Politics, Trade and Toleration in Renaissance Florence: Lorenzo de' Medici and the Besalú Brothers

• Autores: Lorenz Böninger
• Localización: I Tatti studies: essays in the Renaissance, ISSN 0393-5949, Nº. 9, 2001, págs. 139-171
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Examines Lorenzo de' Medici's role as arbiter in a financial dispute between brothers Francesco and Raffaele da Besalú, Catalan merchant bankers operating in Florence, and King Ferdinand (Ferrante) of Naples (Ferdinand the Catholic of Spain), involving the king's seizure in 1486 of the assets of a Besalú business partner and consequent default on a sizable loan guaranteed by the brothers. During the deliberations, Ferdinand accused the brothers of being 'marrani,' or converted Jews, and subsequently drew the pope into the dispute. Lorenzo's decision in favor of the brothers thus represented an example of his pragmatic toleration with respect to religion and international diplomatic relations. Personal correspondence and accounting records over the next ten years indicate that Lorenzo may not have been such a neutral party after all, as it appears he was involved in several business dealings with the Besalú. The article prints a transcription of the text of the 1488 arbitration in the appendix.