Early Modern parish books of baptisms and marriages record with good precision the origin of all individuals involved in the celebration of the ceremonies in one of many different possible roles (as marriage partners ; parents of a baptized child ; godparents or marriage witnesses). In the case of the city of Ivrea in north-western Piedmont, these individuals could be recorded as cives (citizens) or as foreigners ; in the case of the latter information about their exact place of origin was included. Apart from these, we also find a large number of habitatores or incolae, who resided in Ivrea but did not enjoy (or at least, not yet) the full rights of citizenship. This information allows to analyse systematically the processes of social-economic integration of immigrants into the host community. Using to the Eporedia database, which includes about 36,000 nominative records covering the period from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 17th century, this article explores the ways in which the foreigners established formal social ties (by means of marriage alliance, of spiritual kinship or through selection of marriage witnesses) with the citizens of Ivrea as well as with other components of the host community. Furthermore, by reconstructing the life path of the foreign immigrants, the article analyses the process of integration in social networks in parallel with the process of juridical/formal integration by means of the acquisition of the citizenship rights. The evidence suggests that acquiring such rights was an important step (although not one accessible to everybody) on the path leading to full integration.
Cittadinanza, immigrazione e integrazione sociale nella prima età moderna: il caso di Ivrea
ALFANI, GUIDO
2013
Abstract
Early Modern parish books of baptisms and marriages record with good precision the origin of all individuals involved in the celebration of the ceremonies in one of many different possible roles (as marriage partners ; parents of a baptized child ; godparents or marriage witnesses). In the case of the city of Ivrea in north-western Piedmont, these individuals could be recorded as cives (citizens) or as foreigners ; in the case of the latter information about their exact place of origin was included. Apart from these, we also find a large number of habitatores or incolae, who resided in Ivrea but did not enjoy (or at least, not yet) the full rights of citizenship. This information allows to analyse systematically the processes of social-economic integration of immigrants into the host community. Using to the Eporedia database, which includes about 36,000 nominative records covering the period from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 17th century, this article explores the ways in which the foreigners established formal social ties (by means of marriage alliance, of spiritual kinship or through selection of marriage witnesses) with the citizens of Ivrea as well as with other components of the host community. Furthermore, by reconstructing the life path of the foreign immigrants, the article analyses the process of integration in social networks in parallel with the process of juridical/formal integration by means of the acquisition of the citizenship rights. The evidence suggests that acquiring such rights was an important step (although not one accessible to everybody) on the path leading to full integration.
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