Milizie ed élite locali nella repubblica di Lucca: le ordinanze della Montagna nel Cinquecento

This paper aims to demonstrate that members of local elites in the Republic of Lucca’s dominions controlled the ordinanze della Montagna in the sixteenth century. This system benefitted everybody. The Republic of Lucca had a loyal and low-cost army. Local elites could remark, through officer’s positions, their power at the local level and obtain a social status through the military rank. Moreover, these local elites could engage with the Lucchese oligarchy in order to increase their network of relationships, becoming trustworthy for the government in the dominion