Poder y contabilidad: Guglielmo Gonzaga e Angelo Pietra (1586-87)

Abstract

The prosecution of Bishop Camillo Luzzara and the “Roman” Bernardino Pia in Mantua in 1586 brought into the open the ill feeling in the ducal court towards the government of the third duke, Guglielmo Gonzaga. A contributory factor to this unrest was the reform of accounting practices encharged by the duke to the Genovese monk Angelo Pietra, a move that constituted part of a plan to put the finances of the duchy in order and ensure financial control of the court. This paper analyses the characteristics of the new double entry system and its salient role in the concentration of power pursued by Guglielmo Gonzaga.