The Embryology of the Lombardy Enlightenment: The Example of Pietro Verri

Abstract

Under the rule of Maria Theresia, Lombardy was the centre of Italian Enlightenment. In the 1760s, members of the Academy of Fisticuffs led the social and economic reforms, keeping pace with the European Enlightenment. This study aims to reconstruct the political and social contexts of the Lombardy Enlightenment, focusing on the public and private life of Pietro Verri, an economist who led the movement as the founder of the Academy of Fisticuffs and the chief editor of Il Caffè, the most significant periodical of the time. This study examines Verri's duties as the eldest son, his differences with his father, his research on political economy, and his work in public service. At the time, all the members of the Academy of Fisticuffs were in a similar situation as Verri.