SOLMI, ARRIGO

A proponent of the sociological approach, he demonstrated both praise and controversy in his early study on Associations (1898). He later addressed the problem of the religious essence of the Middle Ages and the relationship between man and the State in his work on State and Church from Charlemagne to the Concordat of Worms. His mastery of legal history was evident in his *Manuale di Storia del diritto italiano* (1st ed., Milan 1907; 3rd ed., 1910) and, in 1930, among the most comprehensive and synthetic works on the history of law in Italy. With the rediscovery of the *Honorantia civitatis Papiae*, to which he dedicated a rich critical edition, he revisited the theme of the continuity of ancient civil institutions in Italy. Encouraged by the work of Mayer, this led him to seek reconciliation with the points of contrast in his earlier writings. The direction of this second period is reflected in various minor studies, the *Discorsi sulla Storia d'Italia*, and the posthumous work on the Roman Senate. He founded and directed the *Archivio storico della Svizzera italiana*, served as Minister of Justice, and as a senator of the Kingdom. He contributed to the establishment of relations with the Vatican leading to the Lateran Agreements, of which he was the rapporteur in the Chamber in 1929. From his numerous political writings, despite his adherence to the prevailing direction of the time, the national idea from which he originated is evident in his structure. He worked on the drafting of the new Civil Code, which was ultimately completed by Minister Grandi, who succeeded him. A champion of the historical values of the nation—a recurring theme in nearly all his writings—he remained faithful to this ideal until his final days, during which the drama of Rome and Italy was also reaching its conclusion.