Cosimo and Lorenzo de’ Medici, Florence, the republic of the 14th and 15th centuries. We find ourselves amidst political intrigues, bedroom secrets, wives, mistresses, power, money, and corruption. The church and the popes partake in this game where morality and Christian charity are not truly respected.
Florence, a republic? That doesn’t mean a democracy where freedom is the guarantor of citizens’ lives. There are nobility, the bourgeoisie, common people, and even slaves.
Sarah Frydman depicts this society where money, wealth, and reputation are the chief concerns of these bankers who are creditors to popes and kings. We are in an era when Italy is divided: Florence, Milan, and Venice are the main players on the peninsula. They hate and loathe each other and sometimes pretend otherwise, wars occur, but it doesn’t matter; they will sell weapons. Contessina is a woman of her time who asserts herself between her family and her husband’s. Deceit and underhanded tactics are everywhere. A magnificent novel that lets us discover both major and minor history. Heresy trials that end with the stake. Cosimo witnesses it all. Intellectual life is prominent among the Medici. Florence, its palaces, the author serves as our guide in exploring this capital of Tuscany.
Contessina is both a novel, a history book, and a biographical guide of the great Florentine families where honor, if not restored with a dagger or poison, is redeemed with gold or silver florins. We are among people of banking and finance where, ultimately, everything seems to be merchandise, even human beings.
