Indice degli autori

Abstract: THE ARISTOCRACY IN ROME AT THE TURN OF CENTURY: THE ROSPIGLIOSI This article takes into account the Rospigliosi as a segment of a sole great family belonging to the Roman ducal and princely aristocracy, due to the high degree of strong family ties in this group. At the time of Italian unity, a well-supported hypothesis accounts for this group’s disposing of a wealth that was similar to the highest regional aristocracies, with the diversity of wealth patterns. In an analysis made on the basis of final balances of Rospigliosi family, in the years from 1889 to 1910, one tries to comprehend the results of the main crisis and transformation factors at the end of the nineteenth century: agrarian crisis, property speculation, new inheritance systems. The second and the third of these factors seem more important than the first. Beyond the controversial economical questions, the emphasis is on the role played by the property and building speculation, which were substantially integrated in the dynamics of the national and local leading authorities. Regarding the new inheritance system, it is hard not to notice the lengthy bureaucratic procedures required for their applications. It clearly appears that the introduction of the portions of wealth was the real turning point in the history of large estates. A complex situation came about, but it does not seem that this should have necessarily foreshadowed the financial crash that took place in the thirties.