Compagni And Villani Revision Notes

Dino Compagni, Chronicle of Florence [translated by Daniel E. Bornstein].

Introductory Remarks

Florentine Political Life

• In 1237, Frederick II crushes his enemies in Cortenuova in 1237 he takes the right to sieze the podesta [chief executive of the city government] in Florence.

  • Transforms Podesta into a Ghibelline puppet.

• In 1250 Guelfs defeat the Ghibellines + Frederick II dies

  • Leads to a revolt in Florence

    • And the establishment of the Primo Popolo

      • A government with a military organisation of neighbourhood companies, with a Captain of the Popolo named with two advisory councils:

        • One represents the six administrative districts

        • One represents the greater guildscatiline

• In 1260 Manfred and the Ghibelline exiles crush the Guelfs at the Battle of Montaperti the Guelfs flee!

  • But then in 1266, Manfred himself is defeated by Charles I of Anjou

  • The Guelfs return.

    • They abolished the office of Captain of the Popolo and formalise Guelf power.

      • Guelfs made sure no Ghibellines found their way to power.

• Territorial politics

  • Pope switches suspicions from now dead Hohenstaufen dynasty to the Anjou princes.

  • Popes want a revival of Ghibelline fortunes

    • Nicholas III (1277-1280) in 1280, sends Cardinal Latino as a legate to Florence to broker a reconciliation between Guelfs and Ghibellines.

      • A new government created proves fleeting

        • Guelfs strip Ghibellines of their rights.

        • But, the Sicilian Vesper movement leads to the loosening of Guelf noble hold and the popolo again win a share of Florentine power.

      • Council of 14 replaced by the Priors of the Guilds

        • Six priors chosen

        • Term of office was only two months.

      • 1287 priorate led by five middle guilds and in 1290s – eligibility was granted to the 9 minor guilds.

    • Priorate dominated by wealthy Guelf magnates (Popolo grassi), though technically acting in the interests of the whole Popolo body.

  • Giano della Bella becomes a champion of the Popolo.

    • He passes the Ordinances of Justice in 1293:

      • Requires magnates to post surety for they god behaviour

      • Makes Magnates liable for crimes committed by the ir kinsmen

      • Barred from holding highest office in the city government.

  • But in 1295 della Bella is expelled.

    • Leads to a split among the magnates

      • Corso Donati and the Black Guelfs

      • Vieri de’ Cerchi and the White Guelfs

  • Compagni’s book is about the defeat of the Whites in 1301.

  • Soon, Donati would fall out with the other Black Guelfs – Rosso della Tosa, Pazzino de’ Pazzi, Betto Brunelleschi, and Geri Spini and he was defeated by them.

• Written in around 1310/but not published until 1726.

  • Given praise as the new Sallust, Caesar, Tacitus, Italian Heredotous or Thucydides.

  • He is paired with Fellow White Guelf, Dante the period is seen as the age of Dino and Dante.

    • Dino’s is a vivid description and acute analysis of the political life of the great medieval city.

• Dino wrote this many years afterwards (or so he says!)

  • No audience for his work in 1302

    • Victorious Blacks won’t take kindly to his attack on their arrogance and cruelty

    • Whites won’t be receptive to his bitter dissection of their weakness and vacillation

  • 1310

    • A different situation

      • Henry Of Luxembourg elected Holy Roman Emperor

        • 1310

          • Crosses over into Italy

        • There is hope of a return to power of the Guelf Party, so Dino gets writing?

  • Doesn’t just write the events as they occurred

    • Dino wrote to elucidate a single topic.

      • Only one event is written not in his lifetime

        • That of Buondelmonti’s murder leading to the splitting of factions between Guelf and Ghibelline.

      • Writes about a series of fractures in Florentine political life

    • These are strange factions, that don’t follow the divisions of Florentine society.

      • They cut across divisions of kinship and close relatives aligned themselves with others.

      • What is holding faction together?

        • Rift

        • Business interest

          • When Black Guelfs split, interesting that Rosso della Tosa loans without expecting return.

        • Familiarity, friendship

        • Eloquence

          • Corso Donati uses his eloquence to persuade those disaffected to back him: magnates, common people, relatives of Rosso himself

• Competition for office

  • Office-holding

    • Meant prestige, power and profit

      • Why?

        • Armed retinue

        • Apportioning taxes

        • Setting grain prices

        • Authorising expenditure

      • Make decisions; grant favours; receive requests

      • Manipulate judicial institutions of city; speed up legal proceedings against foes or rivals

  • Public office for private ends.

• Difficult to share office

  • Office value depends on the value of the person holding them.

• Power of passion

  • Corso Donati

    • Don’t underestimate the importance of this notion

      • Rosso became ‘so inflamed with talk that they coud not hold back from havoc’

• Fomenters of discord

  • They are sinning against God

    • Dino believed oaths and processions would quell factional violence

  • When Noffo Guidi

    • Asked Dino to betray the Whites and give the Blacks a majority in the signoria

      • Dino replied that would make him a Judas, and he would feed his children to the dogs before he committed such treason.

• Divine retribution

  • God executed justice on individual evildoes

    • Some died in painful or humiliating circumstances

    • 5 leaders of violence were executed

  • Dviine Justice

    • Henry of Luxembourg

      • The vengeance of God is at hand when he does so.

        • A peacemaker to undo the work of the villainous Charles of Valois.

Dino Compagni’s Chronicle of Florence

• PROLOGUE

  • Compagni pays tributes to the ancient histories that spurred him to write of the ‘perilous and unfortunate events which this noble city, daughter of Rome, has borne’

  • Says he did not write the book sooner for 2 reasons.

    • 1. Was not ‘sufficiently able’

    • 2. Thought someone else would write of the period.

  • Why does he write the book?

    • The situation has got worse than ever, making it necessary to write a book.

    • Written for people who will ‘inherit more fortunate times’ and recognise the “gifts of God, who rules and governs...

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