Differences Between Lusanna And Giovanni

During Renaissance Florence, marriage was a classist system formulated by businesslike unions between a man and a woman. Marriages were typically put forth to sanctify the union of two families in order to secure or elevate their place in society. Giovanni and Lusanna's alleged marriage defied the traditional expectations of Florentine society because the marriage was, supposedly, a result of two lovers independently choosing to marry one another. Lusanna, a woman of reasonable wealth and unpredictable temperament, especially defied customs. Lusanna’s self-sustaining financial background and confident nature challenged the restrictive Renaissance expectations of women by enchanting Giovanni, allegedly marrying him, and later testifying against

him in court.
According to the case, there are two circumstances in which Lusanna and Giovanni’s marriage could have bloomed: In Lusanna’s story, Giovanni became infatuated with her beauty and convinced her to marry him after he consistently followed her around and confessed his love to her (Gene Brucker, 16).

However, the probability that Lusanna and Giovanni’s relationship began after Andrea’s death is unlikely considering the two were married only four months after Andrea’s death in 1453 (Brucker, 16). Giovanni’s claim that the two shared unchased relations while Lusanna and Andrea were married is likely more accurate, although Lusanna probably did not behave as obscenely as Giovanni depicted her (Brucker, 27). If the two lovers did share an adulterous relationship during Lusanna’s marriage, then it would not be surprising considering Lusanna’s unyielding nature; she would not have allowed her unsatisfying marriage with Andrea prevent her from attaining her desires and finding a

lover.
Lusanna’s unconventional nature is likely a result of her independent financial background. After her father’s death, Lusanna received a large dowry of 250 florins from her father because she was the only daughter in the family (Brucker, 5). With this money, Lusanna could financially support herself after Andrea’s death, which was uncommon for widows during the fifteenth century. Lusanna’s comfortable financial standing is most likely what allowed her to behave in such an independent and unconventional manner. Lusanna was not forced to rely on charitable actions in order to receive money (Brucker, 90). By not having to pander to other members of society, her imperfect reputation did not have a substantial affect on her finances, and she had the opportunity to have an affair with Giovanni.
While Lusanna’s finances would not be negatively affected by her relationship with Giovanni, her social reputation was not exempt from ridicule.

Lusanna knew not to flaunt her relationship with Giovanni if she wanted to secure her place in society (Brucker, 21). Another factor that refutes Giovanni’s claim that Lusanna carried herself in a disrespectful manner is that even when the two lovers were allegedly married, Lusanna wore her widow’s garb outside of her home and portrayed the role of a grieving widow so as to not offend anyone (Brucker, 21). If Lusanna would have married Giovanni for his wealth and social stats, then she would not have kept her marriage to him a

secret.
Certain qualities attributed to Lusanna by Giovanni’s witnesses depicts her as a dishonorable woman who “stared openly at men whom she encountered on the street” (Brucker, 27). In modern times, if these accusations are true, would characterize Lusanna’s body language as confidence, rather than obscene behavior. Lusanna’s confident nature was considered taboo because Florentine society viewed women as property rather than equals. Florentine women were considered lesser human beings and were used as a method to secure or elevate a family’s social status by marrying her to a qualified man. Lusanna’s unrepentant, man-like confidence and attitude towards her affair with Giovanni allowed her to defend her actions in court.
Giovanni may have despised Lusanna after the court case, but it is clear that he was quite infatuated with her during the infancy of their relationship (Brucker, 79). It is likely that Lusanna’s confidence and beauty is what attracted Giovanni to Lusanna. Other members of Lusanna’s neighborhood coined her confidence as a sensual form of arrogance, and deemed her as a woman of repugnant low moral (Brucker, 26). These accusations are likely exaggerated and stemmed from the jealousy of the other women in her town who did not have the opportunities that Lussana had. It would have been quite unlikely for a man like Giovanni, with a large sum of wealth and respectable standing in society, to have a long-lasting relationship with Lusanna for twelve years if these accusations were correct. Granted, the separation between Lusanna and Giovanni did end in an unpleasant manner, but it most likely did not end because Lusanna behaved like a common “prostitute” (Brucker, 26). Giovanni was doubtlessly more concerned with his financial stability and desired a woman who could provide a substantial dowry.
Court cases during the Renaissance concerning marriage validity were not unusual (Brucker, 40), but cases such as Lusanna’s, in which an artisan woman testified against a man of such wealthy status for a marriage that was not publicized was very unusual and received a great amount of attention (Brucker, 120). Giovanni’s infidelity and Lusanna’s confident, unyielding nature were main factors to the court cases development. Lusanna was not one to submit to Giovanni after being informed that he had married another woman, so she attempted to coax Giovanni to be faithful to her (Brucker, 25). Such demands were characteristic of Lusanna, but were unusual for a fifteenth-century artisan woman to make considering Giovanni is of such high social class and would be expected to marry someone of his own class rank (Brucker, 10). Lusanna’s attempts to sway Giovanni reflect the confident manner in which she carried herself. Lusanna’s choice to bring Giovanni to court is ultimately what made the court case so famous.
While it is more likely that Lusanna and Giovanni had an adulterous relationship during the time Lusanna was still married to Andrea, Lusanna could have played the role of an innocent, mistreated woman in order to gain the favor of the court. Her case implied that like Giovanni had approached her and coaxed her into matrimony after Andrea’s death (Brucker, 16). Ultimately, her innocent role did grant her a victory and won the favor of Antoninus (Brucker, 14), but Giovanni’s wealth and connections with the Medici allowed him to escape from the grasp of the final court decision (Brucker, 111). Even though Lusanna was not granted the ending she desired, she was not a woman who would have let Giovanni’s actions ruin her future. There is much speculation as to what happened to Lusanna, but there is evidence to assume that she moved out of Florence and most likely married another man when the case was over (Brucker, 120).
Lusanna represents a woman who struggled to maintain her independence in Renaissance Florence. In a society in which being a woman meant having to fear debasement and sexism, Lusanna chose to have the confidence and intelligence of a man. From her self-sustaining financial background, to her uncommon marriage to Giovanni, and eventually her success in court, Lusanna defied many societal conventions that limited women in Renaissance Florence by testifying against a man of much higher social status. Even though the case did not eventually end in her favor, it did not deter her from living an independent life after the case was complete.