Flavio Biondo (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
Flavius Blondus) (1392 – June 4, 1463) was an Italian
Renaissance humanist
Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...
historian. He was one of the first historians to use a three-period division of history (Ancient, Medieval, Modern) and is known as one of the
first archaeologists.
Born in the capital city of
Forlì
Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a '' comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna.
The city is situated along the Vi ...
, in the
Romagna
Romagna ( rgn, Rumâgna) is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to th ...
region, Flavio was well schooled from an early age, studying under
Ballistario of Cremona. During a brief stay in Milan, he discovered and transcribed the unique manuscript of
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
's dialogue ''Brutus''. He moved to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1433 where he began work on his writing career; he was appointed secretary to the
Cancelleria under
Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...
in 1444 and accompanied Eugene in his exile in Ferrara and Florence. After his patron's death, Flavio was employed by his papal successors,
Nicholas V,
Callixtus III
Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to hi ...
and the humanist
Pius II
Pope Pius II ( la, Pius PP. II, it, Pio II), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini ( la, Aeneas Silvius Bartholomeus, links=no; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August ...
.
Archaeological works
Flavio published three encyclopedic works that were systematic and documented guides to the ruins and
topography of ancient Rome, for which he has been called one of the first archaeologists; subsequent antiquaries and historians built on the foundations laid down by Flavio and by his older contemporary,
Poggio Bracciolini
Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (11 February 1380 – 30 October 1459), usually referred to simply as Poggio Bracciolini, was an Italian scholar and an early Renaissance humanist. He was responsible for rediscovering and recovering many clas ...
. At the time the ruins of ancient Rome were overgrown and unexplored. When in 1420 Bracciolini climbed the
Capitol he saw only deserted fields. The
Forum, buried in eroded topsoil, was grazed by cows—the ''Campo Vaccino''—and pigs rooted in its unweeded vegetation. Flavio and fellow humanists like
Leone Battista Alberti
Leon Battista Alberti (; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer; he epitomised the nature of those identified now as polymaths. H ...
began to explore and document the architecture, topography and history of Rome, and in the process revived a vision of Rome's former glory.
Flavio's first work was ''De Roma instaurata'' (''Rome Restored'', 3 vols., 1444–1448), a reconstruction of ancient Roman
topography
Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps.
Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sc ...
. It was and remains a highly influential humanist vision of restoring Rome to its previous heights of grandeur by recreating what Rome used to look like based on the ruins which remained. This work was the first systematic and well documented guide to the ruins of Rome, or indeed any ancient ruins.
The second was the highly popular ''De Roma triumphante'' (''Rome Triumphant'', 1479) about
pagan
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...
Rome as a model for contemporary governmental and military reforms. The book was highly influential in reviving Roman patriotism and respect for ancient Rome, while presenting the
papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
as a continuation of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
.
Historical works
Biondo's greatest works were ''Italia illustrata'' (''Italy Illuminated'', written between 1448 and 1458, published 1474) and the ''Historiarum ab inclinatione Romanorum imperii decades'' (''Decades of History from the Deterioration of the Roman Empire'', written from 1439 to 1453, published in 1483).
The ''Italia illustrata'' (1474) is a geography, based on the author's personal travels, and history of fourteen Italian regions (regiones). Unlike medieval geographers, whose focus was regional, Biondo, taking
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
for his model, reinstated the idea of ''Italy'' to include the whole of the peninsula. Through topography, he intended to link Antiquity with modern times, with descriptions of each location, the etymology of its
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
and its changes through time, with a synopsis of important events connected with each location. This first historical geography starts with the Roman Republic and Empire, through 400 years of barbarian invasions and an analysis of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
and later
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
s. He gives an excellent description of the humanist revival and restoration of the classics during the first half of the fifteenth century.
Flavio's greatest work is the ''Historiarum ab Inclinatione Romanorum Imperii'' (Venice, 1483), a history of Europe in thirty-two books, from the plunder of Rome in 410 by the
Visigoths
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is k ...
to contemporary Italy (1442). Using only the most reliable and primary sources, it used a three-period framework, with Italy reviving in Biondo's own time and breaking free of earlier trends.
Leonardo Bruni also used a three-period framework in ''History of the Florentine People'', written at about the same time as Biondo's work.
Sources
* Repertorium Blondianu
*''Rome Restored'', Edited by Fabio Della Schiava and William McCuaig, English translation, To be announced.
"Flavio Biondo" In ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
'' Online.
"Flavio Biondo"in ''
Catholic Encyclopedia
The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
'' (1907).
* Castner, Catherine J. (ed., trans., comm.). ''Biondo Flavio's Italia illustrata: Text, translation, and commentary. Vol. I: Northern Italy.'' (Binghamton, NY: Global Academic Publishing, 2005).
* J. A. White (ed., trans.), Biondo Flavio, ''Italy Illuminated. Vol. 1: Books I-IV,'' I Tatti Renaissance Library 20 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005) and ''Italy Illuminated. Vol. 2: Books V-VIII,'' I Tatti Renaissance Library 75 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016)
* F. Della Schiava (ed.), Blondus Flavius, "Roma instaurata". Vol. 1, Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Biondo Flavio, 7 (Roma: Istituto Storico Italiano per il Medioevo, 2020)
External links
''De Origine et Gestis Venetorum''(part of the ''Opera'' Basel 1531)
''Historiae Ab Inclinatione Romanorum Imperii''(part of the ''Opera'' Basel 1531)
''Historiarum ab inclinatione romanorum imperii''(Venice: Octavianus Scotus, 1483; Hain *3248)
''In Romam Instauratam''''Roma Instaurata''(part of the ''Opera'' Basel 1531)
''Italia Illustrata''(part of the ''Opera'' Basel 1531)
''Triumphans Roma'' (part of the ''Opera'' Basel 1531)
''Historiam Blondi forliviensis ab inclinatione Imperii romanorum''(Naples, 1494)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biondo, Flavio
1392 births
1463 deaths
People from Forlì
15th-century Italian historians
Italian Renaissance humanists
15th-century Latin writers
15th-century Italian writers
15th-century antiquarians