RiMe Rivista dell'Istituto di Storia dell'Europa Mediterranea, 2021
Durante la peste del 1624-1626 a Palermo, igovernanti individuarono i principi ispi-ratori e ... more Durante la peste del 1624-1626 a Palermo, igovernanti individuarono i principi ispi-ratori e stabilirono le norme per costruire un sistema di sorveglianza e reclusione dif-fuso nel territorio. Il sistema era incentrato sui lazzaretti ma decentrato negli ospedali, nei conventi, nelle case private. La presente indagine è rivolta in particolare alla rico-struzione dellemisure di imposizione della quarantena e dicon-finamento domiciliare che interessarono un gruppo di abitanti della città,alle modalità di individuazione e controllo dei destinatari delle misure re-strittivee alle strategie tentate dalle autorità per coinvolgimento della popolazione nelle operazioni di sorveglianza
The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE n... more The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE network (International Network-Historical and osteoarchaeological Past Populations Exploration), is organising a second congress on reactions and emotions in the face of epidemics in the pre-industrial age. The first congress (Majorca 2022) focused on research related to epidemics, with an emphasis on predominantly quantitative papers. In this new international, transdisciplinary, and diachronic meeting, we aim to focus on qualitative aspects. To this end, we will discuss research in the fields of social history, medicine, mentality and emotions, as well as archaeology, psychology, epidemiology, and molecular biology. These studies will be analysed through the concepts of contact and contagion. Epidemics have always characterised human history. Plague, typhus, smallpox, cholera and other epidemic diseases, which were highly lethal and killed quickly, have always occurred throughout history. The aetiology of these diseases was unknown and the people experiencing them wondered about their causes and their spread. In addition to miasmic ideas, which attributed the disease to the corruption of the air, contact between humans (healthy and sick), and between humans and animals, was considered one of the main causes of the disease, through the idea of contagion. It is no coincidence, in fact, that, for example, early modern plague was often defined as a 'contagion'. But contagion is something even more complex than simple contact between the healthy and the sick. Contagion is also understood as contagion of ideas, contamination of scientific knowledge, practices and experiences (F. Arena-G. Calvi, 'Contagi: saperi, pratiche, esperienze (XVIII-XX secolo). Saggio introduttivo', in Genesis, 2022). How do the concepts of contact and contagion influence reactions in the political, administrative, medical and scientific spheres? What emotions does the perception of possible contagion arouse among the population, various social actors, doctors and rulers? This call attempts to understand the relationships between the four concepts of contact, contagion, reactions and emotions from a multidisciplinary perspective. Scholars from different disciplines are invited to participate in the meeting, to present the results of their own research, and to dialogue on the basis of some common questions. The questions to be addressed concern-but are not limited to: o how do ideas of contact and contagion influence the discovery of the aetiology of certain diseases in the past? o how do such ideas influence the choices of rulers and doctors in the management of epidemics and the reactions of individuals?
The grain provisioning system was a central problem for the cities of the old régime. Compared wi... more The grain provisioning system was a central problem for the cities of the old régime. Compared with other cities, the capitals had privileges and took priority for their food provisioning. Palermo was not the official capital of the Kingdom of Sicily, but the city administrators used specific strategies and privileges in order to buy grain stocks for the city warehouses.
La nobiltà senatoria a Palermo tra Cinquecento e Seicento, 2005
Most of the italian cities in the old régime closed the access to the government positions to any... more Most of the italian cities in the old régime closed the access to the government positions to anybody but a restricted group of listed families, with regard to their antiquity, nobility, prestige. The access criteria to the senate of Palermo was different: the city was open to newcomers (foreign merchants, small landowners, jurists, professional men), and no formal rule - except being a citizen - checked for the nobility of the city governors. The members of the senate were considered “nobles” due to their money, power and, most of all, to their way of living, that imitated the style of the ancient noble families.
M e d i t e r r a n e a R i c e r c h e s t o r i c h e, 2008
Visitas Generales and royal control system within the imperial Spanish System: an historiographic... more Visitas Generales and royal control system within the imperial Spanish System: an historiographic overview The essay compares the results of most recent studies – from the Seventies up to the present day – concerning the institution of “Visitas Generales”. Due to their importance in this context, previous works, though, have also been examined. All throughout the Modern Age, the Spanish monarchy used the “Visita General” in their territories in order to supervise the conduct and the loyalty of the royal functionaries who were to administer justice and public money as well as royal properties. The “Visita” was also used to punish defrauders and, above all – according to the most recent historiography – to obtain detailed information on local governments, which could have turned useful in either correcting any form of illegality or planning good reforms. Keywords: historiography, visitas generales, inspection, justice, Castile, Aragon, Spanish domination in America, Milan, Naples, Sicily
Comptabilité(S) revue d'histoire des comptabilités, 2012
The financial administration of the Sicilian Reign and the surveillance system applied on it from... more The financial administration of the Sicilian Reign and the surveillance system applied on it from the Spanish Crown are well investigated. On the contrary, the technical and institutional innovations for the administration of the city finances were still not clear. This article focuses on the solutions to the problems concerning the city financial administration found by the governors of Palermo during the second half of the XVI century. The administration had to be surpervised by the Viceroy sent from Spain and the fiscal contribution to the Crown had to be guaranteed. For these reasons, the palermitan Town council introduced the use of a ledger (libro bilanciato), the double entry bookkeeping system in the municipal administration, and established the office of the Razionale (that is to say an auditor). The Viceroys established the tasks of the new officer and the number and kind of books that he had to keep. The Viceroys reforms spread and put into effect the working instruments of the castilian Hacienda real. As far as the improvement of the administrative structures is concerned, these reforms connected Sicily to the wider context of the Spanish imperial system.
The budget of the city. The archive of the accountant in Palermo (XVI-XIX century)
The archive of... more The budget of the city. The archive of the accountant in Palermo (XVI-XIX century) The archive of the city's accountants during the early modern period is of great interest. Palermo was one of the most populated cities of the Sicilian Kingdom, and the main fiscal contributor of the Spanish Monarchy; from the second half of the XVI century the Monarchy tried to improve its control of the administration of the city's patrimony, through the reformation of the accountant's office and the book-keeping (double entry) system. By the study of these books it is possible to shape and understand the administration system of the city's properties. The main income was formed by indirect taxation, and the expenses by salaries, services, but mainly by the food provisioning system. Buying the food for the city increased an enormous public debt and the city's administrators (merchants and noble landowners) mixed their private business with the public provisioning system and the public debt bonds market.
The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE n... more The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE network (International Network-Historical and osteoarchaeological Past Populations Exploration), is organising a second congress on reactions and emotions in the face of epidemics in the pre-industrial age. The first congress (Majorca 2022) focused on research related to epidemics, with an emphasis on predominantly quantitative papers. In this new international, transdisciplinary, and diachronic meeting, we aim to focus on qualitative aspects. To this end, we will discuss research in the fields of social history, medicine, mentality and emotions, as well as archaeology, psychology, epidemiology, and molecular biology. These studies will be analysed through the concepts of contact and contagion. Epidemics have always characterised human history. Plague, typhus, smallpox, cholera and other epidemic diseases, which were highly lethal and killed quickly, have always occurred throughout history. The aetiology of these diseases was unknown and the people experiencing them wondered about their causes and their spread. In addition to miasmic ideas, which attributed the disease to the corruption of the air, contact between humans (healthy and sick), and between humans and animals, was considered one of the main causes of the disease, through the idea of contagion. It is no coincidence, in fact, that, for example, early modern plague was often defined as a 'contagion'. But contagion is something even more complex than simple contact between the healthy and the sick. Contagion is also understood as contagion of ideas, contamination of scientific knowledge, practices and experiences (F. Arena-G. Calvi, 'Contagi: saperi, pratiche, esperienze (XVIII-XX secolo). Saggio introduttivo', in Genesis, 2022). How do the concepts of contact and contagion influence reactions in the political, administrative, medical and scientific spheres? What emotions does the perception of possible contagion arouse among the population, various social actors, doctors and rulers? This call attempts to understand the relationships between the four concepts of contact, contagion, reactions and emotions from a multidisciplinary perspective. Scholars from different disciplines are invited to participate in the meeting, to present the results of their own research, and to dialogue on the basis of some common questions. The questions to be addressed concern-but are not limited to: o how do ideas of contact and contagion influence the discovery of the aetiology of certain diseases in the past? o how do such ideas influence the choices of rulers and doctors in the management of epidemics and the reactions of individuals?
RiMe Rivista dell'Istituto di Storia dell'Europa Mediterranea, 2021
Durante la peste del 1624-1626 a Palermo, igovernanti individuarono i principi ispi-ratori e ... more Durante la peste del 1624-1626 a Palermo, igovernanti individuarono i principi ispi-ratori e stabilirono le norme per costruire un sistema di sorveglianza e reclusione dif-fuso nel territorio. Il sistema era incentrato sui lazzaretti ma decentrato negli ospedali, nei conventi, nelle case private. La presente indagine è rivolta in particolare alla rico-struzione dellemisure di imposizione della quarantena e dicon-finamento domiciliare che interessarono un gruppo di abitanti della città,alle modalità di individuazione e controllo dei destinatari delle misure re-strittivee alle strategie tentate dalle autorità per coinvolgimento della popolazione nelle operazioni di sorveglianza
The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE n... more The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE network (International Network-Historical and osteoarchaeological Past Populations Exploration), is organising a second congress on reactions and emotions in the face of epidemics in the pre-industrial age. The first congress (Majorca 2022) focused on research related to epidemics, with an emphasis on predominantly quantitative papers. In this new international, transdisciplinary, and diachronic meeting, we aim to focus on qualitative aspects. To this end, we will discuss research in the fields of social history, medicine, mentality and emotions, as well as archaeology, psychology, epidemiology, and molecular biology. These studies will be analysed through the concepts of contact and contagion. Epidemics have always characterised human history. Plague, typhus, smallpox, cholera and other epidemic diseases, which were highly lethal and killed quickly, have always occurred throughout history. The aetiology of these diseases was unknown and the people experiencing them wondered about their causes and their spread. In addition to miasmic ideas, which attributed the disease to the corruption of the air, contact between humans (healthy and sick), and between humans and animals, was considered one of the main causes of the disease, through the idea of contagion. It is no coincidence, in fact, that, for example, early modern plague was often defined as a 'contagion'. But contagion is something even more complex than simple contact between the healthy and the sick. Contagion is also understood as contagion of ideas, contamination of scientific knowledge, practices and experiences (F. Arena-G. Calvi, 'Contagi: saperi, pratiche, esperienze (XVIII-XX secolo). Saggio introduttivo', in Genesis, 2022). How do the concepts of contact and contagion influence reactions in the political, administrative, medical and scientific spheres? What emotions does the perception of possible contagion arouse among the population, various social actors, doctors and rulers? This call attempts to understand the relationships between the four concepts of contact, contagion, reactions and emotions from a multidisciplinary perspective. Scholars from different disciplines are invited to participate in the meeting, to present the results of their own research, and to dialogue on the basis of some common questions. The questions to be addressed concern-but are not limited to: o how do ideas of contact and contagion influence the discovery of the aetiology of certain diseases in the past? o how do such ideas influence the choices of rulers and doctors in the management of epidemics and the reactions of individuals?
The grain provisioning system was a central problem for the cities of the old régime. Compared wi... more The grain provisioning system was a central problem for the cities of the old régime. Compared with other cities, the capitals had privileges and took priority for their food provisioning. Palermo was not the official capital of the Kingdom of Sicily, but the city administrators used specific strategies and privileges in order to buy grain stocks for the city warehouses.
La nobiltà senatoria a Palermo tra Cinquecento e Seicento, 2005
Most of the italian cities in the old régime closed the access to the government positions to any... more Most of the italian cities in the old régime closed the access to the government positions to anybody but a restricted group of listed families, with regard to their antiquity, nobility, prestige. The access criteria to the senate of Palermo was different: the city was open to newcomers (foreign merchants, small landowners, jurists, professional men), and no formal rule - except being a citizen - checked for the nobility of the city governors. The members of the senate were considered “nobles” due to their money, power and, most of all, to their way of living, that imitated the style of the ancient noble families.
M e d i t e r r a n e a R i c e r c h e s t o r i c h e, 2008
Visitas Generales and royal control system within the imperial Spanish System: an historiographic... more Visitas Generales and royal control system within the imperial Spanish System: an historiographic overview The essay compares the results of most recent studies – from the Seventies up to the present day – concerning the institution of “Visitas Generales”. Due to their importance in this context, previous works, though, have also been examined. All throughout the Modern Age, the Spanish monarchy used the “Visita General” in their territories in order to supervise the conduct and the loyalty of the royal functionaries who were to administer justice and public money as well as royal properties. The “Visita” was also used to punish defrauders and, above all – according to the most recent historiography – to obtain detailed information on local governments, which could have turned useful in either correcting any form of illegality or planning good reforms. Keywords: historiography, visitas generales, inspection, justice, Castile, Aragon, Spanish domination in America, Milan, Naples, Sicily
Comptabilité(S) revue d'histoire des comptabilités, 2012
The financial administration of the Sicilian Reign and the surveillance system applied on it from... more The financial administration of the Sicilian Reign and the surveillance system applied on it from the Spanish Crown are well investigated. On the contrary, the technical and institutional innovations for the administration of the city finances were still not clear. This article focuses on the solutions to the problems concerning the city financial administration found by the governors of Palermo during the second half of the XVI century. The administration had to be surpervised by the Viceroy sent from Spain and the fiscal contribution to the Crown had to be guaranteed. For these reasons, the palermitan Town council introduced the use of a ledger (libro bilanciato), the double entry bookkeeping system in the municipal administration, and established the office of the Razionale (that is to say an auditor). The Viceroys established the tasks of the new officer and the number and kind of books that he had to keep. The Viceroys reforms spread and put into effect the working instruments of the castilian Hacienda real. As far as the improvement of the administrative structures is concerned, these reforms connected Sicily to the wider context of the Spanish imperial system.
The budget of the city. The archive of the accountant in Palermo (XVI-XIX century)
The archive of... more The budget of the city. The archive of the accountant in Palermo (XVI-XIX century) The archive of the city's accountants during the early modern period is of great interest. Palermo was one of the most populated cities of the Sicilian Kingdom, and the main fiscal contributor of the Spanish Monarchy; from the second half of the XVI century the Monarchy tried to improve its control of the administration of the city's patrimony, through the reformation of the accountant's office and the book-keeping (double entry) system. By the study of these books it is possible to shape and understand the administration system of the city's properties. The main income was formed by indirect taxation, and the expenses by salaries, services, but mainly by the food provisioning system. Buying the food for the city increased an enormous public debt and the city's administrators (merchants and noble landowners) mixed their private business with the public provisioning system and the public debt bonds market.
The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE n... more The Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the CNR, in collaboration with the IN-HOPPE network (International Network-Historical and osteoarchaeological Past Populations Exploration), is organising a second congress on reactions and emotions in the face of epidemics in the pre-industrial age. The first congress (Majorca 2022) focused on research related to epidemics, with an emphasis on predominantly quantitative papers. In this new international, transdisciplinary, and diachronic meeting, we aim to focus on qualitative aspects. To this end, we will discuss research in the fields of social history, medicine, mentality and emotions, as well as archaeology, psychology, epidemiology, and molecular biology. These studies will be analysed through the concepts of contact and contagion. Epidemics have always characterised human history. Plague, typhus, smallpox, cholera and other epidemic diseases, which were highly lethal and killed quickly, have always occurred throughout history. The aetiology of these diseases was unknown and the people experiencing them wondered about their causes and their spread. In addition to miasmic ideas, which attributed the disease to the corruption of the air, contact between humans (healthy and sick), and between humans and animals, was considered one of the main causes of the disease, through the idea of contagion. It is no coincidence, in fact, that, for example, early modern plague was often defined as a 'contagion'. But contagion is something even more complex than simple contact between the healthy and the sick. Contagion is also understood as contagion of ideas, contamination of scientific knowledge, practices and experiences (F. Arena-G. Calvi, 'Contagi: saperi, pratiche, esperienze (XVIII-XX secolo). Saggio introduttivo', in Genesis, 2022). How do the concepts of contact and contagion influence reactions in the political, administrative, medical and scientific spheres? What emotions does the perception of possible contagion arouse among the population, various social actors, doctors and rulers? This call attempts to understand the relationships between the four concepts of contact, contagion, reactions and emotions from a multidisciplinary perspective. Scholars from different disciplines are invited to participate in the meeting, to present the results of their own research, and to dialogue on the basis of some common questions. The questions to be addressed concern-but are not limited to: o how do ideas of contact and contagion influence the discovery of the aetiology of certain diseases in the past? o how do such ideas influence the choices of rulers and doctors in the management of epidemics and the reactions of individuals?
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Papers by Geltrude Macrì
The access criteria to the senate of Palermo was different: the city was open to newcomers (foreign merchants, small landowners, jurists, professional men), and no formal rule - except being a citizen - checked for the nobility of the city governors. The members of the senate were considered “nobles” due to their money, power and, most of all, to their way of living, that imitated the style of the ancient noble families.
The essay compares the results of most recent studies – from the Seventies up to the present day – concerning the institution of “Visitas Generales”. Due to their importance in this context, previous works, though, have also been examined. All throughout the Modern Age, the Spanish monarchy used the “Visita General” in their territories in order to supervise the conduct and the loyalty of the royal functionaries who were to administer justice and public money as well as royal properties. The “Visita” was also used to punish defrauders and, above all – according to the most recent historiography – to obtain detailed information on local governments, which could have turned useful in either correcting any form of illegality or planning good reforms.
Keywords: historiography, visitas generales, inspection, justice, Castile, Aragon, Spanish domination in America, Milan, Naples, Sicily
Books by Geltrude Macrì
The archive of the city's accountants during the early modern period is of great interest. Palermo was one of the most populated cities of the Sicilian Kingdom, and the main fiscal contributor of the Spanish Monarchy; from the second half of the XVI century the Monarchy tried to improve its control of the administration of the city's patrimony, through the reformation of the accountant's office and the book-keeping (double entry) system. By the study of these books it is possible to shape and understand the administration system of the city's properties. The main income was formed by indirect taxation, and the expenses by salaries, services, but mainly by the food provisioning system. Buying the food for the city increased an enormous public debt and the city's administrators (merchants and noble landowners) mixed their private business with the public provisioning system and the public debt bonds market.
Drafts by Geltrude Macrì
The access criteria to the senate of Palermo was different: the city was open to newcomers (foreign merchants, small landowners, jurists, professional men), and no formal rule - except being a citizen - checked for the nobility of the city governors. The members of the senate were considered “nobles” due to their money, power and, most of all, to their way of living, that imitated the style of the ancient noble families.
The essay compares the results of most recent studies – from the Seventies up to the present day – concerning the institution of “Visitas Generales”. Due to their importance in this context, previous works, though, have also been examined. All throughout the Modern Age, the Spanish monarchy used the “Visita General” in their territories in order to supervise the conduct and the loyalty of the royal functionaries who were to administer justice and public money as well as royal properties. The “Visita” was also used to punish defrauders and, above all – according to the most recent historiography – to obtain detailed information on local governments, which could have turned useful in either correcting any form of illegality or planning good reforms.
Keywords: historiography, visitas generales, inspection, justice, Castile, Aragon, Spanish domination in America, Milan, Naples, Sicily
The archive of the city's accountants during the early modern period is of great interest. Palermo was one of the most populated cities of the Sicilian Kingdom, and the main fiscal contributor of the Spanish Monarchy; from the second half of the XVI century the Monarchy tried to improve its control of the administration of the city's patrimony, through the reformation of the accountant's office and the book-keeping (double entry) system. By the study of these books it is possible to shape and understand the administration system of the city's properties. The main income was formed by indirect taxation, and the expenses by salaries, services, but mainly by the food provisioning system. Buying the food for the city increased an enormous public debt and the city's administrators (merchants and noble landowners) mixed their private business with the public provisioning system and the public debt bonds market.