L'immaginario cavalleresco nella cultura dello spettacolo fiorentino del Quattrocento

The essay analyzes the importance of chivalrous culture in fifteenth-century Florence as a means of ostentation of social pre-eminence by the families of the ruling class. In particular, it highlights: 1 - how the knightly imagery was nourished both by the realization of jousting and 'armeggerie', and by the production of sumptuary objects (weapons, armor, uniforms, jewels, banners, etc.) that were constantly present in the daily life of the Florentines; 2- how the passion for knightly games was shared by all the social classes of the city; 3- how from the mid-fifteenth century, with the consolidation of the Medici regime, the plurality of the pre-eminent families involved in organizing chivalrous events was drastically reduced in favor of the Medici themselves or their closest allies, confirming the political importance of these events.