Milan Bread Riots: Renzo’s Experience in I Promessi Sposi Ch. 12
Milan in Revolt: The Bread Riots of 1628
Milan was indeed a city in revolt. Minds, exasperated by grievances, had turned to action, specifically assaulting bakeries. Not only the city, but all of Lombardy under Spanish rule, was suffering from hunger and famine.
Causes of the Famine and Unrest
The causes were partly natural: a severe drought and abandoned farmland. However, human factors exacerbated the situation:
- The War of the Mantuan Succession (involving Monferrato and the Gonzaga family) led to waste by armies and destructive raids by mercenaries, causing senseless consumption of scarce resources.
- The men in power bore responsibility due to their ignorance and inability to implement concrete measures.
These factors enhanced and complicated the situation already imposed by natural disasters.
Mismanagement and Demagoguery
Governor Don Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, preoccupied with the war and leading the siege of Casale Monferrato, showed little interest in Milan. The deputy governor, Antonio Ferrer, acted as a demagogue. Ferrer first set a maximum price for bread, seemingly obeying the bakers, but then, pressured by popular protest, he lowered it significantly (the calmiere).
The Riot Erupts
On the morning Renzo Tramaglino arrived in Milan, November 11th, 1628 (St. Martin’s Day), an increase in the price of bread had been ordered, effectively cancelling Ferrer’s measure. An ever-growing crowd first gathered in Piazza Duomo.
The revolt was sparked when a boy carrying bread from a baker to a nobleman’s house was stopped, leading to the first assault. From there, the crowd moved to the nearby ‘Bakery of the Crutches’ (Forno delle Grucce).
At this point, the sheriff (capitano di giustizia), appearing at a window to urge the crowd to calm down and go home, was hit on the forehead by a stone, forcing him to retreat quickly. The bakery was attacked and looted.
Renzo Caught in the Crowd
From the words he overheard, Renzo understood that the crowd blamed the Superintendent of Provisions (vicario di provvisione), responsible for supplying the city, for the bread shortage. Renzo found himself part of the crowd and was swept along towards the cathedral square (Piazza Duomo). At this point, as if obeying a peremptory order, the crowd surged towards the house of the Superintendent of Provisions. Renzo was caught in the middle of it.
Analysis of I Promessi Sposi, Chapter XII
Based on notes referencing the text (page numbers may vary by edition).
Key Descriptions and Phrases
- Crowd descriptions: “gente ben vestita e gente mal vestita” (well-dressed and badly dressed people) (p. 210 approx.)
- Atmosphere: “teporino caldo” (warm fragrance/heat) (p. 212 approx.)
- Words: “parole salvatiche” (wild words) (p. 213 approx.)
- Sound: “ronzìo confuso” (confused buzzing) (p. 219 approx.)
Figures of Speech
- Simile: “Era questo come se una donna attempata pensasse di ringiovanire, alterando la sua fede di battesimo.” (This was like an old woman thinking she could become young again by altering her baptismal certificate.) (p. 210 approx.)
- Simile: “uomini raccolti a crocchi, senza essersi dati l’intesa, quasi senza avvedersene, come gocciole sparse sullo stesso pendìo.” (men gathered in knots, without prior agreement, almost without noticing, like scattered drops on the same slope.) (p. 212 approx.)
- Simile: “altri, uscendo per gli abbaini, andavano su per i tetti, come gatti.” (others, coming out of dormer windows, went onto the roofs like cats.) (p. 215 approx.)
Summary
The chapter recounts the assault by some citizens of Milan on a bakery due to the severe bread shortage. Renzo witnesses and gets caught up in these events unfolding within the crowd.
Lexicon Notes
- Provvisione (p. 209 approx.): (Archaic) Stipend, salary paid to employees; also, the office or act of providing, especially ecclesiastical provision. In the context of the novel, the Vicario di Provvisione was the magistrate responsible for Milan’s food supply.
- Accaparramento (p. 210 approx.): Hoarding; collecting large quantities of goods, especially for speculative profit.
- Obbrobrio (p. 210 approx.): Abomination, disgrace, shame.
- Derrata (p. 210 approx.): Foodstuff, agricultural product bought and sold on the market; goods in general, especially food.
- Iniquità (p. 211 approx.): Iniquity, injustice; wickedness; (fig.) harshness; an unjust act or speech.
- Preambolo (p. 211 approx.): Preamble; introduction to a speech or work; (fam.) often useless digression.
- Eteroclito (p. 213 approx.): Heteroclite; (grammar) nouns, adjectives, or verbs with irregular declension or conjugation; (lett., fig.) strange, bizarre, out of the ordinary.
- Marmaglia (p. 218 approx.): Rabble, mob; a despicable, disorderly crowd.
- Fustagno (p. 218 approx.): Fustian; a coarse, durable cotton fabric, suitable for work clothes.