The Postal Revolution: Courier Networks in Italy, 1260–1600
By Juraj Kittler
Brill
ISBN: 978-90-04-73322-0
Sending a letter in late medieval Italy changed dramatically over the centuries. This book traces how an initially ad hoc system of messengers developed into increasingly organised and professional courier networks, eventually becoming a significant business in its own right.
Excerpt:
The aim of this volume is to present a grand narrative constructed around key historical moments that capture the essential developments of the earliest known systematic long-distance communications in Europe. It is built upon the premise that it was the Italian merchants who trailblazed the path in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, followed by the chanceries and diplomatic envoys, whose needs together brought the postal service to its full fruition in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Who is this book for?
If you have ever wondered how medieval people delivered messages, this book provides a fascinating account of how it was done. It details the gradual development of a postal system in Italy, first using couriers on foot and later on horseback. The needs of merchants and diplomats helped create increasingly sophisticated delivery networks that we would recognise today, even leading to rivalries between competing courier businesses.
If you are interested in business, travel, or daily life in medieval Italy, this will be an enjoyable book to read. Those interested in Italian history will also find plenty of insights into the connections between the peninsula’s many states and how information moved between them.
“As will be clear from these brief remarks, we are dealing with research of exceptional interest and broad scope, given the many subjects addressed over a long period and analysed with remarkable rigour. The author has demonstrated an ability to combine meticulous analysis of the sources with an ambitious set of research questions.” ~ review by Sergio Tognetti in Archivio Storico Italiano
The Author
Juraj Kittler is a Professor at St Lawrence University where he has been researching long-distance communications in late medieval and Renaissance Italy.
The Postal Revolution: Courier Networks in Italy, 1260–1600
By Juraj Kittler
Brill
ISBN: 978-90-04-73322-0
Sending a letter in late medieval Italy changed dramatically over the centuries. This book traces how an initially ad hoc system of messengers developed into increasingly organised and professional courier networks, eventually becoming a significant business in its own right.
Excerpt:
The aim of this volume is to present a grand narrative constructed around key historical moments that capture the essential developments of the earliest known systematic long-distance communications in Europe. It is built upon the premise that it was the Italian merchants who trailblazed the path in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, followed by the chanceries and diplomatic envoys, whose needs together brought the postal service to its full fruition in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Who is this book for?
If you have ever wondered how medieval people delivered messages, this book provides a fascinating account of how it was done. It details the gradual development of a postal system in Italy, first using couriers on foot and later on horseback. The needs of merchants and diplomats helped create increasingly sophisticated delivery networks that we would recognise today, even leading to rivalries between competing courier businesses.
If you are interested in business, travel, or daily life in medieval Italy, this will be an enjoyable book to read. Those interested in Italian history will also find plenty of insights into the connections between the peninsula’s many states and how information moved between them.
“As will be clear from these brief remarks, we are dealing with research of exceptional interest and broad scope, given the many subjects addressed over a long period and analysed with remarkable rigour. The author has demonstrated an ability to combine meticulous analysis of the sources with an ambitious set of research questions.” ~ review by Sergio Tognetti in Archivio Storico Italiano
The Author
Juraj Kittler is a Professor at St Lawrence University where he has been researching long-distance communications in late medieval and Renaissance Italy.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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