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Women Renaissance

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Submitted By dit208
Words 1068
Pages 5
Dannette Tejeda
10/03/10
Family & Gender
Comanducci

Public Rituals of Marriages

Flowers, a white gown, a venue or perhaps a church, family and friends, a ceremony, a reception, and above all love are the fundamental essentials for a wedding, let a lone a marriage. Yet, occasions such as weddings were not as passive in the fourteenth century as they are now. During the renaissance, weddings were not just the bond of two individual people who wished to be committed to each other by the law or their religion; but it was the binding of a patrilineal alliance and for that reason it was vital for all aspects of a marriage to be a public, communal spectacle. This notion took away from all that was personal from a woman as it was inscribed in her code of honor to accept her public passing from her father’s legal possession to her new husband. The wedding in itself had at the least four different steps, which were: the impalmamento, the sponsalia, the matrimonium, and the nozze. They were specific transactions because during the Renaissance women were in some terms irrelevant and were only allowed to walk the streets to attend masses in church. However, when these stages were taken in action, the publicity announced the benefit of the alliances made between families and that is what makes them so significant.
The first stage towards a marriage was the impalmamento. The impalmamento signifies “engagement, a promise of marriage, specifically, as a confirmation of the preliminary agreements, it indicates the early phase of the long process of the marriage arrangement.” It is the initial meeting between the heads of the family of both the potential bride and groom. As publicity was key, of course the parents came a long with a few of their relatives. As the meeting progressed and an agreement was made to marry their children, the father would close the deal and make the alliance between the two families. As the marriage rituals progress into the “sponsalia” stage, it is important for the bride-to-be, to appear at her window “clean, charming, and prettily clad”; in the eye of the public, appearance and behavior in relation to the expectations of the males of her family was critical.
The sponsalia ritual of a woman’s marriage did not even involve the woman. It was a highly public affair between the male relatives. The purpose of this meeting was to underwrite the negotiations of gains, benefits, and debts of the marriage. The dowry was the top of the agenda as the dowry made up a large portion of the groom’s gain. In letters from Giovanni d’Amerigo Del Bene regarding marriage negotiations he writes, “Concerning Caterina, we have concluded the marriage agreement for 900 florins…I think that on Saturday, Amerigo should go to them and tell them that we are arranging to marry Caterina…he should tell them everything, and then we can settle that business, and they will learn about it a few days before it becomes public knowledge.” The result of the sponsalia would then be the groom’s proclamation that he will wed and although there was a written document contracting his promise; the groom made this statement public as well. The next ritual was the matrimonium, which in today’s day in age would be the actual ceremony of the couple in which vows and rings are exchanged. All family, relatives, and allies would gather at the bride’s home. Then a government official would question the couple in order to make certain that all negotiations were settled and both individuals are appropriate to get married. Publicly, the groom would show a receipt of the dowry given to him from the bride’s family. This matrimonium was a civil ceremony and that is why a government officially like a notary would conduct and host these kinds of events and not a priest. This wedding procession was the most public part of the marriage and provided an opportunity for the entire community to share in the celebration and thus ratify the marriage. The notary would read the terms of the contract aloud so that all present would be witnesses to the agreement; “Do you wish to have this woman as your wife, and to love her, honor her, keep her and protect her, in health and in sickness, as a husband should his wife, to keep from all other women except her, as long as your lives shall last?” The question asked of the woman includes the phrase ‘obey and serve’.” The ritual actions of the father handing the daughter to the husband and of the husband taking the woman into his house to make her an acceptable and honorary wife. The last and most public ritual of the Italian Renaissance weddings was the Nozze. In this final stage the bride is then brought to the family home of her new husband, where her chastity and honor is out of the public eye and is devoted to her husband. In this final analysis it is safe to say that a woman in Renaissance Florence receives the upmost public attention during her pre-nuptials. She is manipulated and handled through the possession of the male members of her family as the impalmamento, the sponsalia, the matrimonium, and the nozze takes places. A woman is glorified and spoiled as she part takes in the various rituals of her marriage because her society is managed by men and in the perceptions of the men, the bride is whom links the alliances. The joining of the alliances was meant to be publicly lavish as the headmen had a lot to celebrate.

Bibliography

* Brucker, The Society of Renaissance of Florence, document no. 18

* Cavallar, Osvaldo and Julius Kirshner. “Making and Breaking Betrothal Contracts in Late Trecento Florence,” vol. 1 pp. 395 – 452

* Duby, Georges. A History of Private Life. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1988

* Klapisch-Zuber, C.: Women, Family and Ritual in Renaissance Italy, Chicago, London, 1985, p. 183.

* Stevenson, Kenneth. Nuptial Blessings: A Study of Christian Marriage Rites. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Cavallar, Osvaldo and Julius Kirshner. “Making and Breaking Betrothal Contracts in Late Trecento Florence,” vol. 1 pp. 395 – 452
[ 2 ]. Brucker, The Society of Renaissance of Florence, document no. 18
[ 3 ]. Stevenson, Kenneth. Nuptial Blessings: A Study of Christian Marriage Rites. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983

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