A recently translated medieval chronicle has detailed the story of a huge charitable bequest that took place in the Italian city of Florence. It includes a clever method to deliver money to over 20,000 poor people.
The story is told in the New Chronicle of Giovanni Villani, one of the most important sources for 14th-century Florence. His work contains in-depth coverage of political and military events in the city and throughout Italy. However, in his account for the summer of 1330, Villani details a unique deed involving a charitable bequest.
It was common for wealthy Florentines to give money to charities, which were run either by the Church or city officials. However, when an unnamed Florentine citizen passed away that year, he wanted to be more direct in helping the poor.
The executors of his will made arrangements for the money to be given out to as many poor people as possible – news of this event not only attracted those in Florence but from elsewhere in Tuscany and other parts of Italy. The plan was to have these poor people come to the largest churches in each district of the city. Once inside they were locked in to prevent anyone from trying to go to more than one church.
Villani explains how the money was then given out:
After each poor person had been given, as they left, six denari, it was found that the total came to four hundred thirty lire de piccioli, which amount to more than seventeen thousand persons: men and women, children and adults, not counting the shame-faced poor and the poor in hospitals and the prisons and the religious mendicants, who had a bequest of their own worth twelve denari a person given to more than four thousand persons.
If Villani’s numbers of 21,000 recipients were accurate it represented a huge number of people, for Florence was home to a population of about 90,000. It also can be seen as an impressive logistical effort, which probably involved dozens of people and many churches within the city.
A denari coin from early 14th-century Florence – photo by Sailko / Wikimedia Commons
The amount of money per person was not very much – six denari would buy a few loaves of bread – but overall the amount spent in this unique bequest would represent more than the cost of a large house in Florence.
Villani concludes his account by offering a moral lesson from this event:
We have recorded this bequest, since it was regarded at the time as an excellent deed, and in order to give a good example to those who wish, for the good of their souls, to give alms to Christ’s poor.
You can read about this story and other episodes of Florentine history in The Eleventh and Twelfth Books of Giovanni Villani’s “New Chronicle”, translated by Rala I. Diakité and Matthew T. Sneider, and published by Walter de Gruyter. Click here to buy it on Amazon.com
A recently translated medieval chronicle has detailed the story of a huge charitable bequest that took place in the Italian city of Florence. It includes a clever method to deliver money to over 20,000 poor people.
The story is told in the New Chronicle of Giovanni Villani, one of the most important sources for 14th-century Florence. His work contains in-depth coverage of political and military events in the city and throughout Italy. However, in his account for the summer of 1330, Villani details a unique deed involving a charitable bequest.
It was common for wealthy Florentines to give money to charities, which were run either by the Church or city officials. However, when an unnamed Florentine citizen passed away that year, he wanted to be more direct in helping the poor.
The executors of his will made arrangements for the money to be given out to as many poor people as possible – news of this event not only attracted those in Florence but from elsewhere in Tuscany and other parts of Italy. The plan was to have these poor people come to the largest churches in each district of the city. Once inside they were locked in to prevent anyone from trying to go to more than one church.
Villani explains how the money was then given out:
After each poor person had been given, as they left, six denari, it was found that the total came to four hundred thirty lire de piccioli, which amount to more than seventeen thousand persons: men and women, children and adults, not counting the shame-faced poor and the poor in hospitals and the prisons and the religious mendicants, who had a bequest of their own worth twelve denari a person given to more than four thousand persons.
If Villani’s numbers of 21,000 recipients were accurate it represented a huge number of people, for Florence was home to a population of about 90,000. It also can be seen as an impressive logistical effort, which probably involved dozens of people and many churches within the city.
The amount of money per person was not very much – six denari would buy a few loaves of bread – but overall the amount spent in this unique bequest would represent more than the cost of a large house in Florence.
Villani concludes his account by offering a moral lesson from this event:
We have recorded this bequest, since it was regarded at the time as an excellent deed, and in order to give a good example to those who wish, for the good of their souls, to give alms to Christ’s poor.
You can read about this story and other episodes of Florentine history in The Eleventh and Twelfth Books of Giovanni Villani’s “New Chronicle”, translated by Rala I. Diakité and Matthew T. Sneider, and published by Walter de Gruyter. Click here to buy it on Amazon.com
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