Parentado

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Parentado (Italian for kin, kindred, kinfolk, relatives or relations) refers to the cognatic view of kinship, which was prevalent in Early Modern Italy. It stresses power that is incurred through marriage alliances, the exchange of dowries and women, as well as the extension of power and influence a family receives due to these factors.^[1] Parentado underscores the key role of women in the creation of kinship ties, compared to its opposing term, casato (house, family), which centers around the kinship chain of father to son.^[2] During the Early Modern Period, a woman's parentado, or kinship ties were equally as important as her beauty. In assessing potential future wives, the groom's lineage would carefully weigh the lady's parentado and the value of the dowry with various other factors, such as the fertility and purity of her female ancestors. Upon weighing these factors, a decision would be made as to whether the woman was suitable for the groom. A woman's parentado was a key factor in her ability to marry a distinguished, powerful or wealthy male.^[3]

Contents 1 Cognatic vs. Agnatic Views of Kinship 2 Forming Social Networks 3 Political Power 4 Notes 5 See also 6 External links 7 Further reading 8 References

[edit] Cognatic vs. Agnatic Views of Kinship

Within the cognatic view of kinship, acknowledgements of relatives are made for both the mother and father's side of the family.^[4] This view focuses on the horizontal chain of kinship that travels from mother and father to son or daughter. However, the agnatic view of kinship focuses on the vertical chain of kinship that travels from father to son. This is also referred to as lignaggio or patriliny. The conflict and tension that ensued between these two forms of kinship was the most fundamental feature of the Italian family during the Early Modern Period. These different views of family greatly affected social values for both sexes. While the cognatic view utilizes women as key agents in constructing kinship ties, the agnatic view effectively wipes women off the family map.^[5] Throughout the Mediterranean at this time, the agnatic view of kinship was more prominent. This can be seen through the settlement of Perpignan, where women were clearly dominated by a male-oriented gender system. The rise of Roman law within the thirteenth century greatly bolstered the power of husbands over wives and fathers over daughters. Consequently, any benefit that a woman made in Perpignan during this time, would be accrued to their male relatives and family groups, which means that little property was owned by women.^[6] With varying balance, the cognatic and agnatic principles were able to coexist throughout Italian history from the times of antiquity to the end of the ancien regime. The cognatic view is evident within parentado, while the agnatic view is evident within casato.^[7]

[edit] Forming Social Networks

Social networks were important to one's success in the Early Modern Mediterranean. During this time, a society could be created through friends, neighbours and other relations, yet none of these relations were more powerful than the ones created through parentado. Parentado was a means to create more ties with many other people, through the alliance created by marriage. This would result in the forging of links with numerous people, which would allow one to inflitrate, create or influence patronage groups, and could further allow them to conquer other social worlds that were not attainable simply by forging ties with neighbours. This would create a social network that would prove useful in situations that required assistance from others. Through the ties created by parentado, people would be able to obtain the support of their peers, which would be an asset if these peers were prominent in the society. This is because these peers would have more power than neighbours, who generally, would all be of the same social class. Since most of one's neighbours would be categorized within the same social class as themself, it would not be as beneficial to forge ties with them, as they would not be any more prominent in the society than. Hence, people utilized the ties created through marriage, which would have more potential for a network to be formed with a person of more prominence. Once one was able to form these ties and earn the respect and recognition of their peers, they would become popular and prominent within the society. These people could receive favours, as well as a great deal of influence within their society through these kinship ties.^[8]

[edit] Political Power

Parentado was a key factor in obtaining political power in Italy during the Early Modern Period. At this time, many Italian cities had not yet created a concrete political structure that was either dominated by a small group of families, or a single family. Therefore, the competition for political power was extremely high. The creation of extended networks of kinship through marriage alliances, which was a result of parentado, had tremendous value because it could result in political power. The more ties that one has with other people, the higher the chance was of becoming prominent on the political stage. The hope was that one would become prominent in politics if they were well known and admired amongst the people and this would result in a high position within the city or state, even if the political structure of the area did not have a solid foundation. The easiest way to do this was through the ties created by marriage. A male who married a female with a strong set of family ties, would be much more prone to increasing his status in society, especially if people within the wife's family had prominent positions in that society. Generally, people's neighbours were of the same class and this made it difficult to obtain political power merely through ties with these neighbours. Thus, it was necessary for people to utilize their kinship ties through marriage, in order to become more successful, prominent and influential in a given society. In essence, the spreading of parentado was crucial for a given family's preservation or acquisition of political power.^[9]

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

• Kinship
• Italy
• Early Modern Period
• Early Modern Italy
• Agnatic
• Casato

[edit] External links

• Cognatic Decent Systems
• Wiktionary Definition of Parentado

[edit] Further reading

• Cohn Jr., Samuel & Epstein, Steven. Portraits of Medieval and Renaissance Living: Essays in Honor of David Herlihy. USA: University of Michigan Press, 1996.
• Ferraro, Joanne M. 2002. "Family and Clan in the Renaissance World." In A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance. Ed. Guido Ruggiero. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
• Kent, Francis & Simons, Patricia. Patronage, Art, and Society in Renaissance Italy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Kuehne, Thomas. Heirs, Kin, and Creditors in Renaissance Florence. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
• Pomata, Gianna. 2002. "Family and Gender." In Early Modern Italy 1550-1796. Ed. John A. Marino. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[edit] References

• Broude, Norma & Garrard, Mary. The Expanding Discourse: Feminism and Art History. USA: Westview Press, 1992.
• Kent, Francis & Simons, Patricia. Patronage, Art, and Society in Renaissance Italy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Kuehne, Thomas. Heirs, Kin, and Creditors in Renaissance Florence. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
• Pomata, Gianna. 2002. "Family and Gender." In Early Modern Italy 1550-1796. Ed. John A. Marino. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Schwimmer, Brian. Cognatic Descent Systems. University of Manitoba.[2]
• Winer, Rebecca. Women, Wealth, and Community in Perpignan. c. 1250-1300: Christians, Jews, and Enslaved Muslims in A Medieval Mediterranean Town. England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2006.