The notion and the practices of vindicta in the Italian city-states in the light of the various juridical and theological traditions

Italy of the communes is an exemplary case of a complex society in which the activity of the institutions interacted with the informal practices of political action. Conflict was a primary part of the integration process: social and political relations were based on a network of friendships and enmities (the vendetta between “enemies” was a logical consequence of this) and on the protection of the honor of an individual and of his lineage. A citizen had to learn how to manage these relations: managing enmity therefore meant drawing on the network of friends, cultivating their consilium, controlling and channeling strong emotions.