Parlare oggi di Stato d’antico regime

The essay questions the notion of State as an effective category to interpret the history of political institutions in early modern times (i.e. 15th to 18th Century), specifically in the Italian case. It provides an overview of the various approaches to the topic adopted by historians since the middle of the past Century. It also points out some conceptual features of the notion of State which may be useful for the historian of the ancien régime, especially when applied in a wide perspective, capable of including representation and legitimation processes in which social powers are involved.