This text is an overview of the historiographical background to put into perspective political
relations at the borders of the Italian regional states from the fourteenth to the sixteenth
centuries. This discussion starts from the debate of the 1990s, when studies stressed the
pluralistic constitution of pre-modern states. It takes into account the evolving research on
Renaissance diplomacy and armies, political exiles and information channels, and it explores
the micro-historical approach, international studies, and the new views on the history of
passions and political languages. The aim is to go beyond official relations between states
and to frame an open and complex set of territorial, personal, and financial interactions
between central powers and local protagonists. A notable variety of subjects were involved:
lords, communities, factions and other networks, able to negotiate their position towards
both their prince and foreign state authorities, to take advantage when a political crisis
occurred, and to define their social identity and legitimacy in this wider political system.
Keywords: Late Middle Ages, Italy, Regional States, International Relations, Local Powers.
Parole chiave: Basso medioevo, Italia, Stati regionali, Relazioni internazionali, Poteri locali.