The Ospedale Di Santa Maria Della Scala and Siena's
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Charity and the Economy of Power: The Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala and Siena’s Network of Charity in the Sixteenth Century by Sarah Marianne Loose A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of History University of Toronto © Copyright by Sarah Marianne Loose, 2013 Charity and the Economy of Power: The Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala and Siena’s Network of Charity in the Sixteenth Century Sarah Marianne Loose Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto 2013 Abstract This study examines charitable institutions as a source of power through an analysis of Siena’s largest and most prominent hospital, the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala. This analysis is accomplished by situating Santa Maria della Scala in the context of relationships between Siena and its surrounding territory before and after Siena’s loss of independence in 1555. From its eleventh century origins, Santa Maria della Scala developed social, religious, and political power within Siena, serving as the city’s central source of charity and playing a key role in civic rituals and devotions. Additionally, through its vast network of farms and small hospitals, Santa Maria della Scala exercised economic power and influence across the Sienese state. Through the early sixteenth century, Siena’s government drew as needed on the social, religious, and economic power of the hospital to reinforce ties with both the urban population and subject communities. However, internal political strife, increasing foreign involvement in local affairs, and a war at mid-century upset the distribution of power and strained relations between Santa Maria della Scala and the city government. After Siena’s loss of independence in 1557 and subsequent governance by Cosimo de’ Medici, competition for control of the hospital between local elite and the Medici of Florence resulted in a process of negotiation which demonstrates the ability of hospitals to function simultaneously as local power centres and as arms of the territorial state. ii Thus, an analysis of Santa Maria della Scala and Siena in the sixteenth century not only highlights the complex power dynamics that comprised the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, but also contributes to debates surrounding the transition in Italy from medieval communes to early modern states, and the distribution of power within those states. iii Acknowledgments I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to Professor Nicholas Terpstra, whose wisdom, guidance, encouragement, honesty, and support have proven invaluable to both this project and to my education as a whole. With his dedicated help, I have been able to successfully confront the inevitable difficulties of archival research and the writing process, grow intellectually, and gain confidence. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from him. Professor Natalie Rothman has served as an unwavering source of insight and support on more occasions than I can mention, and I thank her for always helping me to step back and see the bigger picture. The opportunities she has provided me to explore and train in digital humanities have improved this dissertation and taught me to think about historical research in new and exciting ways. Heartfelt thanks must also go to Professor Konrad Eisenbichler for his expert training in paleography, without which the hours I spent deciphering sixteenth-century Italian hands would have increased exponentially. His vast knowledge and enthusiasm for all things Siena have inspired and aided me in my own quest to navigate the intricacies of Sienese history. I would be remiss not to offer thanks to the wonderful staff at the Archivio di Stato in Siena for making my first foray into archival research such an enjoyable experience. I am indebted to their expert knowledge and assistance, which came to my rescue on more than one occasion. Thanks also to the staff at the Archivio di Stato in Florence, and the staff at University of Toronto Map and Data Library for helping me to create the maps for this dissertation. I am incredibly grateful to all the friends, colleagues, and advisors who have helped and supported me in any way throughout this process. The list of names is too long to include them all here, but I must offer a special word of thanks to Elena Brizio and Philippa Jackson for iv knowledge and insight shared on many occasions. Special thanks also to Elizabeth Jewett, Seija Kromm, Vanessa McCarthy, Stephanie Cavanaugh, and John Christopoulous who have all saved my sanity at some point during this project with words and deeds of assistance. In addition to friends, I must also give thanks to my amazing family. Thank you to my grandparents, Bob and Felicia Loose, and Helen Ellsworth, for always believing in me, and thanks also to the many aunts, uncles, and cousins who’ve offered encouragement and support. Finally, this dissertation would not have been possible without my parents, Dee and Marianne Loose, my siblings Brittany, Rachel, Richard, and Diana, my brother-in-law Nick, and my nephew Lucas, whose love and support mean everything. v Table of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 - Santa Maria della Scala: A Sienese State Agency..................................................... 27 Foundation and Origins: The Cathedral and the Hospital ........................................................ 28 Seeking Independence: The Hospital and the Commune ......................................................... 32 The Fourteenth Century: Organization, Administration, and Expansion ................................. 38 Art, Preaching, Civic Religion, and Santa Maria della Scala ................................................... 43 Conflict and Change in the Fifteenth Century.......................................................................... 61 Sixteenth Century Overview..................................................................................................... 69 Chapter 3 – Santa Maria della Scala and the Sienese State Economy.......................................... 79 Santa Maria della Scala as an Economic Institution................................................................. 83 Origins of the Network ............................................................................................................. 89 Network Growth and Expansion............................................................................................... 96 The Black Death, Depopulation, and Economic Stagnation................................................... 102 Maintenance and Preservation: The Network in the Sixteenth Century................................. 107 The “Other” Network: Santa Maria della Scala’s spedali ...................................................... 117 Two Case Studies: The Grancia di Prata and the Ospedale di Todi ....................................... 126 Conclusions............................................................................................................................. 141 Chapter 4 – Civic Charity and Crisis: Santa Maria della Scala and the War of Siena ............... 138 Siena in Crisis: Factions, Foreigners, Famine, and Civic Tensions, 1512-1552 .................... 140 Santa Maria della Scala and the War of Siena I: 1552-1553 .................................................. 146 Santa Maria della Scala and the War of Siena II: 1554-1555................................................. 161 Post-War Resolutions and Shifting Power Dynamics: 1555-1562......................................... 184 Conclusions............................................................................................................................. 189 Chapter 5 – Santa Maria della Scala: A Tuscan State Agency................................................... 192 Regional Context: The Medici, Hospitals, and State Building in Florence and Tuscany ...... 198 Siena as a Tuscan Periphery I: Medici Dukes and Local Authorities in Siena, 1559-84 ....... 206 Siena as a Tuscan Periphery II: Medici Dukes and Local Authorities in Siena, 1587-99...... 221 Centre-Periphery in Another Dimension: Santa Maria della Scala as a Regional Institution 250 Conclusion: The Grand Duchy, Santa Maria della Scala, and Siena, 1557-1600 .................. 260 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 263 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 275 vi List of Tables Table 1 Yearly Income and Expenditure in Lire, 1543-1602.……………………………86 Table 2 Bequests and Donations, 1301-1350……………………………………………101 Table 3 Loans imposed on Santa Maria della Scala from 1381-1399…………………..104 Table 4 The Grance and their possessions circa 1600…………………………………..113 Table 5 Average Price for one staio of grain in Siena, 1557-1600……………………...230 Table 6 “Ristretto et compendio . l’entrate et spese Publiche dello stato di Siena”.....232 Table 7 Entrata and Uscita, 1592-1595………………………………………………….252 vii List of Maps Map 1 The Grance of Santa Maria della Scala, circa 1305.............................................100 Map 2 The Grance of Santa Maria della Scala, circa 1512.............................................111 Map 3 Spedali di Fuori, circa 1500.................................................................................120