Crossing Boundaries: A Problem of Territoriality in Renaissance Italy

In 1420, Florence and Milan signed a peace agreement intended to mend their relationship and assure a long period of tranquility. The promises therein, however, were not kept very long. The stipulation of this treaty is useful for debating some issues concerning state territoriality, such as the hazy question of the spheres of influence. This question inevitably involves the problem of the territoriality of political powers. Territoriality is a multiform term, and it is precisely in this plurality of forms that one can wonder if those spheres of influence could be interpreted as one of those forms. By means of an interdisciplinary approach, this essay helps clarify the conception and definition of spheres of influence, leading to a better appreciation of their territorial ambiguity and their concrete political gambles. A sphere of influence appears to be the product and the expression of a territorial otherness, and the war between Florence and Filippo Maria Visconti provides a good example by which to demonstrate this argument.