The nobility of Rome, 1560-1700: A study of its composition, wealth, and investment

Having surveyed the historiography and noted the paucity of in-depth, critical studies of this important social economic group, this dissertation begins by offering a census of the nobility of Rome in the early modern period. It analyzes the constituent elements ranging from the highest echelon of prince to the lowest rank of simple gentleman; and it investigates aspects of social and geographical mobility related to recruitment to this elite. An overview of the group is complemented by an analysis of the familial structure of the Roman nobility, and therein the importance of (but also limitation placed on) extended family arrangements is discussed. This investigation provides broad and detailed estimates of family wealth, and describes the use made of various forms of investment, including rural real estate, urban property, venal offices, public bonds, censi, and cambi.;The impact on wealth and distribution of income caused by papal nepotism, the spread of primogeniture arrangements, and demographic changes within the family are treated at length. This thesis is based on research done in numerous public and private archives in the Eternal City and makes use of account books, notarial contracts, ricordi, private letters, and parish records. A companion volume on expenditure has been completed, but was not submitted for the dissertation due to justified concerns about customary length.