Esercizi di scrittura della nobiltà romana nelle Fiandre farnesiane: Il Compendio delle principali attioni militari fatte nella Fiandra dal principe Allessandro Farnese di Tarquinio Capizucchi

Abstract

The article presents a text, Compendio delle principali attioni militari fatte nella Fiandra dal principe Alessandro Farnese, written by Tarquinio Capizucchi. After focusing on young nobles’ participation in the Spanish–Flemish war, particularly under Alessandro Farnese’s command, readers are given some information about the author – a military officer from Rome, nephew of Camillo, who died in Komárom in November 1597. Then follow explanations regarding the Compendio itself – an account of a particular phase of Farnese’s 1581 campaign in Northern France, without autobiographical details, except for one. Instead, the text offers realistic judgements about the Prince of Parma’s strategy and about the political background, not so common among Roman men of war. An edition of the source with notes appears in the appendix.