Robust Action and the Rise of the Medici, 1400-1434

1993/05/01 by John F. Padgett, Christopher K. Ansell, Christopher Ansell · 64 citations
Social Sciences · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Culture, Economy, and Development Studies #Social and Cultural Dynamics #Historical Economic and Social Studies

paper · doi:10.1086/230190

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the centralization of political power and elite networks in Renaissance Florence that underlie the birth of the Florentine state. It details how class revolt and fiscal crisis trigger elite consolidation while Cosimo de’ Medici exploits network disjuncture to navigate the inherent contradiction between judge and boss. The chapter presents a rigorous analysis of interwoven marriage, economic, and patronage ties that structure the Medici party and reshape traditional oligarchic factionalism. It demonstrates that political parties emerge from heterogeneous networks and relational dynamics rather than from uniform, self-contained social groups. Finally, the chapter illustrates that the Medici mobilize fragmented elite alliances into a cohesive, centralized power structure that decisively shapes Florentine political order.

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