The essay aims to analyse the sumptuary legislation which was the result of the legislative activity in the cities of Central-Northern Italy: it began at the end of the thirteenth century with a significant increase in later centuries. Initially, it was a disciplining of expenses mostly related to women’s clothing and accessories, aimed to all social classes. Later, the city governments introduced distinctions based on the socio-economic status of the citizens, creating a hierarchy that was functional for an effective municipal administration entrusted to lawyers, preachers and eminent citizens. Through a comprehensive historical and legal review, the text traces the evolution of regulations that, by imposing restrictions on clothing, ornaments, and expenditures, aimed to control ‘appearances’, to differentiate social strata, creating inevitable inequalities in urban contexts.
University of Perugia, Italy - ORCID: 0009-0007-5018-1195
Chapter Title
Abiti e ornamenti come segni di distinzione/diseguaglianza sociale nella legislazione suntuaria cittadina del Medioevo
Authors
Maria Grazia Nico Ottaviani
Language
Italian
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0705-8.21
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Socio-Economic Inequalities during the Conjuncture of the Fourteenth Century
Book Subtitle
Sources and Methods, Dynamics and Representations (Italy and Europe, c. 1270 - c. 1350)
Editors
Davide Cristoferi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
458
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0705-8
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0699-0
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0705-8
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0707-2
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079