Wanxin Du

I am a current PhD candidate at the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick (supervisor: Dr Jonathan Davies). I am interested in economic, social, political, legal, and administrative history of early modern Italy, especially that of the grand duchy of Tuscany between the 16th and 17th centuries.

My PhD project, "Violence and Justice in Early Modern Siena, 1590-1650", examines violence and the administration of criminal justice in the state of Siena, known as the stato nuovo of the grand duchy of Tuscany. This project investigates shifting rates and patterns of violent crime, including homicide, brawls, insults, and sexual violence. Drawing on statutes, trial records, petitions, peace instruments, administrative correspondence, and contemporary commentaries, it also examines both judicial and extrajudicial modes of conflict resolution, with the aim of reconstructing the complex networks that linked the grand duke, the governor, the captain of justice, local magistrates, and Sienese individuals in the everyday administration of criminal justice. Through a study of Siena, this research seeks to contribute to ongoing historiographical debates on levels of violence, the socio-economic and cultural roots of criminality, and the nature of early modern justice and state formation, while also reassessing traditional interpretations of absolutism in Tuscany under Medici rule.

Research Interests

Early modern Italy
History of Florence, Siena, and Tuscany
Violence, criminal justice, and conflict resolution in early modern Europe

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies, University of Warwick, UK, 2022-present
M.A. in World History, Fudan University, China, 2019-2022
B.A. in World History, Tianjin Normal University, China, 2015-2019

Academic Visiting Experiences

Visiting student, Department of History and Civilisation, European University Institute, Jan-Mar 2025
Eva Schler fellow, Medici Archive Project, Jan-Apr 2024

Confernces and Talks

“Disputes and Negotiation in Sienese Criminal Appeals during the First Half of the Seventeenth Century”, Renaissance Society of America 71st Annual Meeting, Boston, 20-22 March 2025
“Arms Control Legislation in Grand-ducal Tuscany from the Late Sixteenthto the Late Seventeenth Century”, Methods in Early Modern History Working Group, European University Institute, 4 March 2025
"Archival Research on Violent Crimes and Criminal Justice in Grand Ducal Siena, 1590-1650", Samuel H. Kress & Eva Schler 2024 Fellows Research Report, Medici Archive Project, 22 May 2024