Filippo Villani (fl. end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century) was a chronicler of Florence. Son of the chronicler

Matteo Villani Matteo Villani (1283–1363) was an Italian historian. Born in Florence, Villani was the brother of the historian Giovanni. He worked for a company called Buonaccorsi, of which he was the representative in Naples. After the death of his brother, ...

, he extended the original '' Nuova Cronica'' of his uncle

Giovanni Villani Giovanni Villani (; 1276 or 1280 – 1348)Bartlett (1992), 35. was an Italian banker, official, diplomat and chronicler from Florence who wrote the ''Nuova Cronica'' (''New Chronicles'') on the history of Florence. He was a leading statesman of ...

down to 1364.

Career

Filippo Villani held a chair of jurisprudence in the Studio at Florence in 1361. He was also appointed chancellor of the

medieval commune Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup. C ...

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

in 1377, and would remain in office for the next six years. In his old age, he spent his time in Florence as public reader of the ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature ...

'' by the Florentine

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

. Accepting this job in 1392, he was given an annual stipend of 150 gold florins.Selby, 245.

Work

Villani's chronicles were approved by the Chancellor of Florence,

Coluccio Salutati Coluccio Salutati (16 February 1331 – 4 May 1406) was an Italian humanist and notary, and one of the most important political and cultural leaders of Renaissance Florence; as chancellor of the Republic and its most prominent voice, he was effec ...

, who made corrections to the work and added commentary.Selby, 243. The second edition of Villani's histories came out in either 1395 or 1396. Filippo Villani's portion includes details of the lives of many Florentine artists and musicians, including

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/ Proto-Renaissance period. G ...

and

Francesco Landini Francesco Landini ( or 1335 – 2 September 1397; also known by many names) was an Italian composer, poet, organist, singer and instrument maker who was a central figure of the Trecento style in late Medieval music. One of the most revered c ...

Notes

References

*Selby, Talbot R. "Filippo Villani and his Vita of Guido Bonatti," Renaissance News (Volume 11, Number 4, 1958): 243–248. Italian chroniclers Writers from Florence 14th-century Italian historians 14th-century people of the Republic of Florence {{Italy-writer-stub