User:Emrbloor/sandbox

Wiki Project Notes

 * Add education section under early life
 * Women in Florence, mothers set up to lov sons mroe than daughters, super patrilineal soc in firenze, set up around sons, daughters given dowry and it was absorbed into hsands house
 * women family and ritual and renaissance florence by christiane klapisch-zuber
 * family and relation with sons-
 * add religion stuff
 * write that finacial letters got saved b/c financial
 * political
 * financial (marriage, taxes, properties)
 * Letters offer rare glimpse into life of Florentine widow and renaissance women
 * Death section, Legacy
 * lead section fianancial stuff and glimpse into life

Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi
Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi (1408?-March 1471) was a Florentine Renaissance noblewoman known for her preserved letters chronicling her financial and political struggles in Medici Florence. She was largely family oriented and worked to place her sons in successful banking positions and give all her children beneficial marriages. Seventy-three of her letters were initially preserved by her son Filippo and in present day, by the Archivio de Stato di Firenze. Her letters rank among the most significant primary sources from fifteenth-century Florence.

Early life
Alessandra Macinghi was born sometime between 1406 and 1408 to Filippo di Niccolò Macinghi and Caterina di Bernardo Alberti. The date of her birth is contested as the final entry in her book of accounts in 1471 gives her age as 63 but a tax document from 1427 claims her age to be 22 years and 2 months. The Macinghi family was a newly elite family and thus lacked the social standing held by more established families such as the Strozzi. Alessandra's mother died while she was still a young child and her father remarried to Ginevra di Albertuccio Ricasoli. Through her father's first marriage, Alessandra had one brother, Zanobi. Filippo's marriage to Ginerva gave Alessandra an additonal 3 siblings. Alessandra's father died in 1420 when she was around the age of 12. Analogous to women of similar social standing, Alessandra received an education that covered the basics of reading, writing, and keeping accounts. Overall, not much is known about Alessandra's childhood.

Marriage
Alessandra Macinghi married Matteo Strozzi on June 10, 1422 bringing a dowry of 1,600 florins. Due to her father's death, Alessandra's marriage was negotiated by her stepmother and uncles. Alessandra and Matteo had 9 children together, 8 of which survived infancy and 5 of whom survived to adulthood. Due to Matteo's involvement against the Medici in Florentine politics, in 1434 he was exiled to Pesaro along with other male members of his extended family. Though she had the opportunity to remain in the family household in Florence and run it, Alessandra only stayed long enough to put family affairs in order and followed Matteo into exile bringing along their children. In 1435, the plague hit Pesaro and Matteo along with Andreuola Caterina, Simone, and Piero all perished.

Widowhood
Following Matteo's death, Alessandra returned her family to Florence.

Death
Alessandra's final preserved letter was written in 1470. She died of old age in March of 1471 and her death was recorded by her son Filippo in her book of accounts as occurring at the age of 63. She was entombed within the Strozzi Chapel at what was then the Church of Santa Maria Novella.

Political involvements
e.g. Marriage negotiations, paying debts (She was not permitted to do these things directly – often done with hired help who basically stood there while she dealt or through)
 * Family reputation bad due to stigma from Medici
 * Heavily involved in negotiations for things concerning familial well-being
 * Ensured sons were doing well in Naples, distribution of their wealth to keep family afloat
 * Worked so that children had good marriages, looked after daughter's financial well-being even after they were married (Lessandra's husband had debts)

Letters

 * Preserved by son, Filippo Strozzi the Elder
 * Highlight life of a widowed Renaissance noblewoman
 * Financial dealings- struggle with family reputation, debts, etc
 * Marital negotiations-other family reputations, dowry, ages
 * Dowry-daughter Caterina pregnant, if dies in childbirth lose dowry and daughter, got it insured
 * Regional economic differences-ask for almonds because cheaper in Naples than in Florence