Musciatto Franzesi

Musciatto Franzesi is a wealthy merchant turned knight whose business commission to Ser Ciappelletto launches the opening story of the Decameron. Faced with tangled affairs and difficult debtors, he entrusts the task to a man whose ruthless character seems suited to the work, but whose sudden illness will create a crisis for his hosts.

Identity and Circumstances

Musciatto has risen from commerce in France to knighthood. When he must travel to Tuscany with Messire Charles Sansterre, brother to the king of France, he finds his affairs in several places so embroiled that he cannot readily settle them before departing. Among the matters he must delegate is the recovery of debts owed by certain Burgundians.

Choosing an Agent

Musciatto hesitates over whom to appoint because he regards the Burgundians as litigious, quarrelsome, ill-conditioned, and disloyal. He recalls Ser Ciappelletto, a frequent visitor to his Paris house, and judges that his perversity makes him fit to contend with theirs. Musciatto summons him and offers the favor of the Court and a suitable share of whatever he recovers. Ser Ciappelletto, then out of employment and poorly provided with worldly goods, accepts without delay.

Musciatto supplies him with a procuration and letters of recommendation from the king before leaving. In Burgundy, where few people know him, Ser Ciappelletto initially pursues payment courteously, reserving anger and force as a last resort. He lodges with two Florentine brothers who lend money at interest and receive him with honor out of regard for Musciatto. The commission thus gives Ser Ciappelletto both an official mandate and a connection whose reputation helps secure his welcome.

Narrative Role and Consequences

Musciatto leaves the story after arranging the appointment, but his decision determines the circumstances of its central deception. When Ser Ciappelletto falls gravely ill, the brothers fear that his death without confession—or even a confession of sins too terrible to absolve—will provoke the townspeople against them and their lending business. Their anxiety grows from the very position Musciatto helped establish: Ser Ciappelletto is their guest because of his connection to him, while the task of collecting debts has brought this notorious man into their household. Musciatto’s practical solution to a commercial problem therefore becomes the starting point for a conflict over reputation, religious judgment, and the consequences of hosting him.