Luchetto Gattilusio (
fl. 1248–1307) was a
Genoese statesman, diplomat, and man of letters. As a
Guelph
Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...
he played an important role in wider
Lombard politics and as a
troubadour
A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...
in the
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language
Occitan (; o ...
language he composed three poems descriptive of his times.
Poetry
The earliest written references to Luchetto are in a series of
notarial
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 ...
instruments dating to 1248, 1251, 1252, 1267, and 1287. His earliest activity, however, was probably his literary work. The only complete work which can be surely assigned to his authorship is ''D'un sirventes m'es granz volontatz preza'', a ''
sirventes
The ''sirventes'' or ''serventes'' (), sometimes translated as "service song", was a genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry practiced by the troubadours.
The name comes from ''sirvent'' ('serviceman'), from whose perspective the song is allegedly wr ...
'' dated to between 1262 and 1264. It is preserved in a famous
chansonnier
A chansonnier ( ca, cançoner, oc, cançonièr, Galician and pt, cancioneiro, it, canzoniere or ''canzoniéro'', es, cancionero) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings o ...
compiled by
Bernart Amoros. It was written while
Charles of Anjou
Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...
was in Italy preparing to make good on his
Papally-sanctioned claim to the
Kingdom of Sicily
The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...
. Luchetto was a staunch supporter of Charles of Anjou and his ''sirventes'' encourages the would-be king to follow the example of his namesake:
Aside from his above work there is another ''sirventes'', ''Cora q'eu fos marritz ni conziros'', directed at fellow Italian troubadour
Sordello
Sordello da Goito or Sordel de Goit (sometimes ''Sordell'') was a 13th-century Italian troubadour. His life and work have inspired several authors including Dante Alighieri, Robert Browning, and Samuel Beckett.
Life
Sordello was born in the m ...
, which only survives in fragments and which is sometimes assigned to Luchetto, sometimes to fellow Genoese
Lanfranc Cigala
Lanfranc Cigala (or Cicala) ( it, Lanfranco, oc, Lafranc; fl. 1235–1257) was a Genoese nobleman, knight, judge, and man of letters of the mid thirteenth century. He remains one of the most famous Occitan troubadours of Lombardy. Thirty-two o ...
. Another work by Luchetto, ''Luchetz, se.us platz mais amar finamen'', a ''
tenso
A ''tenso'' (; french: tençon) is a style of troubadour song. It takes the form of a debate in which each voice defends a position; common topics relate to love or ethics. Usually, the tenso is written by two different poets, but several examples ...
'' with another Genoese troubadour,
Bonifaci Calvo
Bonifaci, Bonifatz, or Bonifacio Calvo ( fl. 1253–1266) was a Genoese troubadour of the late thirteenth century. The only biographical account of (part of) his life is found in the '' vida'' of Bertolome Zorzi. He is, however, the most no ...
, which must have been written after Calvo's return to Genoa in 1266, exists incompletely. In the various manuscripts in which are preserved these works, Luchetto's name appears Occitanised as Luchetz, Luqetz, or Luquet and Gateluz or Gatelus.
Diplomat and statesman
Luchetto's first diplomatic activity occurred in 1266, when he acted as an ambassador from Genoa to
Pope Clement IV
Pope Clement IV ( la, Clemens IV; 23 November 1190 – 29 November 1268), born Gui Foucois ( la, Guido Falcodius; french: Guy de Foulques or ') and also known as Guy le Gros ( French for "Guy the Fat"; it, Guido il Grosso), was bishop of Le P ...
and Charles of Anjou. In 1270 he was assigned by the
Angevins to "examine" the government of the
podestà
Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...
Orlando Putagio in
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
. His first major political assignment is related in the ''Chronicon'' of
Pietro Cantinelli under the year 1272: ''Dominus Luchittus de Cataluxiis de Janua fuit potestas Bononiae'' ("Lord Luchetto Gattilusio of Genoa made podestà of
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 ...
"). Luchetto was still acting as Guelph podestà of Bologna on 6 March 1277, when
Enzo of Sardinia
Enzo (or Enzio; 14 March 1272) was an illegitimate son of the Hohenstaufen emperor Frederick II, who appointed him 'King of Sardinia' in 1238. He played a major role in the wars between Guelphs and Ghibellines in the Imperial kingdom of Italy, an ...
, son of the
Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusa ...
and long languishing in a Bolognese prison, dictated his testament in the presence of ''nobili viro Luchitto de Gatalusiis cive januensi Bonon. Praetore'' ("nobleman Luchetto Gattilusio, citizen of Genoa,
praetor
Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...
of Bologna," praetor being synonymous with podestà at that time). The next year (1273), however, he was also ''
capitano del popolo
Captain of the People ( it, Capitano del popolo, Lombard: ''Capitani del Popol'') was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian ci ...
'' of
Lucca
Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.
Lucca is known as one o ...
under Charles. He was still at Lucca in 1277.
In 1282 Luchetto served a term as podestà of
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. Then, on 13 October 1284 he was a member of the Genoese delegation which reconfirmed the alliance between Genoa, Lucca, and
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
against
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
. In 1295 he again acted as Genoese ambassador to the pope, this time
Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial ...
, and helped seal a peace with
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
. On that mission he also received a
papal bull for a church he had built at Priano in
Sestri Ponente
Sestri Ponente is an industrial suburb of Genoa in northwest Italy. It is part of the Medio Ponente ''municipio'' of Genoa.
Geography
It is situated on the Ligurian Sea four miles to the west of the city, between Pegli and Cornigliano. Its pop ...
. His last position of state was in
Cremona
Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...
, where he served as podestà in 1301. He appears in documents for the last time in 1307.
Private life
Through his long and varied career Luchetto had acquired interests in property in
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, and he appeared in documents of
Nino Visconti
Ugolino Visconti (died 1296), better known as Nino, was the Giudice of Gallura from 1275 or 1276 to his death. He was a son of Giovanni Visconti and grandson of Ugolino della Gherardesca. He was the first husband of Beatrice d'Este, daughter of O ...
,
Judge of Gallura
The kings or ''judges'' (''iudices'' or ''judikes'') of Kingdom of Gallura, Gallura were the local rulers of the northeast of Sardinia during the Middle Ages. Theirs was the closest kingdom to Corsica.
*Manfred of Gallura, Manfred (c. 1020 &nda ...
, and
Ugolino della Gherardesca
Ugolino della Gherardesca (March 1289), Count of Donoratico, was an Italian nobleman, politician and naval commander. He was frequently accused of treason and features prominently in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''.
Biography
In the 13th century, the ...
, ''capitano del popolo'' of Pisa. His literary interests may have taken him into contact with
Brunetto Latini
Brunetto Latini (who signed his name ''Burnectus Latinus'' in Latin and ''Burnecto Latino'' in Italian; –1294) was an Italian philosopher, scholar, notary, politician and statesman.
Life
Brunetto Latini was born in Florence in 1220 to a Tuscan ...
. Economically he exercised power over the market in Bologna for many years. Though his marital and familial relations are unknown, he did have a brother named Gattino and a daughter named Ilisina. He is not to be confused, however, with another podestà of the same name who ruled in
Savona
Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea.
Savona used to be one of the chie ...
in 1301.
Sources
*Bertoni, Giulio. ''I Trovatori d'Italia: Biografie, testi, tradizioni, note''. Rome: Società Multigrafica Editrice Somu, 1967
915
{{Authority control
13th-century Genoese people
Italian untitled nobility
13th-century Italian troubadours
Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines
1307 deaths
Year of birth unknown