Borders, Criminal Justice, and International Law: Extradition Agreements in Renaissance Italy

In late medieval and early modern Europe, the mobility of outlaws and political exiles was a threat to public order and political control of the territory. As a reaction to this, the rulers of Renaissance Italy developed proto-extradition agreements, especially in north-central Italy, where political fragmentation created many spaces of immunity. These provided for the mutual exchange of outlaws who crossed the borders and the prohibition of sheltering them. However, their effectiveness is questionable. From the outset, these extradition policies raised the issues of right to asylum and sovereignty, which prevented any automatic execution. Reconciling these new sources of law with the rulers’ agendas led to their regular renegotiation and amendment. This chapter will focus on two case studies to investigate these complex relationships between justice, borders, and international law: the Mantua commune and then lordship from the late thirteenth to the early fifteenth century, and the Republic of Venice from the mid-fifteenth to mid-sixteenth century.