Perry Reading - Benedetto Dei

• Benedetto Dei - Patriotic Florentine merchant who compares his native city-state favorably to the likes of Venice, Genoa, etc.

- lived in Florence under the rule of Lorenzo de Medici

- claims that Florence is superior because of its background

"We spring from triply noble blood. We are one-third Roman, one-third Frankish, and one-third Fiesolan..."

- Focuses on economic prowess

- Florence's two trades, wool and silk, are much more lucrative than any of the trades of other city-states

- boasts about the large number of banks, jewelers, shops, goldsmiths, etc. in Florence

- all of the merchants of the world supposedly prefer Florence to London, Bruges, etc.

- attacks claims that Florence is bankrupt due to Cosimo de Medici's death, saying that "if we have had losses, it is owing to your dishonesty and the wickedness of your Levantine merchants, who have made us lose thousands of florins (gold coins)..."

- Also, Cosimo's wealth lives on in his sons and grandsons

Summary: Benedetto Dei claims that Florence's industry is unrivaled by any other city, not only in Italy but in the entire world. The evidence that supports his claims lies in the vast number of shops and banks which provide for a lucrative economy. This was a direct statement to other city-states' claims, particularly Venice, that Florence's economy is much weaker than it used to be (when Cosimo de Medici was in chancellor, rather than Lorenzo de Medici). What is surprising is that Benedetto's patriotism was actually very uncommon for his time - a time when there was more focus on the individual and very little pride for one's city or country.