LA TRADIZIONE POLITICA DELLA RAGION DI STATO TRA UMANESIMO E MODERNITÀ

The expression “reason of State” was born in the context of the political culture of the late Renaissance with a plurality of meanings and uses that cannot be reduced – as often happens – to the mere use of force, secrecy, or exceptional instruments by the holder of political power. From its first emergence in Italian political culture with the publication of Giovanni Botero’s Della Ragion di Stato in 1589, it appeared as a relevant effort toward a more comprehensive process of political rationalization that accompanied the strengthening of territorial States. In this contribution I will briefly present the Italian and European early modern literatures on reason of State. I will also offer a brief sketch on the main historiographical approaches to reason of State in order to discuss how this tradition contributed to shape political modernity.