Why read Piety and Charity in Late Medieval Florence?

Book cover of Piety and Charity in Late Medieval Florence

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John Henderson examines the relationship between religion and society in late medieval Florence through the vehicle of the religious confraternity, one of the most ubiquitous and popular forms of lay association throughout Europe. This book provides a fascinating account of the development of confraternities in relation to other communal and…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Piety and Charity in Late Medieval Florence as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Tinney Sue Heath

Author

In The Florentine Magnates we looked at Florence’s magnates, the powerful ruling class. Now we get a look at the people they lorded it over—the “popolo minuto” or the little people. We see them struggling, never able to get far enough ahead to get through a bad harvest, a year of terrible weather, or an epidemic with any security. Both church and commune recognized the need to come to the assistance of the masses of poor; this book tells us how they went about it and how successful they were (or weren’t). It deftly traces the role of…

From Tinney's list on The best books on medieval Florence.