The Long and Varied Relationship of Andrea Mora and Anzola Davide: Concubinage, Marriage and the Authorities in the Early Modern Veneto

In 1577, the merchant Andrea Mora married one Cattarina di Gratiani, a member of a minor Trevisan noble family. With this marriage, he rendered his relationship with his concubine, Anzola Davide, adulterous. When he refused to give Anzola up, he enraged his wife's family; this resulted in over fifteen years of legal action. By tracing the investigations of several religious and secular authoritative bodies, first-person testimony, and the actions of this drama's three principle players, this essay explores concubinage within the context of greater early modern Venetian society. Concubinage sits on the well-understood but poorly articulated, mutable boundaries of acceptable behaviour and the relationship could have both beneficial and deleterious effects for the people involved. As we watch Andrea progressively learn how to negotiate a tenable position within his community, we see that it was necessary to maintain a balance between wife and concubine and family and personal interest.