Judith Maitland Memorial Award: ‘quod Magnifica domus de Farnesio in quantum possibile est manuteneatur et agumenctetur’: the Farnese dynasty and power in Saint Peter's patrimony 1417–1534

The focus of my research is the Farnese family from the return of the papacy to Rome until the end of the Quattrocento. Throughout these years the family held large tracts of land on the northern fringes of the Patrimony of Saint Peter, had significant influence in cities through their network of kin and political allies, and maintained relations with several states and their ruling dynasties. Inserting themselves among the Roman baronial élite opened up possibilities of investing in clerical careers for scions, who quickly rose through the ranks. This project, however, uses the Farnese family as a case-study, in order to analyse the dynastic strategies used by baronial families, to uncover the workings of power outside of official channels in the Papal States, as well as to trace the increasing tendency of Italian families to seek advancement through the Catholic Church.