The ''Liber Jani de Procida et Palialoco'' ("Book of John of Procida and Palaeologus") is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Tuscan history of the

Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers ( it, Vespri siciliani; scn, Vespiri siciliani) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou, who had ruled the Kingdom of S ...

. It focusses on the conspiratorial role played by

John of Procida John of Procida ( it, Giovanni da Procida) (1210–1298) was an Italian medieval physician and diplomat. He was born in Salerno, educated in the Schola Medica as a physician. He was a noted physician for his age and received a professorial ch ...

, cast as the villain. It was almost certainly written in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

and is often considered synoptic with the ''

Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida The ''Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida'' ("Legend of Mister John of Procida") is a short medieval Tuscan history of the Sicilian Vespers, synoptic with another early Tuscan account, the '' Liber Jani de Procida et Palialoco''. Both texts focus ...

'', written by a Modenese

Guelf The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, rivalr ...

. The contemporaneous Sicilian '' Rebellamentu di Sichilia'' portrays John as a hero. Both Tuscan versions are later than the Sicilian, but may share the ''Reballamentu'' as a source. Conversely, all three may derive from an earlier, now lost source. All three agree on the centrality of John of Procida in the Vespers. The ''Liber'' emphasises his connexion with

Michael VIII Palaeologus Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...

, the

Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

. The famous story of the provocation of the Vespers through the rape of a Sicilian woman by a French soldier is contained within the ''Rebellamentu'' and ''La vinuta di lu re Iapicu in Catania'', the other Sicilian chronicle by Atanasiu di Iaci. The ''Liber Jani'' has a similar story, but in it the woman turns a knife on the Frenchman and his comrades come to his aid.Julia Bolton Holloway (1993), ''Twice-told Tales: Brunetto Latino and Dante Alighieri'' (Florence: Aureo Anello Books, ), 129. The Sicilian version was adopted by Brunetto Latino for his book ''Tesoro'' and by

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

and

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

for their

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

Les vêpres siciliennes ''Les vêpres siciliennes'' (''The Sicilian Vespers'') is a grand opera in five acts by the Italian romantic composer Giuseppe Verdi set to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier from their work ''Le duc d'Albe'' of 1838. ' ...

''. The ''Liber'' is preserved in a

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

manuscript and is published by

Lodovico Antonio Muratori Lodovico Antonio Muratori (21 October 1672 – 23 January 1750) was an Italian historian, notable as a leading scholar of his age, and for his discovery of the Muratorian fragment, the earliest known list of New Testament books. Biography Born ...

in his ''Raccolta degli storici Italiani'', XXXIV.43–78.

Online editions

*Vincenzo di Giovanni (1871), "Liber Yani de Procita et Paliologo,
''Filologia e letteratura siciliana: studii''
(Palermo: L. P. Lauriel), 52–94.

Notes

{{reflist Medieval historical texts Medieval Italian literature War of the Sicilian Vespers Michael VIII Palaiologos