Falco of Benevento ( it, Falcone Beneventano; lng, Falco Penevent) was an Italian-Lombard twelfth-century historian,

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...

and scribe in the papal palace in Benevento, his native city, where he was born to high-standing parents. He is an important chronicler for the years between 1102 and 1139 in the

Mezzogiorno Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the pe ...

. As an historian, he is not only reliable, as he was often an eyewitness to events he recounts, but also partisan, for he was a Lombard by birth and he fiercely opposed the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

, whom he saw as barbarians. He was an opponent of King Roger II of Sicily, and a supporter of

Innocent II Pope Innocent II ( la, Innocentius II; died 24 September 1143), born Gregorio Papareschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 February 1130 to his death in 1143. His election as pope was controversial and the fi ...

against Roger's friend

Anacletus II Anacletus II (died January 25, 1138), born Pietro Pierleoni, was an antipope who ruled in opposition to Pope Innocent II from 1130 until his death in 1138. After the death of Pope Honorius II, the college of cardinals was divided over his succ ...

. He was, above all, a patriotic supporter of Benevento. As a supporter of Innocent II, Falco was exiled from Benevento in 1134. T.S. Brown writes that Falco demonstrated "a blazing pride in his city and a vitriolic hate of the Normans."T. S. Brown, "The Political Use of the Past in Norman Sicily," in: Parts of his chronicle are now lost, but were apparently used for the year 1099–1103 and 1140–49 in the '' Chronica Romanorum pontificum et imperatorum ac de rebus in Apulia gestis''.

Editions

''Chronicon Beneventanum''
at

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.
''Chronicon Beneventanum''
at the Centro Europea di Studi Normanni.

References

Sources

* * *D'Angelo, Edoardo (1994). "Giuseppe del Re's 'Critical' Edition of Falco of Benevento's Chronicle," in: * * Norwich, John Julius. ''The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194''. Longman:

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, 1970. {{Authority control People from Benevento Italian chroniclers 12th-century Italian historians Italian scribes 12th-century Lombard people Italian notaries 12th-century Latin writers