Criminal trials as a possible mirror of the political relevance of Jews in 15th century Tuscany Some cases in Lucca and Volterra

This article investigates the potential of judicial proceedings involving Jewish defendants as a methodological tool for assessing Jewish participation in the political dynamics of the Italian Renaissance. It centers on two case studies from the mid-fifteenth century – one in Lucca and the other in Volterra – both located in Tuscany, a region that had become a prominent economic and cultural center for Jewish settlements and groups. These cases provide a framework for examining how the presence of Jews was variously contested, tolerated, regulated, or protected, and how these responses served as public articulations of power. The study argues that Jews were not merely passive subjects within Christian political frameworks; rather, their economic value – particularly in the sphere of urban credit – endowed them with a degree of bargaining power. As such, Jewish actors occasionally secured indirect yet tangible forms of “political” agency, positioning themselves not only as objects of political maneuvering but also as participants in the negotiation of power.