Franco Sacchetti

Franco Sacchetti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko sakˈketti]; 1332 – August 1400), was an Italian poet and novelist. Born in Florence or in Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik), he was the son of Benci di Uguccione, surnamed "Buono", a Florentine merchant of the noble and ancient family of the Sacchetti. He was married three times; first to Maria Felice Strozzi with whom he had two sons, Filippo and Niccolò. Franco’s second wife was Ghita di Piero Gherardini, his third wife was Giovanna di Francesco Bruni. He was the brother of Giannozzo Sacchetti, a follower of Catherine of Siena, who was executed following the Ciompi Revolt. While still a young man he achieved repute as a poet, and he appears to have traveled on affairs of more or less importance as far as to Genoa, Milan and Slavonia. After 1363 he settled in Florence. When a sentence of banishment was passed upon the rest of the house of Sacchetti by the Florentine authorities in 1380 (after the Ciompi revolt) it appears that Sacchetti was expressly exempted, per esser tanto uomo buono ("because he is a very good man"), and in 1383 he was one of the eight, discharging the office of prior for the months of March and April. A merchant, after 1363 Sacchetti turned to politics, undertaking numerous diplomatic missions on behalf of the Florentine state. In 1386 he was chosen ambassador to Genoa, but preferred to go as podestà to Bibbiena in Casentino.