Giovanni and Lusanna: Love and Marriage in Renaissance Florence

In Chapter 2, Brucker outlines the conflicting narratives of Lusanna and Giovanni’s relationship, which were recorded during their trial’s witness testimonies. The chapter is split in two. The first half recounts “Lusanna’s Story,” and the second half describes “Giovanni’s Story.”

Lusanna’s narrative is supported by witness testimonies from her close relatives, including her brother, Antonio, and the friar Fra Felice Asini. She claims that the friar officiated the marriage between her and Giovanni. According to these witnesses, Lusanna was a devoted wife to her first husband, Andrea, and she was known throughout her neighborhood for her beauty. One day, she caught Giovanni’s eye, and he started to make occasional romantic advances toward her. Though Lusanna did not return his initial flirtations, they grew more persistent when she became a widow. Antonio intervened and insisted that Giovanni marry Lusanna before they had any sexual relations. At first, Giovanni refused to marry her, claiming that his wealthy father would not allow him to marry lower-class Lusanna. However, Giovanni eventually agreed to a secret marriage with her, and he proposed that his friend Fra Felice officiate the wedding at Antonio’s house.

Lusanna’s relatives and Giovanni’s friends, Giuliana and Niccolò Magaldi, witnessed the wedding. Afterward, Lusanna continued to dress like a widow in public to keep her new marriage a secret. However, Giovanni frequently visited Lusanna at night, and he referred to her as his wife. Once, Giovanni and Lusanna took a trip to Antonio’s villa, and, according to peasants’ trial testimonies, they openly behaved like a married couple at the villa. When Lusanna learned that Giovanni later married an aristocratic, 15-year-old girl, she turned to the archiepiscopal court to force Giovanni to acknowledge his marriage to Lusanna. During the trial, Lusanna’s witnesses cannot remember certain facts about the wedding between her and Giovanni, such as the exact date it occurred or the type of jewel Giovanni wore on his ring.

According to Giovanni’s witnesses, which include Giuliana and Niccolò, the alleged secret marriage never occurred. Giovanni claims that he and Lusanna conducted an adulterous affair for many years, beginning when Lusanna’s first husband was still alive. Many of Lusanna’s neighbors testify that rumors condemn Lusanna as an adulterous woman with poor morals, one who has had numerous sexual affairs. Several witnesses also testify that Lusanna and Giovanni openly acknowledged their sexual affair. According to Lusanna’s neighbors Piero and Tita Cavicciuli, Lusanna once asked the Cavicciulis to arrange a meeting between her and Giovanni. During the meeting, Lusanna asked Giovanni to promise to marry her, which Giovanni agreed to. Afterwards, Tita found Lusanna and Giovanni lying in her bed, and she assumed that the couple had had sex. Niccolò and Giuliana confirm the Cavicciulis’ testimony, claiming that Lusanna asked Giovanni to marry her and that the two lovers were discovered in bed after having sex. Giuliana also testifies that Lusanna shared a terrifying secret with her—Lusanna poisoned her first husband to death with ground silver to be with Giovanni. According to Giuliana, there are rumors confirming the murder. While Giovanni and his witnesses testify that a sexual relationship existed between Giovanni and Lusanna, they deny that any marital bound tied them together. Instead, they claim that Lusanna fabricated the wedding to try to force Giovanni to honor his previous promises of marriage.