History, Providence, and Empire

A few years after the humanist dream of a revivified Empire had put down roots in Padua, a parallel strain of imperialist thought was germinating in Verona. There in the shadow of the cathedral library, a small group of like-minded figures were attempting to revive classical culture more through the study of history and philology than through stylistic imitation. Like their Paduan contemporaries, they were deeply troubled by the condition of their times, and lamented the emergence of factionalism and tyranny. They, too, longed for peace and liberty, and saw the Empire as their best hope. But as this chapter shows, they were more concerned with the fate of humanity as a whole than with that of a single city; and rather than relying on the letter of feudal law, they instead founded their imperialism on a deep appreciation for the Roman past and the Church Fathers.