Appunti per uno studio comparato delle periferie dell'impero spagnolo : Indie e domini italiani a confronto (XVI e XVII secolo)

On the basis of a historical review introduced by global history, the article aims to underline the scientific and methodological opportunity to compare directly the European dominions with the Indian regions of the Catholic Monarchy, viewed as a global empire. To achieve this goal, we will underline the many analogies and relations, both political and legal, between the two outposts of the empire, the Indie (New Spain, Philippines and Peru) and the southern Italian dominions (Sicily and Naples) during the Austrias domination. This will enable us to expose the reasons that allow the direct comparation between these two areas and confirm a fact too many times ignored by both European and Italian historiography: until the end of the XVII century, the Indie, as well as the Italian dominions, were not colonies. [Publisher's text].