Police power in the Italian communes, 1228-1326 / Gregory Roberts.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roberts, Gregory, author.

Series:

Premodern crime and punishment

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Police--Italy--History--To 1500.

Police.

Law enforcement--Italy--To 1500.

Law enforcement.

History.

Italy.

Physical Description:

331 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam : Amsterdam University Press, [2019]

Summary:

Police are generally thought of as an invention of the modern state, yet policing in medieval Italy had much in common with modern law enforcement. Foreign soldiers - hired as such to ensure their impartiality in enforcing the statutes - patrolled the streets daily, patting down residents for prohibited weapons and raiding homes and taverns for illicit gambling, sometimes on the basis of concrete intelligence. 'Police Power in the Italian Communes, 1228-1326' is the first book to examine focus on how urban governments in medieval Italy one region policed their populations. Focusing mostly on numerous Bologna Bolognese records from the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, Roberts demonstrates how police patrols compelled hundreds of residents to appear in court each year and functioned as a political tool to control violence and disorder. Using largely unexplored archival sources, he paints a vivid picture of how city residents experienced police power in everyday life, and challenges both popular and scholarly assumptions about the role of policing in medieval society.

Contents:

Police as a Mode of Governance p. 23

Police and Impersonal Rules p. 26

1 Police Power in the Italian Communes p. 39

The Podestà's Household p. 41

Police Patrols and Inspections p. 49

The Legal Process: From Detention to Trial p. 59

A Comparison of Selected Data p. 69

Conclusion: Policing and Hegemonic Justice p. 85

2 Police Discretion and Personal Autonomy p. 93

Social Identity p. 97

Political Status p. 102

Factual Matters p. 108

Legal Presumptions p. 113

Police Jurisdiction p. 119

Mitigating Factors p. 124

Conclusion: The Paradox of Impersonality p. 128

3 The Logic of Third-Party Policing p. 133

"To [...] Pursue and Capture Outlawed Criminals" p. 137

"To [...] Search for Men Bearing Prohibited Arms" p. 144

"Trustworthy Foreign Men" p. 149

"The Good State of the Commune" p. 155

Conclusion: A Preventive Police p. 163

4 External Threats: Policing Out-Groups and Criminality p. 173

Judicial Violence p. 177

The Public Interest p. 185

Outlaws, Infames, and Men of Ill Repute p. 189

Police Patrols as Dragnet p. 195

The Role of Fama p. 203

Conclusion: A Persecuting Society? p. 209

5 Internal Threats: Policing Violence and Enmity p. 217

Enmity and Instability p. 224

Policing Feud p. 229

Toward a Monopoly on Violence p. 240

Preventing Enmity p. 247

Conclusion: Legislating in the Shadow of Violence p. 255

6 The Social Impact of Third-Party Policing p. 267

Mandatory Rules p. 271

Legal Literacy p. 275

Fear of the Familia p. 279

Violent Self-Help p. 285

Police-Community Relations p. 291

Public: Corruption p. 295

Legal Privilege p. 302

Conclusion: A Legacy of Government Coercion p. 307.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

946372530X

9789463725309

OCLC:

1103142938