How did Italy feel about exploration in the 1500s?

Question

Did Italy colonize like the other countries, or was it too preocciupied of its own colonization?

Did Italy support the other European countries about colonizing colonies and the way they treated the indigenous people of those civilizations? Or did Italy not have to much to say about it at all?

Answer 1

As one answer has sort of suggested, there WAS no "Italy" in the 1500s! The various "parts" were not united until the 19th century. Note that the voyages of exploration engaged in by Spain, Portugal, France, England... depended on their being LARGE, stable nation states -- because of the large financial and military demands (to defend against OTHER nations) required to mount these efforts.

Thus, the Italians, not having/being such a "nation-state" COULD not join or compete with Spain, etc. (When Italy WAS finally united in 1861, the new nation-state DID very quickly become invovled in colonization [from 1889-1941].) So it doesn't make sense to suggest their failure to join in was about their being "pre-occupied".

BUT at the same time there WERE a number of Italian princes involved in TRADE, and who had become quite wealthy, involved in banking and so able to participate in some of the financing (and hence profits) of exploratory voyages. Indeed, Amerigo Vespucci was at one point an agent representing the banking interests of the Medicis, and played a role in financing some Spanish voyages.

You might be interested in WHY Italy did not 'come together' at this time as some other modern nation states did (such as Spain)

Here is something that helps to explain that turn of events (or non-turn!)

In 1494 (an important even in European military history) Charles VIII of France launched a very successful invasion of the Italian states, a sort of a "Blitzkrieg", using new techniques based on newer 'war technology' (gunpowder was particularly important). The Italian city-states took some time to recover, to learn how to respond and defend themselves. Clearly the 'old rules' of warfare no longer applied; a new type of warfare, in which large, well-financed nation states had a distinct advanatage, began to emerge.

For a good telling of the story of this campaign and its results, check the opening section of Max Boot's recent book *War Made New: Technology, Wafare and the Course of History, 1500 to Today* (2006). The following clip, from a published description of the book, briefly describes this campaign which was critical in the history of warfare, of the development of modern European nation-states AND of Italy:

"Boot begins War Made New with a mischievous reference to the “Blitzkrieg of 1494,” for French King Charles VIII's invasion of Italy—a patchwork of papal and ducal territories and small kingdoms defended by mercenaries—with a fast-moving force of cavalry, archers, crossbowmen, and mobile, horse-drawn field artillery flashed along the Italian peninsula like lightning. The great Florentine historian Francesco Guicciardini remarked after the war that “the French came upon all this like a sudden tempest that turns everything upside down.” . . .

"The military revolution of the 1500s—inaugurated by that Valois blitzkrieg of 1494—changed European society and politics because it forced states to modernize, educate, develop their finances, shore up their budgets, count and conscript their populations, levy taxes, and integrate technology into warfare. That was the impact of Boot's gunpowder revolution."

Answer 2

I think you had a similar question I responded to earlier. In the 1500's cities/states in Italy were ruled mainly by individual princes. They did not spread out until later. Yes, they were preoccupied with things like religion. England Kings were really active, and dominating, they did a lot of colonizing. They sent out explorers basically around the horn of Africa.

To ask how Italy felt about exploration, I would have to say they were in the middle of a Catholic reformation and rebuilding Rome, that kind of took up much of their time during that period.

Answer 3

Columbus Vespucci and others got in on the act, but Italy was basically a victim of the new exploration, as the new routes cut their profits from spices by the old routes.
Guicciardini the great Renaissance historian has a passage where he says that all this discovery would be laudable if it was for the sake of knowledge rather than gain.

Answer 4

italy did not go out to colonize unitl the late 1800's and 1900's

Answer 5

...was it too preoccupied with its own colonization?
that makes it sound as if Italy was a colony
as far as i know Italy didn't have any colonies