Frate Atanasiu di Iaci or Athanasiu da Jaci () was a

Benedictine monk The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they ...

and historiographer from Aci. He wrote ''Vinuta di lu re Japicu in Catania'' (c.1295), a Sicilian

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

(or

romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

) of the arrival and stay of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

in May 1287. He may also be the author of another Sicilian history, ''

Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia ''Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia'', fully ''Cronica di lu rebellamentu di Sichilia contra re Carlu'', is a Sicilian historical chronicle of the War of the Vespers written around 1290. The anonymous ''Rebellamentu'', probably written at Messina, was ...

'', written circa 1290, by an anonymous person of

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

. Vincenzo di Giovanni suggested that Atanasiu was of

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

ancestry. Vincenzo de Gaetano first expressed doubt about the authenticity of the ''Vinuta'' and the historicity of Atanasiu. The ''Vinuta'' appears in no earlier work than

Pietro Carrera Pietro Carrera (July 12, 1573 – September 18, 1647) was an Italian chess player, historian, priest and author. Biography Pietro Carrera born in Sicily, in Militello in Val di Catania (Province of Catania), located in the Valley of Noto; here ...

, ''Delle memorie historiche della città di Cantania'' (1639). He claimed to have found it in a manuscript of San Nicolò l'Arena, now lost. It was first published by the Pietro Bentivegna of

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

in their ''Opuscoli di autori Siciliani'' (1760). Its authorship was also treated by Antonio Mongitore ''Biblioteca Sicula'' (1708). The ''Vinuta'' was accepted as authentic by Enrico Sicardi for his 1917 edition.

Kenneth Setton Kenneth Meyer Setton (June 17, 1914 – February 18, 1995) was an American historian and an expert on the history of medieval Europe, particularly the Crusades. Early life, education and awards Setton's childhood and adolescence were not easy ...

follows him, but notes that though it sometimes adds valuable details to the history of the

War of the Sicilian Vespers The War of the Sicilian Vespers, also shortened to the War of the Vespers, was a conflict waged by several medieval European kingdoms over control of Sicily from 1282 to 1302. The war, which started with the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers, was ...

, it is frequently untrustworthy. Giulio Bertoni considered it authentic, pointing to the antiquity of its language. More recently, Louis Mendola contends that there is no basis for believing in the historicity of its putative author.Louis Mendola (2015), ''Sicily's Rebellion against King Charles'' (New York), English translation of the Spinelli Codex of ''Lu rebellamentu di Sichilia'', 15. If authentic, the ''Vinuta'' is an important source for the influence of the

Italian language Italian (, , or , ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. It evolved from the colloquial Latin of the Roman Empire. Italian is the least divergent language from Latin, together with Sardinian language, Sardinian. It is ...

s on Sicilian. Below is a passage describing James' arrival in Catania, then occupied by the Angevins, mostly Frenchmen, followers of Charles of Anjou: The French (''franzisi'') had landed on the same day between Catania and

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

and had begun to besiege Augusta. By June their supplies were running short. In July they were forced to lift their siege of Augusta and their garrison fled Catania.

Editions

*Biondelli, Bernardino (1856)
''Studi linguìstici''
G. Bernardoni.

Notes

{{Authority control 13th-century Italian writers People from Aci Castello 13th-century Italian historians Writers from Sicily 13th-century Italian Christian monks People of the War of the Sicilian Vespers Italian Benedictines