The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza was created by Pope Paul III for his son Pier Luigi Farnese in 1545. In 1547, some nobles organised a plot to kill the new duke, instigated by Charles V. The chance to weaken the aristocracy arose from a deep economic crisis caused by a long series of failed harvests that resulted in a famine. Between 1589 and 1593, crops were always largely below the population’s needs, generating one of the typical subsistence crises of the ancient regime The nobles were not in a condition to help the peasants. The town magistrates in charge of supplying towns were also impotent. Beyond the level of material life, the period of crisis produced important political and social changes. The famine of 1590-93, a peculiar event because it was caused only by climatic factors without the incidence of war and/or epidemics, destroyed any remaining illusions as to the weight and role of feudatories inside the state, highlighting on the one hand their decline, and on the other the presence of a widespread system of patronage centred around the ruling family. The Farneses’ success was due to their ability to manoeuvre public finances in the Duchy, adapting taxation to necessity, and to their capacity to obtain loans from international bankers.

Die Herzoge von Parma und Piacenza zwischen Papstumm und Reich / Podesta', Gian Luca. - In: ZEITENBLICKE. - ISSN 1619-0459. - 1:(2007), pp. 1-9.

Die Herzoge von Parma und Piacenza zwischen Papstumm und Reich

PODESTA', Gian Luca
2007-01-01

Abstract

The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza was created by Pope Paul III for his son Pier Luigi Farnese in 1545. In 1547, some nobles organised a plot to kill the new duke, instigated by Charles V. The chance to weaken the aristocracy arose from a deep economic crisis caused by a long series of failed harvests that resulted in a famine. Between 1589 and 1593, crops were always largely below the population’s needs, generating one of the typical subsistence crises of the ancient regime The nobles were not in a condition to help the peasants. The town magistrates in charge of supplying towns were also impotent. Beyond the level of material life, the period of crisis produced important political and social changes. The famine of 1590-93, a peculiar event because it was caused only by climatic factors without the incidence of war and/or epidemics, destroyed any remaining illusions as to the weight and role of feudatories inside the state, highlighting on the one hand their decline, and on the other the presence of a widespread system of patronage centred around the ruling family. The Farneses’ success was due to their ability to manoeuvre public finances in the Duchy, adapting taxation to necessity, and to their capacity to obtain loans from international bankers.
2007
Die Herzoge von Parma und Piacenza zwischen Papstumm und Reich / Podesta', Gian Luca. - In: ZEITENBLICKE. - ISSN 1619-0459. - 1:(2007), pp. 1-9.
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