Anti Gambling Law in Ferrara 1496

Huck

In "Savonarola's women" by Tamar Herzog (2008)

http://books.google.com/books?id=aJ...XbT0&sig=lt0MX7sPvRoCxCNOA9HXTdZUXrY#PPA70,M1

"Savonarola's plea had an immediate effect. In April 1496, Ercole [d'Este] announced a general religious fast and then proceeded with legislative steps resembling those that the Piagnoni strove to pass in Florence [at these opportunities playing cards were collected and burnt] : against sin, activities that could lead to sin, and persons whose presence was perceived as detrimental to the moral well-being of the city. The duke issued edicts against sinful behavior auch as blasphemy, sodomy, and irreverence of religious holidays, as well asagainst potentially sinful activities like GAMBLING."

The passage appears inside a work about the Savonarolean movement and confirms a politic-religious alliance between the regions Florence-Mirandola- Ferrara for the relevant time.

In contrast to this gambling prohibition in 1496 we have excessive gambling activity confirmations for the high society Ferrara-Milan for the year 1493, also there is observable a stop of the Ferrarese theatre activity between
1493 - 1498.

As an example:
In 1493:

Borso da Correggio, a young nephew of Niccolo Correggio, who had travelled to Pavia with the duke, sent the following note to give his cousin Isabella d'Este the latest news of her family:—

"Most illustrious Sister and honoured Lady,

"We arrived on the 25th at Pavia, and were received by these excellent lords and ladies with the usual formalities. We find both of the duchesses well and happy, one of them, indeed—her of Milan—expects the birth of another child shortly, but our own duchess is as gay and joyous as ever. On the 27th the comedy of The Captives was acted, and the performance went off very well. To-day The Merchant is to be given, and will, I hope, prove equally successful. To-morrow we are to have a third. Our way of living is as follows. Early in the morning we go out riding. After dinner we play at scartino, or else at 'raising dead men' and 'l'imperiale,' and other card games, till it is bed-time. The players are, as a rule, the Duke and Duchess of Bari together, Ambrogio da Corte, and some third man, whoever may happen to be present. To-day your father the duke, Don Alfonso, and Messer Galeaz Visconti are playing at pall-mall against Messer Galeaz Sanseverino, Signor Girolamo Tuttavilla, and myself. The Duchess of Milan does not join us in these games, and only appears at the theatricals. The Duke of Bari is more devoted to the duchess than ever, and is constantly caressing and embracing her. My lord your father is altogether intent on the comedies. When they are ended, hunting-parties will begin, and we shall all be ready for the quails."

The happy time ended with the sudden illness and later death of Leonor, wife of Ercole d'Este, in October 1493.

Part of this pause are the general political circumstances (the French war in 1494-95 and some further private deaths in the ducal family in Ferrara).

For the dating of the "Sermones de Ludo cum aliis" (the famous preaching of a Franciscan on a paper with a Ferrarese origin) we have here the perfect background.

http://trionfi.com/0/p/17/
 

Huck

The general chapter of the Dominican order (taking place once in two years) took place since 5th of July 1498 just in the city Ferrara.
The Dominican Savonarola had been burnt at 23rd of May 1498 short before. The news about Savonarola's death spread in the city and as it was known, that the General master of the Dominicans Gioacchino Torriani had actively participated in the execution of Saconarolas, some Ferrarese even tried to stone Torriani ... even persons with some distance to Savonarola are said to sided with the Savonarolans in Ferrara.
The heart of Savonarola mysteriously survived the burning ... it was parted in three parts, one for Florence, another for Mirandola and the third for Ferrara, where it arrived in the same month June 1498.
Interesting at the meeting in Ferrara is the participance of Jacob of Hoogstraten, who later supported the Converso Pfefferkorn in his fight against Reuchlin.


Lucia Brocadelli di Narni in Ferrara since 1499

http://books.google.com/books?id=y7...r2u&sig=308CgFy-IcV6UiVNTndDDHvjE24#PPA168,M1

A rather strange story around the late Ercole d'Este, who engaged to get "holy women" to Ferrara.

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/magic_ritual_and_witchcraft/v001/1.1.herzig.html

Even the author of the Hexenhammer was involved ...