“Woman’s most hard won asset is and
education” this is line from one of my
favorite movies is based on the life of the poetess and courtesan Veronica
Franco. There is not much on her life on record, in truth, and the movie does take a number liberties but it does give an idea as to the life women had to endure then. During
the plague that was brought by rodents to the city of Venice she was one of many
who were tried for witchcraft. it is believed that she was not convicted
because of her many powerful connections or lovers.
A courtesan was a high paid prostitute but it was not simply the lie down and open you legs type of industry it is today. It was an art, an occupation. Veronica was taught the “arts” of being a courtesan by her mother which meant that she was taught the art of lovemaking, taught the airs of the nobility; art, music and was given the type of education to rival a man. Women or a LADY was not allowed into a library or into an institute of learning after all.
A young girl was taught only enough to read, write and general mathematics. just enough to be able to read the bible and run a household. anything more was though unnecessary or an unnecessary evil to be more exact.
“Eloquence in a woman leads to promiscuity of the mind and promiscuity of the mind leads to promiscuity of the body, a known fact”.
A woman was first the property of her father, then her husband, she had no rights at all. In other words as a woman you were sold to the highest bidder, a woman would be married to the man with the greatest wealth, best title or the greatest political ties. Her duty was to better the position of her family, nothing else and of course produce children (as many males as possible). So forget marrying for love only the low born were allowed to marry for love but that didn't happen very often either. The type of marriage you made also depended on your title, your family’s (a male relative’s) political connections or titles. If you had a title but no money and no ties to anyone important you would never be eligible for a good marriage. Marriage was considered a contract between two countries, two families joining to increase the wealth of the country.
So after being traded like cattle, if you were lucky your husband would not be too much older than you (most women where married off to men sometimes 10-20 years older, and most women where 16 when married) and if you were even luckier your husband would never be unfaithful but of course this was very rare. Men would often take a mistress maybe of his own class and he would provide for all her financial needs or a courtesan. Some of the best courtesans could pick and choose their lovers (“clients”) and many of these men were wealthy and powerful (sometimes even part of the highest stations in the catholic church). These men often had a higher regard for the courtesan than their own wife, so much so that their advice was sought because of their education and contacts. Many men fell in love with their courtesan. As a courtesan you did have a measure of freedom and independence than you would have had as a wife, although you would have to contend sometimes with being despised by the married women. Yet this was thought of as a normal way of life, to be endured and accepted. You could of course object to your husbands affairs but chances where you would be sent away to live quietly were you could not bother him. But of course neither could you chance taking a lover yourself there would be dire consequences for this and your relationship with your husband might only be as show for social occasions and for him to visit your room to produce children once he no longer needed to do this chances are he’d visit his mistress.
Courtesan's were at many events, which wives where not allowed to attend, they were the entertainment. music, poetry, debates and discussions. Here men who admired you would approach you and request to be seen, they would present you with their card and you would then contact them to either agree or refuse. A courtesan's favour had to be sought, she had to be courted, pursued. They were paid for their time not just their skill in the bedroom and prices were high and of course there were gifts from not just the men who were seen on a regular basis but from admirers and if a courtesan chose to become the mistress of one man or many he or they saw to all her needs, until he became bored with her of course and if she had his children, well they would be cared for as well. Sometimes courtesans did marry the men they had as clients. If not, one problem might have been, should you not have married, if you had not saved or invested then you would live a very uncomfortable life in your old age, age was another problem and of course if a wife complained to the church that you had bewitched her husband you might face death but this didn't happen very often.
So which of the two evils would you have chosen? To become a wife – "hardened from a lack of love, from a lack of touch, a child to a husbands whim" or be a courtesan? these where the only choices a woman had.
A courtesan was a high paid prostitute but it was not simply the lie down and open you legs type of industry it is today. It was an art, an occupation. Veronica was taught the “arts” of being a courtesan by her mother which meant that she was taught the art of lovemaking, taught the airs of the nobility; art, music and was given the type of education to rival a man. Women or a LADY was not allowed into a library or into an institute of learning after all.
A young girl was taught only enough to read, write and general mathematics. just enough to be able to read the bible and run a household. anything more was though unnecessary or an unnecessary evil to be more exact.
“Eloquence in a woman leads to promiscuity of the mind and promiscuity of the mind leads to promiscuity of the body, a known fact”.
A woman was first the property of her father, then her husband, she had no rights at all. In other words as a woman you were sold to the highest bidder, a woman would be married to the man with the greatest wealth, best title or the greatest political ties. Her duty was to better the position of her family, nothing else and of course produce children (as many males as possible). So forget marrying for love only the low born were allowed to marry for love but that didn't happen very often either. The type of marriage you made also depended on your title, your family’s (a male relative’s) political connections or titles. If you had a title but no money and no ties to anyone important you would never be eligible for a good marriage. Marriage was considered a contract between two countries, two families joining to increase the wealth of the country.
So after being traded like cattle, if you were lucky your husband would not be too much older than you (most women where married off to men sometimes 10-20 years older, and most women where 16 when married) and if you were even luckier your husband would never be unfaithful but of course this was very rare. Men would often take a mistress maybe of his own class and he would provide for all her financial needs or a courtesan. Some of the best courtesans could pick and choose their lovers (“clients”) and many of these men were wealthy and powerful (sometimes even part of the highest stations in the catholic church). These men often had a higher regard for the courtesan than their own wife, so much so that their advice was sought because of their education and contacts. Many men fell in love with their courtesan. As a courtesan you did have a measure of freedom and independence than you would have had as a wife, although you would have to contend sometimes with being despised by the married women. Yet this was thought of as a normal way of life, to be endured and accepted. You could of course object to your husbands affairs but chances where you would be sent away to live quietly were you could not bother him. But of course neither could you chance taking a lover yourself there would be dire consequences for this and your relationship with your husband might only be as show for social occasions and for him to visit your room to produce children once he no longer needed to do this chances are he’d visit his mistress.
Courtesan's were at many events, which wives where not allowed to attend, they were the entertainment. music, poetry, debates and discussions. Here men who admired you would approach you and request to be seen, they would present you with their card and you would then contact them to either agree or refuse. A courtesan's favour had to be sought, she had to be courted, pursued. They were paid for their time not just their skill in the bedroom and prices were high and of course there were gifts from not just the men who were seen on a regular basis but from admirers and if a courtesan chose to become the mistress of one man or many he or they saw to all her needs, until he became bored with her of course and if she had his children, well they would be cared for as well. Sometimes courtesans did marry the men they had as clients. If not, one problem might have been, should you not have married, if you had not saved or invested then you would live a very uncomfortable life in your old age, age was another problem and of course if a wife complained to the church that you had bewitched her husband you might face death but this didn't happen very often.
So which of the two evils would you have chosen? To become a wife – "hardened from a lack of love, from a lack of touch, a child to a husbands whim" or be a courtesan? these where the only choices a woman had.
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