Lecture 3 (Feb 1, 2024) - Marriage in Renaissance Italy

What Was Italy Like in the (Early) Renaissance?

  • Population rise after 1000 → more cities, bigger cities

    • New institutions, like universities; new religious orders; uptick in economy trade/manufacturing

  • Setback 1348: Black Death

    • Killed about ⅓ of all Europeans

    • Though a lot of people died, cities and towns did not disappear; had momentum

      • Culture of Italy was founded in cities; popolo (middle classes) helped revive study of ancient Rome, culture, laws = humanism = what we associate w/culture of Renaissance

      • They need it: they’re running trade, banking → text and written documents

  • Northern Italy was the most urbanized area of Europe from 1100-1300 (but pop only 80k, seems big to them, hard to control)

    • 4/6 biggest European cities were Italian pre-Black death

    • Political authority was the city

      • Town governments (communes) are key political actors - they want expanding territory as well

    • “Text factories” - their economies and politics need documents, writing experts (notaries)

    • Holy Roman Emperor was not effective governance in Italy, or remaining there consistently (not holy, not Roman, not an empire → confederation of little states who elect emperor)

      • Popes are also not capable of ruling/being on the ground


The Example of Florence: The Guild Republic

  • Palazzo della Signoria, Florence (city government = legislative and executive)

    • 9 priors

    • Lots of committees → taking power and disperse it (they didn’t want one single individual to take power)

  • Podesta was the judicial magistrate and police official, offices are in the Palazzo del Podesta (also called Bargello)

  • People are loyal on some level to the city but also to trade guilds (also social organizations)

    • Guilds are building blocks of economic life and Florentine government

    • In order to participate in government, you need to belong to a guild

    • Loyalty to trade is built into loyalty to city-state, integrated as a pol-soc org

    • Part of status to serve what they call Republic (representative gov) sense of pride, increase stature

  • If husband died, woman could assume position of trade and be part of guild, but not eligible for office

  • Archbishop of Florence served as judge in specific cases, including determining legitimate marriages (Archbishop Antoninus adjudicates Giovanni and Lusanna)

    • Both priest and judge

    • He is expert in matters of canon law


Marriage Defined by RCC during Renaissance

  • Three simple things for marriage: eligibility, consent, and consummation

    • Without any of these, the marriage was invalid

    • If a man is impotent and cannot penetrate a woman, the marriage is invalid (never having children is okay, though)

    • Some elements we might expect are missing: witnesses, no priest necessary in order for it to be valid

  • Not unusual to have an exchange of rings


Church’s Minimal Rules Left Room for Clandestine/Secret Marriage

  • E.g. Romeo and Juliet

  • Difference in age, social status

  • Wealthy urban elites disliked it - economic significance in dowry: goods, money, or land that passed from the bride’s family to the groom’s family; political implications; social implications

    • Needed to be settled by people’s parents


Marriage Practices Among Elites of Italian Cities and Towns

  • Marriage varies from place to place

  • Notary rather than the priest was the most important official

    • Contract of betrothal

    • Record/document of dowry

    • Exchange of vows/rings/clasping of hands

    • Next is all local traditions

  • Important in Florence specifically: “menare a Casa” → procession of bride to groom’s house

  • These documents don’t replace the church requirements - consent, consummation still matter

  • When sex happens: vows & consummation - order is not clear

    • Sometimes happened after betrothal

  • Social logic of marriage as process - evidence from working people of Verona

    • Matrilocal emphasis (bride’s father and mother)

      • Man would visit the woman in the family home → whether two people were married or not, man is over there is a good criterion

    • People could leave unions that were not working; love and sexual compatibility considered essential

      • Eating meals together is like a trial period; each would be allowed to go their own separate ways and choose another partner

      • But sometimes, one said they were married and the other did not → court

  • Marriage determined to be a sacrament by theologians, then should be in the hands of the church to decide that issue

  • How did we get to the point we are today when we think about marriage? 

    • Council of Trent gave everything we associate with marriage today → priest, witnesses, document, banns prior to the wedding