This thesis investigates tournament culture in late medieval Florence. It studies the location and setting of tournaments in the city and analyses the types of tournaments that were held. Motives for holding tournaments are discussed, and the identities and backgrounds of the tournament practitioners are revealed. There is a close study of the arms, armour, and equipment that was used in the tournaments, and through a reading of unpublished and rare documents the aims and scoring systems that were followed are described.
The thesis opens with a contextualising study of late medieval Florence before Chapters 2 and 3 describe the occasions in the Florentine calendar which were celebrated with tournaments, and the adaptation of an urban venue. Notably, Florentine tournaments were held within the city walls, and the civic government organised these events for several different reasons. Chapters 4 and 5 investigate the types of tournaments that were held in Florence. While jousting was by far the most common form, it was not the sole type of tournament held in the city. The details of arms, armour, and horses is the focus of Chapter 6, and the target areas and contemporary scoring system is analysed in Chapter 7. These chapters reveal that tournaments and tournament practitioners in Florence were very different to ones held in other parts of contemporary Europe and far more open to competitors from various backgrounds. Finally, Chapter 8 is devoted to the Medici and chapter explores the use, and abuse, of tournaments by Florence’s most famous family.
This thesis is the first detailed study of tournaments in Italy and reveals the nature of tournaments in Florence, and how contemporary Florentines saw and engaged with tournaments in their city.
