Speaker: Wanxin Du, Centre for the Study of the Renaissance, University of Warwick

Abstract: »Under the rule of the Medici, the ‘new state’ (stato nuovo) of Siena had legal independence from the ‘old state’ (stato vecchio) of Florence. However, although the captain of justice (capitano di giustizia) held criminal jurisdiction over the city and the state of Siena, his activities were supervised by the Sienese governor who acted as the representative of the Medici grand duke. This paper investigates how the Sienese governor intervened in the criminal appeals against the sentences of the captain of justice, especially those concerning homicide and sexual violence, in the first half of the seventeenth century. Through the lens of criminal appeals, this paper aims to reveal the disputes and negotiation between central authorities and individuals in the state of Siena, reassessing the traditional concept of ‘absolutism’ in early modern Tuscany.« (Source: Online Program)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of Italy / Grand Duchy of Tuscany | Sex and the law: Sexual assault