Reading for sections, Week VI

Selections from the Diary of Gregorio Dati, in Geary, pp. 836-851

GREGORIO DATI (1362-1436)      Florentine merchant

The Italian title of this diary is "Libro segreto," or "Secret Book,"
referring to the "secret" account books that merchants kept to shield
information from the Florentine government. Other similar books
from the same period are entitled "Ricordi" or "Memoirs," and represent
early examples of family histories. Another diary by a merchant named
Datini starts each page with the heading "For God and for profit."
Would this fit with Dati's approach?

Goal of this reading:                  understanding the social history of Italy
             including merchant activities and values, role of marriage, dowry,
             demographic information about birth rate and death rate ;
            role of commerce, religion and politics in Florentine city state.     

Background information on for reading Dati:
1348 Black Plague becomes endemic in Europe = high mortality rate
Florentine republican government: 8 Priors elected for two month terms
            high social value on officeholding (see Dati's offices)

Genre: What kind of a “diary” is this?
             What kind of information ation is included?

What can you learn about Dati’s background & social status?

What kind of economic activity is he involved in?

What is the geographical range and scale of his business?

What do his religious beliefs consist of?

Does he seem to have any conflict between his religion and
his economic activities?

What do we learn about his wives, children and sexual affairs?
(Try counting them up and keeping track of deaths.)

How does the dowry system interact with his business affairs?

How does he deal with taxation?

What kind of offices does he hold in Florence?

Note the reference to Cosimo [di Medici] towards the end.