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d. post 1217. Italy. Benedictine monk, author of a Latin cartulary chronicle. Alexander lived and worked at the monastery at Carpineto della Nora, in the province of Pescara in Central Italy at the end of the 12th century, and received recognition for his collaborative work with abbot Bohemond (1181-93). The latter entrusted Alexander with some important embassies to the pope, the Norman monarchy, the imperial ambassador and the local count. Most of these missions concerned conflicts about the property and the rights of the monastery.It was in order to undergird these rights th…

ca 1440-1450. Italy. Anonymous vernacular verse chronicle on the siege of L'Aquila, in central Italy in 1423/24. This poem narrates the final step of the first war between Alfonso the Magnanimous and Joan II of Naples. Braccio da Montone, a soldier of fortune who led a part of the Aragonese army, besieged L'Aquila from May 1423 to June 1424. The resistance of the town enabled the arrival of additional support to the Angevin army, that won the last battle, in which Braccio da Montone died. The poem consists of 532 octaves, divided …

(Anonymous Small Chronicle of the Town of L'Aquila) post 1414. Italy. Annalistic compendium of the chronicles of Buccio di Ranallo, Antonio di Buccio and Niccolò di Borbona. It narrates the history of L'Aquila, in central Italy from 1055 to 1414, but not every year of this period is covered. It contains some new information beyond what is in the three original chronicles, particularly on the years before the foundation of the town (1055-1253). It survives as a part of a 16th-century manuscript containing copies of privileges: L'Aquila, Archivio di Stato, Archivio Civico Aquilano,…

before 1350 – ca 1425. Italy. Author of two chronicles, both written after 1377 in vernacular verse.His first work, Delle cose dell'Aquila (On matters of L'Aquila) is a continuation of Buccio di Ranallo's Cronica, narrating the history of the town of L'Aquila, in central Italy. It was written in the years 1363-81, in 961 quatrains.The second chronicle, Della venuta del re Carlo di Durazzo nel Regno (The Coming of Charles of Durazzo to the Kingdom of Naples), recounts the succession of Charles the Short as King Charles III of Naples. It was written in 1378-82, in 135 oct…

ca 1290-1363. Italy. Born in L'Aquila, in central Italy, he probably belonged to a low-noble class of landowners (Mutini). He was the author of the first and most important chronicle of his town, which runs from 1253 (one year before its foundation) to 1362.The Cronica is written in central Italian vernacular verse and consists of 1249 quatrains with 21 sonnets inserted. Buccio began writing after 1355, when new political institutions were being established in his town. The aim of the chronicle is to warn the new government and the citize…

1430?- post 1485. Italy. Merchant born in Bazzano, a castle near the town of L'Aquila, in which he lived. A consul of the Arte della Lana (wool guild), he took part in the political life of his town from the end of 1450s. He wrote the Cronaca delle cose dell’Aquila dall’anno 1436 all’anno 1485, a continuation of Niccolò di Borbona's chronicle, in vernacular prose.This Cronaca – maybe written from 1460 – recounts the history of the town from 1442 to 1485, giving also some isolated information about 1436. The chronicle begins with L'Aquila besieged by Alfonso the Magnanimous (1442), and it …

[di Bernardino da Collebrincioni] 15th-16th century. Italy. Born in Collebrincioni, near L'Aquila, he wrote a chronicle of this town from 1476 to 1529. Nothing is known about his life and status in society. The chronicle begins with the assassinations of certain eminent people in 1476, and it continues from 1485 with the narration of the most important political events. It ends with the suppression of the revolt of L'Aquila against the Spanish army, by the Prince of Orange in 1529. The chronicle was continued by Simone Caprini until 1563. Vincenzo di Basilio wrote this chronicle…

d. post 1444. Italy. Born in Borbona, a castle near L'Aquila, in central Italy; nothing is known about his life, but probably he was a storyteller. Antinori considered him to have written the Cronaca delle cose dell'Aquila dall'anno 1363 all'anno 1424 (Chronicle of L'Aquila 1363-1424), and he is still usually cited as its author but recently De Matteis questioned this opinion.In fact he almost certainly wrote nine religious and moralistic poems, whose language and style are very different from that of the Cronaca.The chronicle recounts the history of the town of L'Aquila from…

1434-97/8. Italy. Franciscan born in Collebrincioni, near L'Aquila in central Italy, author of a Chronica civitatis Aquilae (Chronicle of the city of L'Aquila) and of a Chronica Ordinis (Chronicle of the [Franciscan] Order). He entered the Order in 1446, and in 1450 he received the ordination as Friar of the Regular Observance. From 1469 he was more than once Guardian of the monastery of St. Bernardine of Siena, one of the most important religious communities in L'Aquila. In 1479-80, he was vicar of the Observant province of Abruzzo. Meanwhile he acted as mediator in the relations…