Preliminary Programme

This paper will focus on corruption cases of bishops, regulars and pontifical treasurers and on their behaviour, defined in the sources as «scandalous» or «outrageous». In the period 1668-1708 such abuses could engender legal action as much as tactful cover up, via complex strategies, involving both the defendants and the judges. Cross-referencing the sources (the cardinals congregations of the Council, of Bishops and Regulars and the Criminal Court of the Treasurer) the notion of ‘scandal’, ‘outrage’ and ‘sloth’will be investigated for the period in-between the 17th and the 18th centuries. (Show less)

In 1620 and again in 1660, St. Verdiana nunnery was at the core of a double scandal. Not only the nuns, all from the same kinship, but also the outside men, involved in the scandals, had strong bonds, both familial and social, with courtesans and judges. Via cross-reference of specific sources, in Florence and in Rome, this case study will show the amount of corruption displayed during the trials by the defendants and their families, together with the amount of skilful tactics both men and women performed against their judges, challenging the idea of victims versus punishers. (Show less)