Frate Atanasiu di Iaci or Athanasiu da Jaci ( it, Atanasio) was a

Benedictine monk , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

and historiographer from Aci. He wrote ''Vinuta di lu re Japicu in Catania'' (c.1295), a Sicilian

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

(or

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

) of the arrival and stay of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

in May 1287. He may also be the author of another Sicilian history, ''

Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia ''Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia'', fully ''Cronica di lu rebellamentu di Sichilia contra re Carlu'', is a Sicilian historical chronicle of the War of the Vespers written around 1290. The anonymous ''Rebellamentu'', probably written at Messina, was ...

'', written circa 1290, by an anonymous person of

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

. Vincenzo di Giovanni suggested that Atanasiu was of

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

ancestry. Vincenzo de Gaetano first expressed doubt about the authenticity of the ''Vinuta'' and the historicity of Atanasiu. The ''Vinuta'' appears in no earlier work than Pietro Carrera, ''Delle memorie historiche della città di Cantania'' (1639). He claimed to have found it in a manuscript of San Nicolò l'Arena, now lost. It was first published by the Pietro Bentivegna of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

in their ''Opuscoli di autori Siciliani'' (1760). Its authorship was also treated by Antonio Mongitore ''Biblioteca Sicula'' (1708). The ''Vinuta'' was accepted as authentic by Enrico Sicardi for his 1917 edition.

Kenneth Setton Kenneth Meyer Setton (June 17, 1914 in New Bedford, Massachusetts – February 18, 1995 in Princeton, New Jersey) was an American historian and an expert on the history of medieval Europe, particularly the Crusades. Early life, education and aw ...

follows him, but notes that though it sometimes adds valuable details to the history of the

War of the Sicilian Vespers The War of the Sicilian Vespers or just War of the Vespers was a conflict that started with the insurrection of the Sicilian Vespers against Charles of Anjou in 1282 and ended in 1302 with the Peace of Caltabellotta. It was fought in Sicily, C ...

, it is frequently untrustworthy. Giulio Bertoni considered it authentic, pointing to the antiquity of its language. More recently, Louis Mendola contends that there is no basis for believing in the historicity of its putative author.Louis Mendola (2015), ''Sicily's Rebellion against King Charles'' (New York), English translation of the Spinelli Codex of ''Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia'', 15. If authentic, the ''Vinuta'' is an important source for the influence of the

Italian language Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...

s on Sicilian. Below is a passage describing James' arrival in Catania, then occupied by the Angevins, mostly Frenchmen, followers of Charles of Anjou: The French (''franzisi'') had landed on the same day between Catania and Syracuse and had begun to besiege Augusta. By June their supplies were running short. In July they were forced to lift their siege of Augusta and their garrison fled Catania.

Editions

*Biondelli, Bernardino (1856)
''Studi linguìstici''
G. Bernardoni.

Notes

{{Authority control 13th-century Italian writers People from Aci Castello 13th-century Italian historians Writers from Sicily Italian Christian monks War of the Sicilian Vespers