Imperial Ambition in the Early Modern Mediterranean

Genoese Merchants and the Spanish Crown

Céline Dauverd

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781107062368
• eBook ISBN:
  9781316056936
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European History
• Index: History

This book examines the alliance between the Spanish Crown and Genoese merchant bankers in southern Italy throughout the early modern era, when Spain and Genoa developed a symbiotic economic relationship, undergirded by a cultural and spiritual alliance. Analyzing early modern imperialism, migration, and trade, this book shows that the spiritual entente between the two nations was mainly informed by the religious division of the Mediterranean Sea. The Turkish threat in the Mediterranean reinforced the commitment of both the Spanish Crown and the Genoese merchants to Christianity. Spain's imperial strategy was reinforced by its willingness to acculturate to southern Italy through organized beneficence, representation at civic ceremonies, and spiritual guidance during religious holidays.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• Figures
• Tables
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter One Empires of the Renaissance, 1453–1650: The Genoese Response to Shifting Alliances in the Mediterranean
• Chapter Two Genoese Emporium and Spanish Imperium in the Kingdom of Naples
• Chapter Three Commercial Ascension through Silk: Genoese Artisans, Merchants, Bankers
• Chapter Four Achieving Favorite Nation Status: The Economic Journey of the Genoese
• Chapter Five The Genoese Merchants: Between the Viceroys’ Buon Governo and Habsburg Expansion
• Chapter Six Holy Week: The Genoese in the Ceremonial Triptych
• Chapter Seven The Genoese Eye of the Storm: Spiritual Competition in Church, Sea, and Grave
• Chapter Eight The Genoese Participation in Charitable Institutions
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index