The Two First Centuries of Florentine History: The Republic and Parties at the Time of Dante. Fourth Impression. — Dante Alighieri — John Shaqi
The Two First Centuries of Florentine History: The Republic and Parties at the Time of Dante. Fourth Impression.
Dante Alighieri · en
To all appearance these views should have stirred Italian patriotism
to furious opposition, and made Savigny's ideas universally popular
among us. Yet this was not the case. We supplied many learned adherents
to either side. At that time our national feeling had just awakened;
we already desired--nay, claimed--a united Italy, no matter at what
cost, and detested everything that seemed opposed to our unity.
Well, the Longobards had been on the point of mastering the whole of
Italy, and the Papacy alone had been able to arrest their conquests
by securing the aid of the Franks. But for this, even the Italy of
the ninth or tenth century might have become as united a country as
France. Already the school of thinkers had been revived among us that,
even in Machiavelli's day, had regarded the Pope as the fatal cause
of Italy's divisions. Therefore, naturally enough, while confuting
Savigny's views, our nineteenth-century Ghibellines exalted the
Longobards, ventured to praise their goodness and humanity, and hurled
invectives against the Papacy for having prevented their general and
permanent conquest of Italy. But, on the other hand, there was also
a political school that looked to the Pope as the future saviour of
Italy, and this school, prevailing later on during the revolution of
1848, adopted the opposite theory, and possessed two most illustrious
representatives in Manzoni and Carlo Troya. At any rate, they had
little difficulty in proving that barbarians had been invariably
barbaric, killing, destroying, and trampling down all things, and
that the Papacy, by summoning the Franks, no matter for what end, had
certainly rendered some help to the harshly oppressed masses. The
Franks, in fact, gave some relief to the Latin population, sanctioned
the use of Roman law and granted new powers to Popes and bishops, who
undoubtedly contributed to the revival of the communes. Thus, although
for opposite ends, identical opinions were maintained on both sides of
the Alps. Throughout this controversy learning was always subordinated
to political aims, although the disputants may not have been always
aware of it; and historic truth and serenity consequently suffered
unavoidable hurt. Balbo, Capponi, and Capei, after throwing their
weight on this side or that, ended by holding very temperate views, and
their teachings cast much light on the point at issue.