Cola di Rienzo: The Controversial Life and Legacy of the Medieval Roman Who Attempted to Unify Italy

In the wake of the Roman Empire's collapse, Italy found itself fractured, and nearly 1,000 years after Rome lost its grip in the late 5th century, there were several sovereign regional powers on the peninsula, such as Milan, Venice, Florence, the Papal States, and Naples. Centuries of conflict ensued, precipitating great anxiety among Western thinkers, and Italians responded to the fragmentation of the area in many ways.

While local leaders often maintained rivalries or alliances in an at...