Rustichello da Pisa, also known as Rusticiano (fl. late 13th century), was an Italian romance writer in Franco-Italian language. He is best known for co-writing

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

's autobiography, '' The Travels of Marco Polo'', while they were in prison together in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

. Earlier, he wrote the ''Roman de Roi Artus'' (''Romance of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

''), also known as the ''Compilation'', the earliest known Arthurian romance by an Italian author.

Life and work

Rustichello appears to have been a native of

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 ci ...

. His first known work, the French text known as the ''Roman de Roi Artus'' or, simply, the ''Compilation'', appears to derive from a particular book in the possession of

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

when he passed through Italy on his way to fighting in the

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see an ...

in 1270 to 1274. While written in French, it is the first known romance by an Italian author to address the Arthurian legend.Hoffman, "Rusticiano Pisa", p. 392. The ''Compilation'' contains an interpolation of the '' Palamedes'', a now-fragmentary prose account of Arthur's

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

knight Palamedes, and a history of the Round Table. It was later divided into two sections, named after their principal protagonists, '' Meliadus'' (

Tristan Tristan ( Latin/Brythonic: ''Drustanus''; cy, Trystan), also known as Tristram or Tristain and similar names, is the hero of the legend of Tristan and Iseult. In the legend, he is tasked with escorting the Irish princess Iseult to wed ...

's father) and ''

Guiron le Courtois Guiron le Courtois is a character in Arthurian legend, a knight-errant and one of the central figures in the French romance known as '' Palamedes'', with later versions named ''Guiron le Courtois'' and the ''Compilation'' of Rustichello da Pisa. In ...

''. Both remained popular for hundreds of years, and influenced many later works written in French as well as in Spanish, Italian, and even Greek. Rustichello may have been captured by the Genoese at the

Battle of Meloria The Battle of Meloria was fought near the islet of Meloria in the Ligurian Sea on 5 and 6 August 1284 between the fleets of the Republics of Genoa and Pisa as part of the Genoese-Pisan War. The victory of Genoa and the destruction of the Pisa ...

in 1284, amid a conflict between the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the La ...

and the Republic of Pisa. When Polo was imprisoned around 1298, possibly after a clash between Genoa and

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 ...

(according to tradition the

Battle of Curzola The Battle of Curzola (today Korčula, southern Dalmatia, now in Croatia) was a naval battle fought on 9 September 1298 between the Genoese and Venetian navies. It was a disaster for Venice, a major setback among the many battles fought in the ...

''The Travels of Marco Polo'', p. 16.), he told his tales of travel to Rustichello. Together they created the book known as '' The Travels of Marco Polo''.

Notes

References

* * * Polo, Marco; Latham, Ronald (translator) (1958). ''The Travels of Marco Polo''. New York: Penguin Books. *Cigni, Fabrizio. (1994). '' Il romanzo arturiano di Rustichello da Pisa'', Edizione critica, traduzione e note, Pisa: Pacini, 1996.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pisa, Rustichello da 13th-century births 14th-century deaths Writers of Arthurian literature Italian writers in French Italian male writers People from Pisa 13th-century Italian writers Marco Polo