Chapter 2 The Significance of Montaperti
In: A Companion to Late Medieval and Early Modern SienaSearch for other papers by Bradley R. Franco in
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This essay will focus on the significance of Montaperti in Sienese history. Siena’s victory over Florence at Montaperti in 1260 marked an important moment of triumph for the Sienese over their great Tuscan rivals. Despite the fact that Siena’s domination over Florence lasted less than a decade, this victory became central to Sienese civic identity over the course of the 15th century and remains important to Sienese identity and history to this day. Montaperti’s significance can be attributed not just to the military victory but, more importantly, to the later story that attributed Siena’s victory to its decision to place itself under the governorship of the Virgin Mary in a feudal gesture preceding the battle. This essay will examine the evolution of the written chronicles that describe the donation of the keys to the Virgin before Montaperti, all of which date to the late 14th and 15th centuries. This essay will argue that the significance of Montaperti for the Sienese is largely a product of the 15th century, and the story of the key donation is revealing not about the 13th-century city, but about the values, beliefs, and ideals of Renaissance Siena.