Scrittoio delle regie possessioni
Item
Country
IT
Name of institution (English)
State Archives of Florence
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
ita
Contact information: postal address
Viale Giovine Italia 6, 50122 Florence
Contact information: phone number
0039 055263201
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
asfi@archiviodistato.firenze.it
Reference number
Scrittoio delle regie possessioni
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Bureau of the royal possessions
Title (official language of the state)
Scrittoio delle regie possessioni
Language of title
ita
Creator / accumulator
Scrittoio delle regie possessioni
Date(s)
1541/1868
Language(s)
ita
Extent
7,791 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Scrittoio delle regie possessioni fonds comprises documentation produced by this office, which was responsible for managing the estate and incomes of the Grand Duke. Thus, the fonds contains records related to the property assets belonging to Tuscany's sovereigns and their royal houses during the Medici and Lorraine periods, including contracts, census, ledgers, letters, accounting records, as well as drawings and floor plans of the Grand Duke's real estates.
Since the Florentine ghetto became a possession of the Grand Dukes, this fonds contains invaluable information regarding the Jewish community of Florence. It includes a series of records (folders 6556 to 6648) containing property records related to houses and shops in the ghetto, including ledgers, letters, accounting records, inventories, etc., from 1588 to 1781. Other records concerning the Jewish ghetto can be found in folders 2526 and 2527 (affairs related to the ghetto and the sale of houses and shops, 1705-1715, 1775-1781), 3555 (description of states, houses and shops in various places, including the ghetto, in 1740), 3559 (descriptions of estates in the Ghettos Vecchio and Nuovo [old and new ghettos] in 1708, 1720 and 1743); 3560 (descriptions of the ghetto in 1750 and 1743); 3561 (plant book of the ghetto in 1721 and other inventories and descriptions in 1750, 1769 and 1743); 3562 (affairs regarding the ghetto, 1738-1780); 3809 ("Libro del Ghetto", book of the ghetto, 1729-1740).
Recently, this documentation has inspired the development of the Ghetto Mapping Project at the Medici Archive Project (Vigotti and Mancuso, 2017).
Since the Florentine ghetto became a possession of the Grand Dukes, this fonds contains invaluable information regarding the Jewish community of Florence. It includes a series of records (folders 6556 to 6648) containing property records related to houses and shops in the ghetto, including ledgers, letters, accounting records, inventories, etc., from 1588 to 1781. Other records concerning the Jewish ghetto can be found in folders 2526 and 2527 (affairs related to the ghetto and the sale of houses and shops, 1705-1715, 1775-1781), 3555 (description of states, houses and shops in various places, including the ghetto, in 1740), 3559 (descriptions of estates in the Ghettos Vecchio and Nuovo [old and new ghettos] in 1708, 1720 and 1743); 3560 (descriptions of the ghetto in 1750 and 1743); 3561 (plant book of the ghetto in 1721 and other inventories and descriptions in 1750, 1769 and 1743); 3562 (affairs regarding the ghetto, 1738-1780); 3809 ("Libro del Ghetto", book of the ghetto, 1729-1740).
Recently, this documentation has inspired the development of the Ghetto Mapping Project at the Medici Archive Project (Vigotti and Mancuso, 2017).
Administrative / Biographical history
Around 1540, Cosimo I established the Scrittoio delle regie possessioni to manage the Medici's real estate, incomes, and tax revenues. It had a central office in Florence and some peripheral offices in Siena, Pisa, Maremma Grossetana and Val di Chiana. Initially, the Scrittoio was headed by a "soprintendente generale" or "ministro" (general superintendent or minister). However, in 1615, Cosimo II entrusted the lead of the Scrittoio to the Congregazione or Deputazione delle Possessioni (Congregation or Deputation of Possesssions), which functioned at least until 1666. The officials were chosen directly by the Grand Duke. They were a "soprintendente" (superintendent), who oversaw the operation of the office; a secretary of the Grand Duke; a "depositario generale" (general depositary); an "auditore" (auditor), who was responsible for taking care of the legal transactions of the Scrittorio; a "visitatore generale" (general visitor), who periodically inspected the properties managed by the Scrittoio; and a minister of the Maremma.
Until the late 17th century, the Scrittoio did not have its own technical staff and used engineers and architects from other offices. During the superintendence of Francesco Feroni (1673-1696), it was decreed the appointment of an "ingegnere dello Scrittoio" (engineer of the Scrittoio) and rules for the technical staff at the service of the office were determined.
In the Lorraine period, the Scrittoio was reorganised: a real estate census was carried out and maps, charts, and plants were produced. After the creation of the "appalto generale" (general contract) in 1740, the Scrittoio was placed under the jurisdiction of the Camera granducale (Grand Ducal Chamber), also established in that year. By regulation of October 23, 1743, Tuscany was divided into five departments with offices in Florence, Siena, Pisa, Arezzo and Cortona, and Pistoia (abolished in 1780). In 1767, Pietro Leopoldo extinguished the "appalto generale" and instituted the Amministrazione generale delle regie rendite (general administration of the royal annuities), in which the Scrittoio, then named as Amministrazione delle regie possessioni (administration of the royal possessions) was included. The Scrittoio/Amministrazione was reduced to a simple administrative office with a superintendent, a cashier, clerks, and accountants - the permanent engineers were abolished. From 1770, it passed under the civil jurisdiction of the "auditore delle reali regalie e possessioni" (auditor of the royal gifts and possessions), a newly established office that managed the royal incomes. In 1789, it took the name of Amministrazione generale dei patrimoni della corona e personale di sua altezza reale (General Administration of the Crown and Personal Assets of His Royal Highness) and passed from the dependencies of the Segreteria di Finanze (Secretariat of Finance) to that of the Court: in this way, the personal patrimony of the sovereign was separated from the state assets.
The Amministrazione generale dei patrimoni della corona was suppressed on April 26, 1802 by Lodovico I di Bourbon and the "Possessioni" were included in the state property and placed under the Segreteria di Finanze. Finally, in 1808, the "Possessioni" passed under the control of the "Intendente generale" (General Intendant). In 1814, the Scrittoio became an autonomous body again, coordinated by a general superintendent who controlled the offices of Florence, Pisa, Livorno, Orbetello, Arezzo and Grosseto. Later, after the motu proprio of April 6, 1838, the office was restructured into a Soprintendenza generale alle regie possessioni (General Superintendency for the Royal Possessions). By decree of November 20, 1857, the Soprintendenza was replaced by the Direzione generale dell'Amministrazione dei regi possessi (General Management
of the Administration of the Royal Possessions), whose functions passed to the Regio Demanio (Royal Property Office) and to the Amministrazione dei beni della Real casa (Administration of the Assets of the Royal House) in 1863.
Until the late 17th century, the Scrittoio did not have its own technical staff and used engineers and architects from other offices. During the superintendence of Francesco Feroni (1673-1696), it was decreed the appointment of an "ingegnere dello Scrittoio" (engineer of the Scrittoio) and rules for the technical staff at the service of the office were determined.
In the Lorraine period, the Scrittoio was reorganised: a real estate census was carried out and maps, charts, and plants were produced. After the creation of the "appalto generale" (general contract) in 1740, the Scrittoio was placed under the jurisdiction of the Camera granducale (Grand Ducal Chamber), also established in that year. By regulation of October 23, 1743, Tuscany was divided into five departments with offices in Florence, Siena, Pisa, Arezzo and Cortona, and Pistoia (abolished in 1780). In 1767, Pietro Leopoldo extinguished the "appalto generale" and instituted the Amministrazione generale delle regie rendite (general administration of the royal annuities), in which the Scrittoio, then named as Amministrazione delle regie possessioni (administration of the royal possessions) was included. The Scrittoio/Amministrazione was reduced to a simple administrative office with a superintendent, a cashier, clerks, and accountants - the permanent engineers were abolished. From 1770, it passed under the civil jurisdiction of the "auditore delle reali regalie e possessioni" (auditor of the royal gifts and possessions), a newly established office that managed the royal incomes. In 1789, it took the name of Amministrazione generale dei patrimoni della corona e personale di sua altezza reale (General Administration of the Crown and Personal Assets of His Royal Highness) and passed from the dependencies of the Segreteria di Finanze (Secretariat of Finance) to that of the Court: in this way, the personal patrimony of the sovereign was separated from the state assets.
The Amministrazione generale dei patrimoni della corona was suppressed on April 26, 1802 by Lodovico I di Bourbon and the "Possessioni" were included in the state property and placed under the Segreteria di Finanze. Finally, in 1808, the "Possessioni" passed under the control of the "Intendente generale" (General Intendant). In 1814, the Scrittoio became an autonomous body again, coordinated by a general superintendent who controlled the offices of Florence, Pisa, Livorno, Orbetello, Arezzo and Grosseto. Later, after the motu proprio of April 6, 1838, the office was restructured into a Soprintendenza generale alle regie possessioni (General Superintendency for the Royal Possessions). By decree of November 20, 1857, the Soprintendenza was replaced by the Direzione generale dell'Amministrazione dei regi possessi (General Management
of the Administration of the Royal Possessions), whose functions passed to the Regio Demanio (Royal Property Office) and to the Amministrazione dei beni della Real casa (Administration of the Assets of the Royal House) in 1863.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are numbered sequentially. Each series has its records tendentially arranged by chronological order.
Access, restrictions
Folders 3652, 4408 and 7212 are not available for consultation.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2022
Bibliography
Linked resources
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