«Molestia di soi superiori». Inter-state relations, political companies, and social identities between Milan, Switzerland, Valais and Grisons in the Fifteenth Century [«Molestia di soi superiori». Relazioni interstatali, gerarchie politiche e appartenenze sociali Fra Milano, Svizzera, Vallese E Grigioni Nel Xv Secolo]

The article concerns political relations between the Sforza dominion and its alpine neighbors. Many actors operated inside and across the frontiers: lords, state officials, communities and so on. International relations gave these protagonists the opportunity to not only promote intrepid political initiatives, but also to outline their identity. A community, a jurisdictional district, a fiefdom, and finally a state were not statically defined entities, but configurations in the making. Border conflicts brought the unity of the community into play, marking its territory and redefining the position of minor peripheral hamlets, while also giving young people and women the opportunity to take part in collective actions. The negotiations between local political bodies and central authorities or foreign states put into question community representation, sometimes emphasizing cohesion and other times the role of the elite, and specifying the different orientations of nobles and commoners. The same hierarchy of powers in the state was remolded, because reprisals and collective responsibility for damages suffered by foreigners could strengthen the solidarity between the duke, the officials and the subjects, but periodically the subjects reacted by promoting initiatives that were so autonomous that even the subordination to the prince was put into question.