Aristocratiche tra diritto e privilegio. Itinerari d’autonomia femminile nella Lombardia preunitaria

Autore: Federica Re
In: Genesis. XXI / 2, 2022
doi:10.23744/4779
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Abstract

Noblewomen between law and privilege. Itineraries of female autonomy in pre-unitarian Lombardy

The article provides a fresh perspective on the first steps of Italian women’s path towards the achievment of a full citizenship in contemporary times: by investigating the complex relationship between noblewomen, ancient strategies of privilege and the perception of the first female rights granted in early 19th-century Italy. A remarkable vantage point on this matter is provided by the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (1815-1859), where women’s rights emerged precociously thanks to the Hapsburg legislation. By considerating the female entourage of a Lombard aristocratic family, the Cusani Confalonieri, the present research explores both how the contact with the 1811 Austrian Civil Code generated new legal awareness in female subjects and the ways in which the dimension of privilege intertwined with it.

keywords: women’s rights; privilege; austrian civil code of 1811; restoration age; noblewomen; pre-unitarian italy; lombardy-venetia