The Medici State and the Ghetto of Florence The Construction of an Early Modern Jewish Community

"Thanks to this well-documented work by Stefanie B. Siegmund, we now have a reliable account of . . . the creation of the florentine ghetto in 1570." - Brendan Dooley (International Journal of the Classical Tradition) "This is an original, pioneering book . . . " - The Times Literary Supplement "This book has been lauded and recognized by two prestigious prizes and is already being cited as marking a new path in the study of Jewish-Christian relations in premodern Europe . . . the book is nothing if not stimulating and will remain the touchstone for all future research into Florentine Jewish history in this period." - Renaissance Quarterly "A richly-detailed study . . . The ghetto, whatever the specific circumstances of its creation, represented order at the expense of liberty. But Siegmund has made it more difficult to generalize indiscriminately and facilely." - Catholic Historical Review "Boldly revisionist in its analysis of Jewish segregation, Siegmunds highly nuanced argument dovetails nicely with an emerging scholarly consensus regarding state formation and social discipline in early modern Italy." - CHOICE "Ground-breaking and comprehensive in scope, The Medici State and the Ghetto of Florence offers readers an intriguing glimpse into an ofttimes overlooked aspect of Italian and Jewish history." - History in Reviewx