Margherita Datini - A Businessman's Wife of Medieval Europe.

Florence was a city state of Italy. It was here Margherita Datini was born in 1360. In the year 1370, Bandini family, to which Margherita belonged was exiled from Florence for political reasons, and were settled in Avignon.

Scholars have turned their attention to the correspondence discovered in 1870, behind the staircase of an Italian merchant and his wife. There were about hundred and fifty thousand letters and five hundred account books. These records shed light on trade and life of fourteenth century Italy. Among these letters, 250 letters belonged to Margherita's personal collection.

At the age of sixteen, she was married to Francesco Datini, a wealthy merchant from Prato, who was twenty five years senior to her. This age difference was not uncommon in those days. He had fiancees, and even fathered a son in 1374. But the compulsion of a stratified society and the question of inheritance must have influenced him to take Margherita as his wife. His neighbour Niccolozzo Binduchi  had an influence in this decision. His line of business, selling luxuries and art to cardinals also must have been an important factor. Unfortunately Margherita did not conceive. 

Later the family moved to Prato. Here his line of business changed. Now he dealt in clothes, weapons and iron and salt. From Prato, he extended his business to other Spanish cities. Later he entered into banking and insurance.

He had to travel to many cities for business purposes. His letters to his wife about his movement and business and also his instructions to Margherita compelled her to widen her knowledge of letters and language. She had only a bare knowledge of letters and alphabets, and she mainly used it to read her prayer books. But out of necessity she acquired the knowledge of commercial alphabets. In the beginning she depended on scribes to read and write her letters. But later she independently did it. 

Margherita was alone in the absence of her husband, and mostly spent her time among servants. She was distressed by her husband's extramarital affairs. The birth of his second son with a sixteen years old servant troubled Margherita seriously and she was fallen ill. Francesco found a husband for the girl, but the newborn baby died after a few months.

Though the scholars make much noise over her letters to her husband, very little is there to connect them with his business. Most of them touched religious matters, and her worries over her husband's deviation from religious path.

I happened to stumble on her name when I searched Google for business women of ancient and mediaeval world. After going through the material I got from the net I am clueless as to her involvement in her husband's business.

The End.

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