In 1422, at the age of fourteen, Alessandra Macinghi married Matteo Strozzi, a member of an old and politically powerful Florentine family. Because Matteo’s family had been enemies of Cosimo de’ Medici, the male members of the family were exiled when Cosimo returned to Florence in 1434. Two years later, Matteo died, leaving Alessandra in Florence with five children. Her two elder sons, Filippo and Lorenzo, left Florence as young teenagers to seek their fortunes in Naples, where the family had business connections. By 1458, under the growing influence of the Medici, they were officially prohibited from returning home.

1.   To Filippo degli Strozzi, in Naples (6 September 1459)

My dear sweet son. The 11th of last month I had your letter of 29 July saying that my dear and beloved Matteo was down with some sickness, and not knowing from you what disease it was, the letter much distressed me….I heard after that on the 23rd it pleased Him who gave him to me to call him to Himself, in full presence of mind, in good grace, and with all the sacraments required of a good faithful Christian. This was a bitter blow for me to be deprived of such a son, and I feel I have suffered a great loss in his death in more than his filial love….I see from what you wrote me how well you are accepting this bitter, hard death, and I have heard as much from letters from others there….Knowing full well we all have to take that road, we know not how, and cannot be sure of doing so with as much grace as my Matteo (for some die a sudden death and some are cut to pieces, so many die losing both body and soul), I am at peace when I consider that God could do much worse for me….I can see in your letter of the 26th that this has much afflicted both your mind and your body, which has grieved me so much (and still grieves me) that it threatens to do me harm, and I will continue to grieve until I have letters from you saying you have been consoled. May it please God that I not live long enough to go through another [sorrowful event] like this one! It seems to me that after having been upset by these bad nights and had the melancholy of his death and of other things, you must not be in very good health. I wish I hadn’t asked anyone’s advice and instead had done what seemed best to me and what I wanted to do. I would have arrived in time to have seen my dearest son alive and touched him, and I would have consoled him, and you, and taken consolation from him.

2.   To Filippo degli Strozzi, in Naples (11 January 1465)

I told you in my other letter what happened about 60 [the daughter of Francesco Tanagli], and there’s nothing new there. And you have been advised that there is no talk of 59 [a teenage female who was perhaps a member of the Adimari family] until we have placed the older girl. 13 [Marco Parenti] believes we should do nothing further until we can see our way clearly concerning these two and see what way they will go. Considering their age, this shouldn’t take too long. It’s true that my wish would be to see both of you with a companion, as I have told you many times before. That way when I die I would think you ready to take the step all mothers want — seeing their sons married….So what I would like I have told you. Since then I have heard what Lorenzo’s wants are and how he was willing to take her to keep me happy, but that he would be just as glad to wait two years before binding himself to the lady. I have thought a good deal about the matter, and it seems to me that since nothing really advantageous to us is available, and since we have time to wait these two years, it would be a good idea to leave it at that unless something really unexpected turns up. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem to me something that requires immediate thought, particularly considering the stormy times we live in these days, when so many young men on this earth are happy to inhabit it without taking a wife. The world is in a sorry state, and never has so much expense been loaded on the backs of women as now. No dowry is so big that when the girl goes out she doesn’t have the whole of it on her back, between silks and jewels. Although I have not written anything to him about it, I am not searching around for anything for him, and we were waiting to see whether either of the two possibilities turns out to be for you. If 60 works out well, we could sound out the possibility of the other girl for him. According to what he writes me in all his letters, he is willing to wait two more years. With luck that will be all, and maybe by then people will have calmed down. This way something may come of it, and they will not offer a wife without money, as people are doing now, since it seems superfluous to those who are giving 50 to give her a dowry….Marco is still looking out for you both diligently. May God please it all work out for the best. And tell Lorenzo to put his mind at ease as far as a wife is concerned.

Niccolo has left office, and although he did some good things, thet weren’t the ones I would have wanted. Little honor has been paid to him or to the other outgoing magistrates, either when they were in office, or now that they have stepped down. This Signoria has spent days in deliberations, and no one can find out anything about them. They have threatened to denounce whoever reveals anything as a rebel, so things are being done in total secrecy. I have heard that 58 [the Medici] is everything and 54 [the Pitti] doesn’t stand a chance. For the moment, it looks to me as if they will get back to 56 [the brother of Anontio Pucci, ally of the Medici] in the runoffs, if things continue to go as now. May God, who can do all, set this city right, for it is in a bad way. Niccolo went in proudly and then lost heart — as 14’s [Tommaso Soderini] brother said: “He went in a lion and he will go out a lamb,” and that’s just what happened to him. When he saw the votes were going against him, he began to humble himself. Now, since he left office he goes about accompanied by five or six armed men for fear of the counts of Maremma or others. It would have been better for him if he had neever been elected, for he would never have made so many enemies.

I don’t know what else to tell you. You must have heard of the new family alliances: Piero de’Pazzi’s daughter and Braccio Martegli and Antonio and Priore Pandolfini. Both girls have two thousand in dowry. Piero’s daughter has one eye that doesn’t see well. I haven’t heard a thing about Gianfrancesco’s girl here, but I hear from Pierantonio that she will be given in Mantua to Benedetto Strozzi’s son. I don’t know where he heard it. They should send news of this to Naples, and if it turns out not to be true, think about having Niccolo Strozzi touch on the matter with Giovanfrancesco for 45 [Alessandra’s son Lorenzo], if you think it appropriate. Although I doubt she would deign to marry so low, still, it sometimes happens that you look in places that in other times you wouldn’t have dreamed of, by the force of events. Nothing else for now. God save you from harm.

From your Alessandra Strozzi, Florence