Indice degli autori

Abstract:  “TOT REGES IN URBE ROMA QUOT CIVES.” CITIZENSHIP AND NOBILITY IN ROME 1500-1600 Before Pope Benedict XIV issued his first papal bull in 1746, there were no institutional tools with which to designate someone a Roman noble. This study demonstrates, through the analysis of the foreigners that were made Roman citizens between 1560 and 1644, how certain small modifications made to the privilege formula, enabled one to become a Roman noble by acquiring Roman citizenship, although this was not foreseen by any law. This process led to a significant increase between the XVI and XVII centuries of the number of foreigners who declared themselves to be part of the Roman nobility. consequently, the older Roman patrician families were forced to obtain documents testifying their long standing membership in the city’s aristocracy.