John of Legnano (Italian: Giovanni da Legnano; c. 1320 – February 1383) was an Italian jurist, a

canon lawyer Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...

and the most prominent defender of

Pope Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

at the outbreak of the

Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon bo ...

Biography

John was born in

Legnano Legnano (; or ''Lignàn'') is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the north-westernmost part of the Metropolitan City of Milan, Province of Milan, about from central Milan. With 60,259, it is the thirteenth-most populous township in Lombardy. Le ...

. He was a '' doctor utriusque iuris'', in both civil and canon law, teaching at

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

by 1351. "According to tradition, he was schooled at the University of Bologna in liberal arts, astrology, philosophy and medicine before taking his degrees in law", John P. McCall reports, suggesting that some of his backing at Bologna may have come from the

Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the ...

, who extended their control to the south in 1350. Soon he became the loyal friend of two popes in succession —

Urban V Pope Urban V ( la, Urbanus V; 1310 – 19 December 1370), born Guillaume de Grimoard, was the head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death in December 1370 and was also a member of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was the on ...

, from whom he received grants and gifts, and

Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pop ...

, for whom he drew up the deed of purchase for the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

— and the most prominent defender of a third, the irascible and embattled

Urban VI Pope Urban VI ( la, Urbanus VI; it, Urbano VI; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death in October 1389. He was the most recent pope to be elected from outside the ...

. Urban had multiple copies of John's defense of his election, ''De fletu ecclesiæ'' distributed in the opening maneuvers of the

, including one sent to the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, and he offered him the cardinal's hat, which John cautiously refused, being married, for one thing. His works include ''De Bello'', a work on war and duelling prefaced by an astrological-political allegory and dedicated to

Cardinal Albornoz Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

, papal legate who took control of Bologna in 1360, often cited as an early source in

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

; ''De Pace'' (1364) on the virtues and vices and ''De pluritalite beneficiorum'' (1365), both works dedicated to Urban V; for Gregory XI he prepared his ''Somnium'' (1372) on civil and canon law, in which he revealed himself as a compiler and synthesizerand ''De Iuribus ecclesiæ in civitatem Bononiæ'' (1376), surveying the law of Bologna, among others; a ''Commentaria in Decretales'' commentary on the

Decretals Decretals ( la, litterae decretales) are letters of a pope that formulate decisions in ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church.McGurk. ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms''. p. 10 They are generally given in answer to consultations but are sometimes ...

; and ''De adventu Christi'' (1375). He is alluded to in

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

’s ''

Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''magnum opus' ...

''. He died at the height of his fame. In his will he provided an endowment for poor students from Milan at the University of Bologna and bequeathed his house to the University if his male heirs should die out.McCall 1965: 486. His pupil Cosimo de' Migliorati was elected pope as Innocent VII.

Notes

References

*E. Giannazza and G. D'Ilario (Legnano, 1983), ''Vita opere di Giovanni da Legnano'' *

Thomas Erskine Holland Sir Thomas Erskine Holland KC, FBA (17 July 183524 May 1926) was a British jurist. After school at Brighton College and studies at Oxford, he practiced law as a barrister from 1863 onwards. In 1874, he returned to Oxford, succeeding William B ...

, editor (1917), ''John of Legnano
Tractatus de bello, de represaliis et de duello
' *Discussing his connection with Christine de Pizan and the defeat of King Richard III at Bosworth

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:John of Legnano 1320s births 1383 deaths People from Legnano 14th-century Italian jurists Canon law jurists Academic staff of the University of Bologna Year of birth uncertain