Italian Government in the 16th Century

During the 16th century Renaissance, the country of Italy was reintroduced to the importance of the liberal arts: language, literature, philosophy, and history. It was a period of rebirth and light for a country once consumed by darkness during the time known as the Middle Ages. The fall of Constantinople in 1453 brought into Italy an influx of Byzantine scholars that sparked a refocus on such liberal studies and humanities that restructured the general governance of Italy for centuries to come. Before the fall of Constantinople, Italy was governed by the ideal laws set forth and insinuated by Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica. This scholastic work was considered the zenith of philosophy during the Middle Ages. Being that Aquinas was both a priest and a friar, Summa has heavy religious influence, though it does address the concept of government. In question 103, Aquinas introduces the discussion “of the government of things in general.”(PP Q. 103i) Aquinas replies to the objections that the world should not be governed and is governed by many by stating that “a good exist[s] in the universe...namely the order of the universe” (PP Q. 103, Art. 2) and the “intention of a ruler over a multitude is unity” which he previously stated belongs to the idea of goodness. Thus, according to Aquinas, the governing of one by many is both necessary and virtuous, as it lends itself to the idea of what is good. This is of importance, as after the fall of Rome, Italy separated into many city-states, all governed by separate oligarchies in the feudal system. Aquinas not only discussed government as a whole, but also the many aspects, most important being the aspect of law. He begins by defining law as “nothing else but a dictate of practical reason emanating from the ruler who governs a perfect community.”(PSP Q. 90, Art. 1) He then continues to present three types of law: eternal, natural, and Divine. Eternal law finds its origins in Scripture; it is the