Life cycle events in 15th century Florence: records of the Monte delle doti

Abstract

Records of a dowry investment fund operated by the city of Florence, Italy from 1425-1545 contain information on life cycle events of about 32,000 girls. This information includes date of birth, date and amount of investment, and date of dowry payment or death. In the present study, the first of 19 volumes of these records were used to compute death rates and payment rates (an approximation of marriage rates) and to analyze these rates according to age, time, and socioeconomic status. Usable records were obtained for 1631 girls. There were 315 deaths; death rates per 1000 person-years were 38, 17, 11, 16, and 19 for ages less than 5, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, and 20+, respectively. Compared to previous and succeeding years, death rates increased 5-10 times in 1437-1438 and 1449-1450, years in which epidemics have been recorded. During these periods of epidemics, death rates were relatively low in the winter months. Death rate were made for 1274 girls. About three-fourths of these payments were made by age 20. Rate of payment increased with amount of investment. Proportionally, births were least frequent during December and January, indicating a deficit of conceptions around the time of Lent.