GIOVANNI See also:

• GIOVANNI VILLANI (c. 1245-1348)

VILLANI (c. 1245-1348)  , See also:

• ITALIAN

Italian chronicler, was the son of Villano di Stoldo, and was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born at See also:

• FLORENCE
• FLORENCE (Ital. Firenze, Lat. Florentia)

Florence in the second See also:

• HALF

half of the 13th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century; the precise See also:

• YEAR

year is unknown . He was of See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good burgher extraction, and, following the traditions of his See also:

• FAMILY

family, applied himself to See also:

• COMMERCE
• COMMERCE (Lat. commercium, from, cum, together, and rnerx, merchandise)

commerce . During the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early years of the 14th century he travelled in See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy, See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France and the See also:

• NETHERLANDS

Netherlands, seeing men and things with the sagacity alike of the See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man of business and of the historian . Before leaving Florence, or rather in the See also:

• INTERVAL

interval between one See also:

• JOURNEY (through O. Fr. jornee or journee, mod. Fr. journee, from med. Lat. diurnata, Lat. diurnus, of or belonging to dies, day)

journey and another, he had at least taken some See also:

• PART

part in that troubled See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of See also:

• CIVIL

civil contentions which Dino Compagni has described and which swept See also:

• DANTE

Dante Alighieri into banishment . In 1301 See also:

• VILLANI, GIOVANNI (c. 1245-1348)

Villani saw See also:

• CHARLES
• CHARLES (1270-1325)
• CHARLES (1421-1461)
• CHARLES (1525-1574)
• CHARLES (c. 1319-1364)
• CHARLES (Fr. Charles; Span. Carlos; Ital. Carlo; Ger. Karl; derived from O.H.G. Charal,latinized as Carolus, meaning originally " man ": cf. Mod.Ger., Kerl," fellow," A.S. ceorl, Mod. Eng. " churl ")
• CHARLES (KARL EITEL ZEPHYRIN LUDWIG; in Rum. CAROL)
• CHARLES [KARL ALEXANDER] (1712-1780)
• CHARLES, ELIZABETH (1828-1896)
• CHARLES, JACQUES ALEXANDRE CESAR (1746-1823)
• CHARLES, THOMAS (1755-1814)

Charles, See also:

• COUNT (Lat. comes, gen. comitis, Fr. comte, Ital. conte, Span. conde)

count of See also:

• VALOIS, COUNTS AND DUKES OF
• VALOIS, HENRI DE [VALESIUS] (1603-1676)

Valois, ruining his See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country under the false name of peacemaker, and was See also:

• WITNESS
• WITNESS (from O. Eng. witan, to know)

witness of all the misery which immediately followed . Somewhat later he See also:

• LEFT

left Italy, and in See also:

• SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September 1304 he visited See also:

• FLANDERS (Flem. Vlaanderen)

Flanders . It is not well ascertained when he returned to his native See also:

• CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city . He was certainly living there shortly after the See also:

• EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor See also:

• HENRY
• HENRY (1129-1195)
• HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
• HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
• HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G. heim, the Eng. home, and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
• HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
• HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
• HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
• HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
• HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
• HENRY, PRINCE OF BATTENBERG (1858-1896)
• HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
• HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
• HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)

Henry VII. visited Italy in 1312, and probably he had been there for some See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time before . While still continuing to occupy himself with commerce, he now began to take a prominent part in public affairs . In 1316 and 1317 he was one of the priors, and shared in the crafty See also:

• TACTICS (Gr. TaeTOc*, sc. TEXvnI, from TavQecv, to arrange in order of battle)

tactics whereby See also:

• PISA
• PISA, COUNCIL OF (1409)

Pisa and See also:

• LUCCA (anc. Luca)
• LUCCA, BAGNI DI (Baths of Lucca, formerly Bagno a Corsena)

Lucca were induced to conclude a See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace with Florence, to which they were previously averse . In 1317 he also had See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge of the See also:

• MINT
• MINT (Lat. moneta; Mid. Eng. mynt)

mint, and during his See also:

• ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration of this See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office he collected its earlier records and had a See also:

• REGISTER

register made of all the coins struck in Florence . In 1321 he was again chosen See also:

• PRIOR (from Lat. prior—former, and hence superior, through O. Fr. priour)
• PRIOR, MATTHEW (1664-1721)

prior; and, the Florentines having just then undertaken the rebuilding of the city walls, he and some other citizens were deputed to look after the See also:

• WORK

work .

They were afterwards accused of having diverted the public See also:

• MONEY

money to private ends, but Villani clearly established his innocence . He was next sent with the See also:

• ARMY
• ARMY (from Fr. armee, Lat. armata)

army against Castruccio Castracani, See also:

• LORD
• LORD (O. Eng. hldford, i.e. hldfweard, the warder or keeper of bread, hlIf, loaf; the word is not represented in any other Teutonic language)
• LORD, JOHN (1810-1894)

lord of Lucca, and was See also:

• PRESENT

present at its defeat at Altopascio . In 1328 a terrible See also:

• FAMINE (Lat. fames, hunger)

famine visited many provinces of Italy, including See also:

• TUSCANY
• TUSCANY (Toscana)

Tuscany, and Villani was appointed to guard Florence fromthe worst effects of that distressing period . He has left a See also:

• RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record of what was done in a See also:

• CHAPTER (a shortened form of chapiter, a word still used in architecture for a capital; derived from O. Fr. chapitre, Lat. capitellum, diminutive of caput, head)

chapter of his See also:

• CHRONICLE (from Gr. Xpovos, time)

Chronicle, which shows the economic See also:

• WISDOM, BOOK OF, or WISDOM OF SOLOMON (Sept. Io4ia IaXwµwvos; Lat. Vulg. Liber sapientiae)

wisdom in which the See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval Florentines were often so greatly in advance of their See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age . In 1339, some time after the See also:

• DEATH

death of Castruccio, some See also:

• RICH, BARNABE (c. 1540-1617)
• RICH, CLAUDIUS JAMES (1787-1821)
• RICH, JOHN (1692-1761)
• RICH, PENELOPE, LADY (c. 1562–1607)
• RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

rich Florentine merchants, and among them Villani, treated for the acquisition of Lucca by Florence for 8o,000 florins, offering to See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply the larger part of that sum out of their own private means; but the negotiations See also:

• FELL
• FELL, JOHN (1625-1686)

fell through, owing to the discords and jealousies then existing in the See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government (Chron. x . 143) . The following year Villani superintended the making of See also:

• ANDREA, GIOVANNI (1275-1348)

Andrea See also:

• PISANO, A
• PISANO, ANDREA
• PISANO, GIOVANNI (c. 1250-1330)
• PISANO, NICCOLA (c. 1206-1278)
• PISANO, VITTORE (c. 1380-1456)

Pisano's See also:

• BRONZE

bronze doors for the See also:

• BAPTISTERY (Baptislerium, in the Greek Church 4wrurrilpiov)

baptistery . In the same year he watched over the raising of the campanile of the Badia, erected by See also:

• CARDINAL (Lat. cardinalis)

Cardinal Giovanni See also:

• ORSINI
• ORSINI, FELICE (1819-1858)

Orsini (Chron. x . 177) . In 1341 the acquisition of Lucca was again under treaty, this time with Martino della Scala, for 250,00G florins . Villani was sent with others as a See also:

• HOSTAGE (through Fr. ostage, modern otage, from Late Lat. obsidaticum, the state of being an obses or hostage; Med. Lat. ostaticum, ostagium)

hostage to See also:

• FERRARA

Ferrara, where he remained for some months . He was present in Florence during the unhappy period that elapsed between the entry of See also:

• WALTER, HUBERT (d. 1205)
• WALTER, JOHN (1738/9-1812)

Walter of Brienne, See also:

• DUKE (corresponding to Fr. duc, Ital. duca, Ger. Herzog)

duke of See also:

• ATHENS
• ATHENS ['AN vat, Athenae, modem colloquial Greek `Ath va]

Athens, and his See also:

• EXPULSION (Lat. expulsio, from expellere)

expulsion by the Florentines (1342-43) .

Involved through no See also:

• FAULT (Mid. Eng. faute, through the French, from the popular Latin use of fallere, to fail; the originallof the Latin being replaced in English in the 15th century)

fault of his own in the failure of the commercial See also:

• COMPANY

company of the Bonaccorsi, which in its turn had been See also:

• DRAWN

drawn into the failure of the company of the Bardi, Villani, towards the end of his See also:

• LIFE

life, suffered much privation and for some time was kept in See also:

• PRISON (derived through the Fr. from the Lat. prehensio, seizure)

prison . In 1348 he fell a victim to the See also:

• PLAGUE (in Gr. Xotµos; in Lat. pestis, pestilentia)

plague described by See also:

• BOCCACCIO, GIOVANNI (1313-1375)

Boccaccio . The See also:

• IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea of See also:

• WRITING
• WRITING (the verbal noun of " to write," O. Eng. writan, to inscribe)

writing the Chronicle was suggested to Villani under the following circumstances: " In the year of See also:

• CHRIST (Gr. X pLQTOS, Anointed)
• CHRIST, WILHELM VON (1831-1906)

Christ 1300 See also:

• POPE (Gr. irarraas, post-classical Lat. papa, father)
• POPE, ALEXANDER (1688–1744)
• POPE, ALEXANDER (1763-1835)
• POPE, JANE (1742-1818)
• POPE, JOHN (1822-1892)
• POPE, SIR THOMAS (c. 1507-1559)

Pope See also:

• BONIFACE (Bonifacius)
• BONIFACE, SAINT (680-754)

Boniface VIII. made in See also:

• HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour of Christ's nativity a See also:

• SPECIAL

special and See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• INDULGENCE (Lat. indulgentia, indulgere, to grant, concede)

indulgence . And I, finding myself in that blessed See also:

• PILGRIM

pilgrim-age in the See also:

• HOLY

holy city of See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome, seeing her great and' See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient remains, and See also:

• READING

reading the histories and great deeds of the See also:

• ROMANS
• ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE

Romans as written by See also:

• VIRGIL (PUBLIUS VERGILIUS MARC)
• VIRGIL, POLYDORE (c. 1470-1555)

Virgil, See also:

• SALLUST [Gams SALLUSTIUS CRlspus] (86–34 B.c.)

Sallust, See also:

• LUCAN

Lucan, See also:

• LIVY [Thus L1v1us] (59 B.C.—A.D: 17)

Livy, See also:

• VALERIUS, PUBLIUS

Valerius, See also:

• PAULUS
• PAULUS (older form PAur.Lus), LUCIUS AEMILIUS
• PAULUS, HEINRICH

Paulus See also:

• OROSIUS, PAULUS (fl. 415)

Orosius and other masters of See also:

• HISTORY

history who wrote the exploits and deeds, both great and small, of the Romans and also of strangers, in the whole See also:

• WORLD

world . considering that our city of Florence, the daughter and offspring of Rome, is on the increase and destined to do great things, as Rome is in her decline, it appeared to me fitting to set down in this See also:

• VOLUME

volume and new chronicle all the facts and beginnings of the city of Florence, in as far as it has been possible to me to collect and discover them, and to follow the doings of the Florentines at length . . . and so in the year 1300, on my return from Rome, I began to compile this See also:

• BOOK

book, in honour of See also:

• GOD

God and of the blessed See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF

John, and in praise of our city of Florence." Villani's work, written in Italian, makes its See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance, so to speak, unexpectedly in the See also:

• HISTORICAL

historical literature of Italy, just as the history of Florence, the moment it emerges from the humble and uncertain origin assigned to it by See also:

• LEGEND (through the French from the med. Lat. legenda, things to be read, from legere, to read)

legend, rises suddenly into a rich and powerful life of thought and See also:

• ACTION

action . Nothing but scanty and partly legendary records had preceded Villani's work, which rests in part on. them . The Gesta Florentinorum of Sanzanome, starting from these vague origins, begins to be more definite about 1125, at the time of the See also:

• UNION
• UNION (known locally as Union Hill and officially as Town of Union)

union of See also:

• FIESOLE (anc. Faesulae, q.v.)

Fiesole with Florence . The Chronica de Origine Civitatis seems to be a compilation, made by various hands and at various times, in which the different legends regarding the city's origin have been gradually collected . The Annales Florentini Primi (1110-1173) and the Annales Florentini Secundi (1107-1247), together with a See also:

• LIST (O.E. lisle, a Teutonic word, cf. Dut. lust, Ger. Leiste, adapted in Ital. lista and Fr. lisle)
• LIST, FRIEDRICH (1789-1846)

list of the consuls and podestas from 1197 to I267, and another chronicle, formerly attributed, but apparently with-out good See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason, to Brunetto See also:

• LATINI, BRUNETTO (c. 1210-C. 1294)

Latini, See also:

• COMPLETE

complete the See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of ancient Florentine records . To these must, however, be added a certain quantity of facts which were to be found in various See also:

• MANUSCRIPTS

manuscripts, being used and quoted by the older Florentine and Tuscan writers under the See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general name of Gesta Florentinorum . Another work, formerly reckoned among the See also:

• SOURCES

sources of Villani, is the Chronicle of the Malespini; but See also:

• GRAVE

grave doubts are now entertained as to its authenticity, and many hold that at best it is merely a remodel-See also:

• LING, PER HENRIK (1776-1839)

ling, posterior to Villani's time, of old records from which several chroniclers may have drawn, either without citing them at all or only doing so in a vague manner . The HZstorie Florentine, or Cronica universale, of Villani begins with Biblical times and comes down to 1348 .

The universality of the narrative, especially in the times near Villani's own, while it bears witness to the author's extensive travels and to the comprehensiveness of his mind, makes one also feel that the book was inspired within the walls of the universal city . Whereas Dino Compagni's Chronicle is confined within definite limits of time and See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, this of Villani is a general chronicle extending over the whole of See also:

• EUROPE

Europe . Dino Compagni feels and lives in the facts of his history; Villani looks at them and relates them calmly and fairly, with a serenity which makes him seem an outsider, even when he is mixed up in them . While very important for Italian history in the 14th century, this work is the cornerstone of the early medieval history of Florence . Of contemporary events Villani has a very exact knowledge . Having been a sharer in the public affairs and in the intellectual and economic life of his native city, at a time when in both it had no See also:

• RIVAL

rival in Europe, he depicts what he saw with the vividness natural to a clear mind accustomed to business and to the observation of mankind . He was See also:

• GUELPH

Guelph, but without See also:

• PASSION (post-classical Lat. passio, formed from pati, passus, to suffer, endure)

passion; and his book is much more taken up with an inquiry into what is useful and true than with party considerations . He is really a chronicler, not an historian, and has but little method in his narrative, often See also:

• REPORTING

reporting the things which occurred See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long ago just as he heard them and without See also:

• CRITICISM
• CRITICISM (from the Gr. KpiTrlS, a judge, Kpivew, to decide, to give an authoritative opinion)

criticism . Every now and then he falls into some inaccuracy; but such defects as he has are largely compensated for by his valuable qualities . He was for half a century eyewitness of his history, and he provides abundant See also:

• INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information on the constitution of Florence, its customs, See also:

• INDUSTRIES

industries, See also:

• COIN
• COIN (older forms of the word are coyne, quoin and coign, all derived through the O. Fr. coing, and cuigne from Lat. cuneus, a wedge)

coin;nerce and arts; and among the chroniclers throughout Europe he is perhaps unequalled for the value of the statistical data he has precrved . As a writer Villani is clear and acute; and, though his See also:

• PROSE

prose has not the force and colouring of Compagni's, it has the See also:

• ADVANTAGE

advantage of greater simplicity, so that, taking his work as a whole, he may be regarded as the greatest chronicler who has written in Italian . The many difficulties connected with the publication of this important See also:

• TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

text have hitherto prevented the preparation of a perfect edition .

However, the Chronicle has been printed by L . A . See also:

• MURATORI

Muratori in tome xiii. of the Rerum Italicarum Scriptores (See also:

• MILAN
• MILAN (Ital. Milano, Ger. Mailand, anc. Mediolanum, q.v.)

Milan, 1728), and has been edited by I . Moutier and F . G . Dragornanni (Plorence, 1844) . Among other See also:

• EDITIONS

editions is one published at See also:

• TRIESTE (Ger. Triest; Slay. Trst; the Roman Tergeste, q.v.)

Trieste in 1857 and another at See also:

• TURIN

Turin in 1879 . Selections have been translated into See also:

• ENGLISH

English by R . E . Selfe (1896) . Villani's Chronicle was continued by two other members of his family . (I) MATTEO VILLANI, his See also:

• BROTHER

brother, of whom nothing is known See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save that he was twice married and that he died of the plague in 1363, continued it down to the year of his death .

Matteo's work, though inferior to Giovanni's, is nevertheless very valuable . A more prolix writer than his brother and a less acute observer, Matteo is well informed in his facts, and for the years of which he writes is one of the most, important sources of Italian history . (2) Fii.trro VILLANI, the son of Matteo, flourished in the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century . In his continuation which goes down to 1364, though showing greater See also:

• LITERARY

literary ability, he is very inferior as an historian to his predecessors . His most valuable work was a collection of lives of illustrious Florentines . Twice, in 1401 and 1404, he was chosen to explain in public the Diving Commedia . The year of his death is unknown . See Y . See also:

• SCHEFFER, ARY (1795-1858)

Scheffer-Boichorst, Florentiner Studien (See also:

• LEIPZIG

Leipzig, 1874) ; G . See also:

• GERVINUS, GEORG GOTTFRIED (18os–1871)

Gervinus, Geschichte der Florentinen Historiographie " in his Historische Schriften (1833); U . Balzani, Le cronache Italiane nel See also:

• MEDIA

media evo (Milan, 1884); A . Gaspary, Geschithte der italienischen Literatur (See also:

• BERLIN
• BERLIN, CONGRESS AND TREATY OF
• BERLIN, ISAIAH (1725–1799)

Berlin, 1885); O .

Knoll, Beitrdge zur italienischen Historiographie See also:

• IM(K2+a2+h2—2 ah cos 0)

im 14 . Jahrhundert (See also:

• GOTTINGEN

Gottingen 1876), and O . Hartwig, " G . Villani and See also:

• DIE
• DIE (Fr. de, from Lat. datum, given)

die Leggenda di Messer Gianni di See also:

• PROCIDA (Gr. Ilpoxi ro, Lat. Prochyta)

Procida " in See also:

• BAND

Band See also:

• XXV

xxv. of H. von See also:

• SYBEL, HEINRICH VON (1817-1895)

Sybel's Historische Zeitschrift . (U .