THE LONG AND VARIED RELATIONSHIP OE ANDREA MORA AND ANZOLA DAVIDE: CONCUBINAGE, MARRIAGE AND THE AUTHORITIES IN THE EARLY MODERN VENETO (original) (raw)

2008, Journal of Social History

In 1565, Anzola Davide, a pretty young woman from the village of Lovadina, in the Trevisan countryside, went to live with a moderately successful merchant named Andrea Mora.' A sexual relationship developed between them rather quickly; Anzola gave birth to their first child, a son, in 1567 or '68. The couple and their children lived together, seemingly quite happily, for over ten years. In the plague year 1577, Andrea decided to marry, and chose for his wife not his concubine but rather Cattarina di Gratiani, a woman of some means from the nearby village of Vascon. That marriage was not successful; Andrea left Cattarina and moved back in with Anzola almost immediately. With that move and its incumbent decision to abandon his marriage and reinvigorate his relationship with Anzola, Andrea created a situation that would anger the di Gratiani family and result in more than fifteen years of court proceedings. In 1580 the di Gratiani involved the authorities. They first brought the matter to the attention of the Bishop of Treviso; his involvement in Andrea and Anzola's life would continue until 1590. By that year, the di Gratiani had exhausted the resources ofthe Trevisan ecclesiastical authorities without garnering the desired result. Also by 1590, Andrea and Anzola had moved to Venice, and it was to that city that the di Gratiani took their offensive to the Holy Office. And it is there that the archival record begins. The Holy Office recorded not only their own investigation but some of the crucial moments in the preceding investigations as well. An investigation of the relationship between Andrea Mora, Anzola Davide and Cattarina di Gratiani is useful for a number of reasons. The tale the archival record tells is compelling. It details Andrea's twenty-five year concubinal relationship with Anzola and the brief and unhappy marriage to Cattarina that rendered his pairing with Anzola adulterous. This case is simultaneously quotidian and unique. It is unique in that it is the only case of secular concubinage dealt with by the Holy Office of Venice and details a relatively rigorous prosecution and fairly serious punishment that is exceptional. But despite this unique prosecution, this case relates a common tale. Many couples lived in concubinal relationships in Venice and its environs just like Andrea and Anzola, and most were left alone to carry on their relationships.^ This is, largely, a story of conflicting desires: Andrea wanted to make a good marriage and maintain an affective relationship with another woman. Unfortunately for Andrea, this did not mesh with the desires of his wife and her family and he found himself in protracted legal battles and criminal investigations. Andrea's actions clearly demonstrate that he believed he could marry and keep a concubine; the actions of his marital kin indicate that they did not agree. This misunderstanding provides a case study