet also occur on textile pockets from Pomerania (the border region between Poland and Germany). Ornamentation of the pockets from Bavaria (in Germany) is also rather close in character to the décor of the Lithuania Minor. Such congruities may be determined by several reasons. Firstly, the producers of these textile works could have had interconnections (after the onslaught of devastating plague in Europe, numerous people from Salzburg moved to the fertile but rather wasted out territories of the Lithuania Minor). Secondly, the producers could have used the same original pattern, e.g. the printed sheet. However, although the mutual influence in the needlework décor of the neighboring countries determined by their economic and cultural connections is obvious, the décor of the textile pockets from the Lithuania Minor stands out in terms of its peculiar features (particular colors, modes of décor, etc.).In terms of spreading the regional ethnic culture, the problem of preserving the regional character of the folk art acquires special significance. Although separate parts of the national costumes inevitably change as result of the technical innovations increasingly applied to their production, these costumes should still remain recognizable as a continuation of the folk attire characteristic to the particular region. The patterns of décor used while making the textile pockets nowadays follow to some extent the traditional motifs of floral compositions. Although individual authors tend to create their original compositions, the majority of the textile pockets produced as part of the national costume of the Lithuania Minor still are easily recognizable as belonging to this particular region. The ornamental motifs are not especially distanced from the original ones as well, with embroidered flower bouquets and wreaths still making the majority. However, the motifs of the bouquet placed in a bag and the crowned musical instrument have lost their popularity. Rather than just making part of the national costume of the Lithuania Minor, the textile pockets increasingly appear as part of the modern clothing characterizing its regional peculiarity.

Defence date: 5 July 1996
Examining board: Prof. Franco Angiolini, Università degli Studi di Pisa (co-supervisor) ; Prof. Kirti N. Chaudhuri, European University Institute (supervisor) ; Prof. Laurence Fontaine, European University Institute ; Dr. Richard Mackenney, University of Edinburgh ; Prof. Rodolfo Savelli, Università degli Studi di Genova
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017

Defence date: 18 June 2014
Examining Board: Professor Bartolomé Yun-Casalilla, EUI-Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Director) Professor Regina Grafe, EUI Professor Cátia Antunes, Leiden University Professor Maria Fusaro, Exeter University.
While historiography has analyzed the economic rise of northwestern Europe during Seventeenth century, less effort has been devoted to tackle the relative decline of the Mediterranean. Which factors contributed to eclipse the preeminence of south-European merchant-banking networks? How did they react to that shift? This thesis aims at filling that gap by elaborating on the case-study of the Genoese company of Domenico Grillo, offering insight into those questions. The main argument is that the Genoese not only faced increasing competition for the control of exchange circuits but also the reconfiguration of the institutional arrangements that had sustained their previous role as leaders of European financial markets. Challenging the traditional view of decay, this study reveals an astonishing dynamism of Genoese and Italian merchant-bankers in commercial circuits across and within different states and empires, and suggests that these networks adapted rather than collapsed. Furthermore, it shows something perhaps unexpected: the Genoese response went beyond the Mediterranean and encompassed the Atlantic as well. The thesis starts discussing how the Genoese case has been traditionally approached, to then examine the role of those networks in European circuits of exchange. Next, a deep investigation is carried out into the institutional devices supporting Grillo’s business in the Americas, exploring how he collaborated and competed with other actors. The study continues analyzing the trading chains he established across the Mediterranean, Atlantic Europe and the Americas. Finally it focuses on the many times neglected role displayed by the Republic of Genoa in framing the performance of Genoese networks abroad. Using a transnational approach, sources are interrogated in dialogue with the flourishing literature about merchant networks and institutions. Thus, this investigation goes beyond traditional images about the "Genoese capitalism" and revisits one of the axioms underpinning dominant metanarratives about the rise of the so-called "Western civilization".