The importance of publicity factors in the opposition of the Florentine society to the dictatorship of the guelph party

Abstract

The chapter deals with the importance of publicity factors during the acute social and political crisis of the Florentine society.In the first months of 1382, the next change in the political regime took place, accompanied by the intensification of several groups of contradictions: the feud between the supporters of the ruling Guelph Party (Arch-Guelphs),who had returned from the five-year exile and theiropponents,who came to power in 1378; between the wealthy entrepreneurs united in senior corporations (Artimaggiory) and the mass of artisans of the juniorguilds (Artiminori) joined by hired workers (ciompi), finally, between the dictatorial methods applied by the leaders of the “skinny people” (populominuto)regime and the republican and democratic principles rooted in the communal society in the system of relatively broad people power.In this situation of civil confrontation, the decisive role was played by publicity factors, which were expressed in the forms of mass spectacles traditional for the late medieval society — disgracing rituals and, on the contrary, the actions of asserting and triumphing the winning faction.Of great importance were the political structures that embodied the principles of democracy and freedom of opinion — Parlamento (the national assembly of all full citizens) and Balias elected by them — extraordinary commissions with equal representation of the warring forces and social strata, which were given extraordinary powers: they pushed into the background ordinary bodies of the communal government.Finally, it is worth noting the initiative and public activity of the members of the senior workshops led by the Lana Corporation: they engaged in dialogues with Signoria, with those in Balias, with the aim of influencing the parties to reach a reasonable compromise.Publicity and openness, the desire of the majority of the society to find a way out of the crisis justified themselves more than the reign of the called foreigners — Podesta and Captain of the People.The principles of communal popular sovereignty led the society to achieve a certain consensus, allowed avoiding the restoration of the Guelph dictatorship of the party, and provided the Arch-Guelphs, as well as their opponents, with access to government posts, while not excluding members of junior guilds from participating in the administration.