Note sulla produzione e la vendita delle armature in Italia. Il caso fiorentino a confronto con quello di milanese (1370-1427)

This essay analyses for the first time the armour manufacturers in the city of Florence between the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The sources used to fulfil this purpose are the Statutes and Matricule of the Arts of which these producers belonged: the Armaiuoli (armourers) in the Art of Por Santa Maria, the Corazzai (armour maker) under the Art of Corazzai e Spadai. To get more information regarding the location of the workshops in the city and even partially on the organization of these, the Catasto (cadastre) of 1427 is also analysed, allowing us to identify an unexpected large number of producers in the city. This first analysis is followed by a comparison with the Milanese case through the rich historiography present on the subject. In the light of the results obtained, it has been possible to ascertain how our knowledge on the production of armaments in the past is only partial, thus highlighting a historiographical gap in this specific sector of historical studies.