Marriage, Manners and Mobility in Early Modern Venice

Download or read book Marriage, Manners and Mobility in Early Modern Venice written by Alexander Cowan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-13 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout history, marriage has been used as a method of creating and strengthening bonds between elites and the societies over which they ruled. Nowhere is this more apparent than in early modern Venice, where members of the patriciate looked to marital alliances with outsider brides to help maintain their position and social distinction in a fluid society. This book explores the parameters of upward social mobility, contemporary evaluations of social status and moral behaviour, and the place of marriage and concubinage within patrician society. Drawing heavily on the records of the Avogaria di Comun, which had the task of examining the social backgrounds and moral reputations of women from outside the patriciate who wished to marry patricians, this study provides a fascinating reconstruction of Venetian society as it was seen by individuals at every level.