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The Territorial Strategy of the Italian City-State

University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Long-term studies of European history address the origins and evolution of state territoriality. Some scholars have suggested that the late medieval revival of European cities engendered variation in this region's territorial practices. However, their work struggles to explain the origins, nature and demise of the territorially `fragmented' Italian city-states. This study addresses this gap by shifting focus from the city's economic functions to the state-building process occurring within Italian urban walls. It shows that Italian rulers deliberately `centralised' their resources to challenge the violent actors and military installations that had become concentrated in town. This analysis strengthens the argument that coercive factors drove the early evolution of European territoriality. The work uses these findings to create fresh lines of inquiry for research on variation in modern territorial forms.

Key Words: city-states • geopolitics • historical sociology • international history • Italy • territoriality • sovereignty

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