Constanca Mateas
Lady Helena Zancani is mundanely known as Alana. She has been an active member of the Society since she was 12 years old. Helena has been active in West Kingdom, Atenveldt and several Shires and Baronies in An Tir. Helena was one of the founding members of Dregate Shire in An Tir, mundanely known as Omak, WA.
Persona
Name: Lady Helena Zancani
Origin: Venice, Italy
Location: Italy then England.
Current Year: 1536
Current Occupation: Wool Merchant
Helena was born in 1503 Venice to Lorenzo and Fiametta Zancani. The Zancani family where cloth merchants with ties to the wool trade in England and the silk trade from China. Fiametta had 4 children but, like most families, lost Nana at age 4 and Antonia at age 1 to a fever. Helena enjoyed an unusual education as she was allowed to attend morning lessons with her elder brother, Marcello. Afternoon lessons were more conventional 'womanly arts' with her mother. Helena excelled at maths and languages and began helping her father with bookkeeping in 1518. Extended war between Venice and the pope's League of Cambrai, and disgust with the pope's corruption cause Lorenzo and Fiametta to become secret Protestants by 1522. Due to declining silk trade and fear of being discovered, Lorenzo moves his family to York and exclusively trades in Wool, carrying woolen cloth between England and Antwerp.
Service
2008
- Waterbearing
- Constabulary
2009
- Waterbearing
- Gate
- asst. autocrat for Carnevale di Venezia
2010
- Waterbearing
- Charter painting
- -Completed: 1
2011
- Charter painting
- -Completed: 3
- -In Progress: 0
- asst. autocrat for Carnevale di Venezia XLV/2011
Interests
Arts & Sciences
- 16th c. jewelry making
- Archery (beginning)
- Medieval and Renaissance cooking (beginning)
- Embroidery
- Costuming (emphasis on 16th c.)
- Medieval and Renaissance dancing
Martial
- Archery (beginner)
Awards and Recognition
- 1st Bardic winner of Dregate Shire: 1998
- Award of Arms: 2009
- Defender of Arts and Sciences of Dragon's Mist, 2011.
- First Dragon's Mist Bardic Champion, 2012.
- Jambe de Leon, 2013
- Hand of Fulla, 2013
- Baroness's Favor, 2013
SCA Event History
2007
- Faire in the Grove, April 2007.
- Blackthorne Revel, August 2007. Memorial wake for Esclave de Winter, a good man who embodied chivalry as much as any man could.
2008
- Egil Skallagrimsson Memorial Tourney XLIII/2008, May 2008.
- An Tir-West War, July 2008.
- Acorn War, September 2008.
2009
- Twelfth Night, Adiantum, January 2009.
- Carnevale di Venezia, April 2009.
- An Tir/West War XLIV/2009, July 2009. Presented with an Award of Arms.
- July Coronation XLIV/2009, July 2009.
- Autumn War XLIV/2009, August 2009.
- Winter Bazaar XLIV/2009, November 2009.
2010
- Twelfth Night Coronation XLIV/2010, January 2010.
- Grand Thing XLV/2010, May 2010.
- Known World Heralds & Scribes Symposium XLV/2010, June 2010.
- An Tir/West War XLV/2010, July 2010.
- Autumn War, August 2010.
- Acorn War XLV/2010, September 2010.
- Stromgard Yule, December 2010.
2011
- Twelfth Night Coronation XLV/2011, January 2011.
- Ursalmas, February 2011.
- Carnevale di Venezia XLV/2011, April 2011.
- Faire in the Grove, April/May 2011.
- May Crown, May 2011.
- Grand Thing XLVI/2011, May 2011.
- An Tir/West War XLVI/2011, July 2011.
- July Coronation XLVI/2011, July 2011.
- Autumn War XLVI/2011, August 2011.
- September Crown, September 2011.
- Boar's Head Hunt and Feast, September 2011. I entered my first A&S competition and won! But more importantly, I learned a lot about documentation and presentation. Can't wait for my next one!!!
Upcoming
- Twelfth Night, January 2012 (tentative).
- Ursalmas, February 2012 (tentative).
Helena's World
Helena's Family Tree
Mother: Fiametta Zancani
Father: Lorenzo Zancani
1st Born: Marcello Zancani, son, born 1500
2nd Born: Helena Zancani, daughter, born 1503
3rd Born: Nana Zancani, daughter, born 1505 died 1509
4th Born: Antonia Zancani, daughter, born 1508 died 1509
World History in Helena's Time
* indicates persona history
1500
*Marcello Zancani is born
1501
- Leonardo Loredan elected Doge of Venice
1503
*Helena Zancani born
1505
*Nana Zancani born
1508
- Leave of Cambrai formed between Venice's Neighbors and the Pope
*Antonia Zancani born
1509
- Venice defeated at Adnadello by the League of Cambrai.
*Nana and Antonia die of a consumptive fever
1510
*A tutor is hired to teach Marcello. Helena is allowed to attend lessons to give Marcello someone to practice his Latin with. Helena is a good student and her father allows her to continue morning lessons of languages and maths while afternoon lessons are in the womanly arts with her mother.
1512
- Venice allies with France
1518
*Helena begins helping her father keep his trade and account records.
1521
- Antonio Grimani is elected Doge of Venice.
1522
*Extended war with the pope and disgust with his corruption cause Lorenzo and Fiametta to become secret Protestants.
1523
- End of Venice's involvement in the Italian Wars.
Lady Helena Zancani at 12th Night 2010
*Marcello marries Isabella Bertucci.
1527
*Lorenzo’s trade in silk has declined drastically due to Portuguese trading routes.
1530
*Decline in eastern trade and a fear of being denounced as heretics cause Lorenzo to move his family to England.
1531
- Henry VIII becomes Head of the Church of England.
1532
*The Zancani family establish themselves as wool merchants in York.
1533
- Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn.
1536
- The dissolution of the monasteries begins.
*The Zancani family begins shifting their trade from the dominant monastic wool to secular woolen cloth producers.
