It's probably safe to make the sweeping generalization that women were not esteemed anywhere nearly as highly as men. In Florence, as in most of Italy of the Renaissance, a girl was a marriage prize and little more, particularly if she were highborn. It's no surprise that boys outnumbered girls all over Tuscany; ominously, this applied particularly in the countryside and among the higher classes (Duby 169).
The values of womanhood, as given by one of Lorenzo's sons, were these: "That in her ways, manners, words, gestures, and bearing, a woman ought to be very unlike a man. . . . It is seemly for a woman to have a soft and delicate tenderness, with an air of womanly sweetness in her every movement. . . ." Ladies should be soft-spoken, prudent, generous, kind, and discreet, as well as good household managers -- particularly in an age when husbands were often on the road and away from the house for up to years at a time. She should also be able to carry on a good conversation and should be able to watch her words so she doesn't accidentally offend anybody. But most of all, she had to be able to parent children and run a household. Every bit of education she received was intended to directly aid her in these endeavors. (Mee)
When a girl was born, her father immediately went to a special bank to make a deposit for her dowry. He contributed to it like a Christmas Club fund, until she was married (if she died, the money went to the city). When she got old enough to marry, this dowry account was turned over to her new husband. It was said that just as speaking vows was a part of the wedding ceremony, so too was the new husband's trip to the dowry bank to pick up his money. Lorenzo Medici made a lot of people upset when he "borrowed" funds from this bank to finance his schemes, but the truth was that the dowry bank paid for a lot of Florentine city projects.
She was raised underfoot in the household and taught the womanly arts, including spinning, eaving, and embroidery. After a while, she was given a very rudimentary education, though as the period wore on, girls more often enjoyed a more complete education. There were some famous intelligent women in Tuscany, including Isabella d'Este of Ferrara, who got the same education as any boy did. By the age of 5, she could play several instruments; by 14, she could sing lines from Virgil and speak Latin better than any woman her age.
Of course, a girl could still get a good marriage if she had political connections. Lorenzo's wife Clarice had a noble title, but no money; Lorenzo had money, but no title. It was a match made in heaven. (A father might also send a daughter to the convent, which was expensive but not as expensive as a dowry; this just required regular outlays of money, fabric, food, and other materials for the new nun's upkeep.) A decent dowry was 1,000 florins or so for most of the 1400s. That could get a young husband started in business. If the couple divorced (divorce and annulment were rare but happened), she got the dowry back.
A girl had very little say in her marriage plans. Her family and the groom's family converged to hammer out negotiations about dowry and other details, including her wedding gown; she was rarely consulted at all. Her gown particularly was as much a political statement of power and wealth as it was a wedding garment. Families could and did nearly go bankrupt making sure she had the very best gown they could afford. It was traditional to paint the bride in her wedding finery to celebrate the day; this is where you find many portraits of 15th-century Florentine women.
The wedding began when the families got together in church with all their intermediaries and shook hands on the agreement they'd all made. The bride never appeared at this ceremony. The second part of the wedding ceremony, the betrothal, happened later, and she did appear here. She also appeared at the third and final ceremony, which was held at her family home. Relatives and friends came to witness the exchange of vows and rings and partake of the feasts that inevitably followed. The feast could last hours to days depending on the wealth of the hosts.
After the feast, friends of the bride and groom walked them up to their bedroom and put them to bed amid much joking and laughter. They didn't stay around to watch the couple perform sexually, but it was assumed such activity would be taking place. In the morning, the friends came to fetch them to Mass, after which the groom took his new wife home and went and got his dowry fund.
After Marriage: Wives
After marriage, sometimes women
participated in little groups like those younger people had. They might
get together to escort one of their members around town, or even go on
pilgrimages or on trips to other cities (Duby 166). Pious women especially
might meet privately at each others' homes to pray, or might gather around
holy shrines (Duby 166).
More to come..
Last updated: July 31, 2003