Rodolico, Niccolò

Born Mar. 14, 1873, in Trapani; died 1969, in Fiesole. Italian historian.

Rodolico’s research dealt predominantly with medieval Italian history. His principal interests were socioeconomic problems and the history of the class struggle; he investigated, for example, the rise of the tyrannies, the labor and daily life of the artisans and hired workers, and the revolt of the ciompi (the lowest class of artisans in Florence, mostly wool carders). These studies are rich in factual material and are based on a careful use of sources. In his last works Rodolico sought to prove the uselessness of the workers’ class struggle. He also wrote on source study, paleography, and medieval architecture.