The Society of Renaissance Florence: A Documentary Study

by Gene A. Brucker (editor)

First published in 1971 by Harper & Row, The Society of Renaissance Florence is an invaluable collection of 132 original Florentine documents dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and covering a wide range of subjects from taxes to social mobility, to family, death, and civic life, to violence, crime, and morality. Also included are seldom seen documents addressing the state of the poor and such groups as Jews, heretics, sorcerers, and homosexuals. 'I have made a conscious effort to select material which reveals something about the emotions, passions, and temperaments of Renaissance Florentines. 'These documents are examples of the raw material with which the historian works, as he attempts to describe social structures, patterns of behavior, and value systems. They should convey some sense of the complexity of this society, and of the formidable task which confronts the student who seeks to generalize about its character... They can serve as models for the student interested in the problems of urban history in pre-industrial Europe.' - From the Preface.

Genres: History, Renaissance, Nonfiction, Italy

282 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1971

Reviews

[Angela Boord · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of primary documents from 14th and 15th century Florence, all collected in the city’s Archive. Nearly every single one of these documents could form the basis for an excellent story, novel, movie, or Netflix series. An absolute treasure trove.