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Paolino Veneto ( – 22 June 1344) was an Italian
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
inquisitor, diplomat and historian. He served as an ambassador for the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
and the
Papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
. From 1324 until his death, he was the
bishop of Pozzuoli The Diocese of Pozzuoli () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Campania, southern Italy. It is a suffragan of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples,Robert of Naples Robert of Anjou (), known as Robert the Wise (; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Italian politics of his time. He was the thir ...
. He wrote three
universal chronicle A universal history is a work aiming at the presentation of a history of all of humankind as a whole. Universal historians try to identify connections and patterns among individual historical events and phenomena, making them part of a general narr ...
s in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
–the ''Epithoma'', ''Compendium'' and ''Satirica''–and a
mirror for princes Mirrors for princes or mirrors of princes () constituted a literary genre of didactic political writings throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was part of the broader speculum or mirror literature genre. The Latin term ''speculum reg ...
in Venetian.


Life

Paolino was born between 1270 and 1274. Nothing is known of his family background. He may have been born in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, as his surname implies, but it is possible that he acquired the name by joining the Franciscan convent of
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly abbreviated to ''the Frari'', is a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, Italy. It is the largest church in the city and it has the status ...
in Venice. He is first recorded in the ''Liber contractuum'' of the Franciscans of
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
as a student in their ''studium'' on 12 December 1293.


Lecturer and inquisitor

In 1301, Paolino was a lecturer in theology at Venice. He was present on 30 November when the
inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literall ...
Antonio da Padova confronted Doge
Pietro Gradenigo Pietro Gradenigo (1251 – 13 August 1311) was the 49th Doge of Venice, reigning from 1289 to his death. When he was elected Doge, he was serving as the podestà of Capodistria in Istria. Venice suffered a serious blow with the Fall of Acre, ...
over the introduction of the
inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
into Venice. On 12 August 1302, in his capacity as guardian of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, he was ordered by the
papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...
Guy de Neuville to hand over the money which the inquisitor Alessandro Novello had given to the convent. By 1304 he was a '' custos'' in the Franciscan province of Venice. On 5 October, he was present in the in Treviso to witness the agreement ending the Salt War between Padua and Venice. Between 1305 and 1308, Paolino was an inquisitor in the
March of Treviso The March of Treviso (, or ) was a medieval territory in Venetia, between the Garda and the Julian March. The territory corresponded roughly to the region around the city of Treviso, including Belluno, Feltre, and Ceneda and the dioceses of a ...
. In 1307–1308, he was investigated by the canonist
Giovanni d'Andrea Giovanni d'Andrea or Johannes Andreæ (1270  1275 – 1348) was an Italian expert in canon law. His contemporaries referred to him as ''iuris canonici fons et tuba'' ("the fount and trumpet of canon law"). Most important among ...
and the legate Guillaume de Balait after he was accused by Ainardo da Ceneda of accepting bribes. He allegedly spent the money on parchment and books. By March 1308, he was again lecturing in Venice. On 24 October, Guillaume de Balait authorized Bishop
Pagano della Torre Pagano may refer to: * Pagano (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pagano (Milan Metro), a rapid transit stop in Milan, Italy * A kit car originally designed by Ockelbo-Lundgren * Pagano (wrestler), Mexican professional wrestle ...
to release Paolino from his
excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in Koinonia, communion with other members o ...
if he repaid 300 gold florins by Christmas.


Diplomat

Paolino is not mentioned in any source for the next seven years. On 22 September 1315, he is listed as a citizen of the commune of Treviso. In 1315–1316 and 1320, he was the diplomatic representative of the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
to the court of King
Robert of Naples Robert of Anjou (), known as Robert the Wise (; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Italian politics of his time. He was the thir ...
. The first mission, coming while Venice was under interdict for its part in the , resulted in a treaty between Venice and Naples. It was Paolino's first visit to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
. The second mission took him to
Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
, where Robert was staying. He secured compensation for damages inflicted on a Venetian ship by Genoese pirates, Genoa being under Robert's rule at the time. Around 1321, Paolino was named to the
Apostolic Penitentiary The Apostolic Penitentiary (), formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is a dicastery led by the Major Penitentiary of the Roman Curia and is one of the three ordinary tribunals of the Holy See, Apostolic See. The Ap ...
, then at
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
in Provence. He was also made a papal chaplain. On 24 September 1321, Paolino was charged by Pope
John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by the Conclave of ...
with examining the ''
Liber secretorum fidelium crucis The ''Liber Secretorum Fidelium Crucis'' (literally 'Book of the Secrets of the Faithful of the Cross') is a Latin work by Marino Sanuto the Elder. It is one of the Recovery of the Holy Land, "recovery of the Holy Land" treatises intended to ins ...
'', a treatise on a new crusade submitted by
Marino Sanudo Torsello Marino Sanuto (or Sanudo) Torsello (c. 1270–1343) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian statesman and geographer. He is best known for his lifelong attempts to revive the crusades, crusading spirit and movement; with this objective he wrote his '' ...
. Paolino and three others examined the work in Paolino's house in Avignon. From 1322 to 1326, Paolino served as the papal ambassador to Venice. In this capacity, he also dealt with the
Visconti of Milan The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the V ...
, the Este of Ferrara and the city of
Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...
, which were all under Venetian protection and papal interdict at the time. His first mission was to end hostilities between Venice and
Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...
. His second was to Ferrara, which was then in revolt against the papal rule.


Bishop

In 1324, Paolino was elected bishop of Pozzuoli in the
Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...
, possibly through intervention of the king. He was consecrated by Cardinal
Bertrand de la Tour Bertrand de la Tour (1265? – 1332 or 1333), also known as Bertrand de Turre, was a French Franciscan theologian and cardinal. De la Tour was born in Camboulit in the old province of Quercy, France. Serving as a provincial minister in Aquitai ...
. He did not arrive in
Pozzuoli Pozzuoli (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula. History Antiquity Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of ''Dicaearchia ...
until 1326, after his last diplomatic mission to Venice. From 1328 until his death, he served as an important advisor on the royal council. There is relatively little information on his activities as bishop. Several letters he received from Marino Sanudo survive from this time. It was also during this period that he met
Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...
in Naples. He exerted and important influence on the Florentine's "intellectual development and his exposure to the non-Christian world." Paolino divided his time as bishop between Pozzuoli and the royal court in Naples. He died at Pozzuoli in 1344. The date of death is not known, but it took place before 22 June, the date of a papal inventory of his belongings. In accordance with the papal right of spoil, some of his books made their way to the
Papal Library The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...
in Avignon.


Works


''Trattato de regimine rectoris''

Paolino's earliest work is ''Trattato de regimine rectoris'' ('treatise on the conduct of a lord').; . It is a treatise on government of the
mirror for princes Mirrors for princes or mirrors of princes () constituted a literary genre of didactic political writings throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was part of the broader speculum or mirror literature genre. The Latin term ''speculum reg ...
genre. It was written between 1313 and 1315 in Venetian (with a Latin prologue) and dedicated to the Venetian
duke of Candia This is a list of rulers of the island of Crete throughout its history. Antiquity Crete was conquered for the Roman Republic by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus in 69 BC and united with the Cyrenaica in the province of Creta et Cyrenaica unt ...
, a member of the
Badoer The Badoer (, ) were an aristocratic family in the Republic of Venice. The Badoer traced their ancestry, without any factual basis, to Doge Giustiniano Participazio in the early 9th century. In fact, they rose to prominence in the 13th century. ...
family named Marino. It is divided into three sections on governing oneself, governing one's family and political governance. Its structure and content are based on the ''De regimine principum'' of
Giles of Rome Giles of Rome (; ; – 22 December 1316) was a medieval philosopher and Scholastic theologian and a friar of the Order of St Augustine, who was also appointed to the positions of prior general of his order and as Archbishop of Bourges. ...
or possibly on the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
translation by Henri de Gauchi. Compared to Giles, Paolino is pithy and practical.


Universal chronicles

Paolino wrote three universal chronicles in Latin. He worked on the project from 1306 to 1331. In chronological order the three are the ''Epithoma'', ''Compendium'' and ''Satirica''. *The ''Notabilium historiarum Epithoma'' ('epitome of notable histories') runs from
Creation Creation or The Creation or Creations, may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Creation'' (1922 film), a British silent drama * ''Creation'' (unfinished film), 1931 * ''Creation'' (2009 film), about Charles Darwin Literature * ''Creation ...
to the death of the Emperor Henry VII in 1313. Completed before 1316, it is the most traditional of the three and is based on
Vincent of Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( or ; ; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his '' Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work of compilation that was widely read in the Middl ...
's ''
Speculum historiale The or (Latin: "The Greater Mirror") was a major encyclopedia of the Middle Ages written by Vincent of Beauvais in the 13th century. It was a great compendium of all knowledge of the time. The work seems to have consisted of three parts: the (" ...
''. It is preserved in four 14th-century manuscripts, all now in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
. *The ''Compendium'' or ''Chronologia magna'' ('great chronology') covers the same period as the ''Epithoma'' with the addition of a section on
Outremer The Crusader states, or Outremer, were four Catholic polities established in the Levant region and southeastern Anatolia from 1098 to 1291. Following the principles of feudalism, the foundation for these polities was laid by the First Crusade ...
, a ''
mappa mundi A ''mappa mundi'' (Latin ; plural = ''mappae mundi''; ; ) is any medieval European map of the world. Such maps range in size and complexity from simple schematic maps or less across to elaborate wall maps, the largest of which to survive to ...
'' and a map of the Holy Land. It was completed between 1321 and 1323, but updated later. It survives in both long and short versions in five manuscripts, including what is probably an
autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Intern ...
,
Biblioteca Marciana The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark (, but in historical documents commonly referred to as the ) is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for manuscripts in Italy and ...
MS lat. 399. There also survives a translation and adaptation in
Old Occitan Old Occitan (, ), also called Old Provençal, was the earliest form of the Occitano-Romance languages, as attested in writings dating from the 8th to the 14th centuries. Old Occitan generally includes Early and Old Occitan. Middle Occitan is some ...
. The Occitan version, ''L'Abreujamen de las estorias'', survives in a single manuscript Egerton MS 1500 that was produced in
Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...
between 1321 and 1324. *The ''Satirica rerum gestarum'' ('satyricon of the deeds of the world') runs from Creation to 1320. It is divided into 238 chapters. Paolino finished working on it only after his election as bishop. It differs from the others by the inclusion of some
saints' lives A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
, notably that of
Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...
, and an account of
Pietro da Macerata Pietro da Macerata (d. 26 August 1307) was a Franciscan monk in the late 13th century. He was one of the founders, and later the head of the Fraticelli group, ''Pauperes eremitae'', also known as the ''Pauperes Heremitae Domini Coelestini''. He w ...
and Pietro da Fossombrone, founders of the
Fraticelli The ''Fraticelli'' (Italian language, Italian for “Little Brethren”) or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the Monastic rule, rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty, and regarded the wealth of the Catholic ...
, whom Paolino regarded as heretics. It is preserved in four 14th-century and five 15th-century manuscripts. The manuscript Vat. lat. 1960 in the
Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library (, ), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City, and is the city-state's national library. It was formally established in 1475, alth ...
includes a notice of the martyrdom of
Thomas of Tolentino Thomas of Tolentino, OFM ( or '; 8 April 1321) was an Italian Order of Friars Minor, Franciscan missionary who was Christian martyrdom, martyred with his three companions in Thane, Delhi Sultanate, India, for Islam and blasphemy, blaspheming Muh ...
in India in 1321.. This manuscript i
digitized online
The impetus for Paolino to write an expanded version of his ''Epithoma'', which resulted in the ''Compendium'' and ''Satirica'', was his meeting with Marino Sanudo and his review of Sanudo's ''Liber secretorum'', which resulted in a correspondence between the two. These interactions broadened Paolino's geographical scope. No complete edition of any of the chronicles exists, owing in part to the complexity of the manuscripts, which are replete with large tables. Certain excerpts have been extracted and published separately. Paolino was widely used as a source in the 14th and 15th centuries. His contemporary,
Andrea Dandolo Andrea Dandolo (13067 September 1354) was the 54th doge of Venice from 1343 to 1354. He was elected to replace Bartolomeo Gradenigo who died in 1342. Early life Trained in historiography and law, Dandolo studied at the University of Padua, w ...
, cites the ''Satirica'' in his ''Chronica per extensum descripta''. He was also used by
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 humanism, Renaissance humanist. He is noted for rediscovering and recove ...
,
Coluccio Salutati Coluccio Salutati (16 February 1331 – 4 May 1406) was an Italian Renaissance humanist and notary, and one of the most important political and cultural leaders of Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history ...
and
Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...
. Boccaccio had a mixed opinion of Paolino as a historian. In the eighth chapter of Book XIV of his ''
Genealogie deorum gentilium ''Genealogia deorum gentilium'', known in English as ''On the Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles'', is a mythography or encyclopedic compilation of the tangled family relationships of the classical pantheons of Ancient Greece and Rome, wr ...
'', published around 1363, he praised him, but he left critical remarks in his own copy of Paolino's ''Compendium''. He considered him often to be, in the words of Roberta Morosini, "confused and ignorant". Nonetheless, he copied the account of the life of
Muḥammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
in Paolino's ''Satirica'' into one of his notebooks, the '' Zibaldone Magliabechiano'', under the title ''De Maumeth propheta Saracenorum''. The ''Epithoma'' and ''Satirica'' today are not highly valued for their historical information. The ''Compendium'', however, does contain some valuable information on early Franciscan history. The so-called fifth biography of Pope
Clement V Pope Clement V (; – 20 April 1314), born Raymond Bertrand de Got (also occasionally spelled ''de Guoth'' and ''de Goth''), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 5 June 1305 to his death, in April 1314. He is reme ...
(1305–1314) and the fourth of John XXII (1316–1334) are in fact extracts from the ''Satirica'' that circulated independently.


Ecclesiastical writings

Paolino's works on the Franciscans are more valuable today as sources of information than his universal chronicles. His ''Provinciale ordinis fratrum minorum'' catalogues the provinces, custodies and convents of the contemporary Franciscan order. It was produced around 1334. Paolino is probably also responsible for compiling the ''Liber privilegiorum ordinis Minorum'' found in the manuscript , MS 49. Written around 1323, it contains copies of papal privileges granted to the Franciscans. Paolino also wrote an outline of the ecclesiastical provinces and diocese subject to Rome, entitled ''Provinciale Romanae curiae''.


Short writings

Paolino wrote four standalone treatises as supplements to the ''Satirica'', to which they were usually appended: ''De mapa mundi'' ('on world maps'), ''De ludo scachorum'' ('on the game of chess'), ''De diis gentium et fabulis poetarum'' ('on the gods of the pagans and the fables of the poets') and ''De providentia et fortuna'' ('on providence and fate').; . Alternative spellings include ''De mappa mundi'' and ''De ludo scacorum''.


Notes


Bibliography


Editions

* *


Secondary literature

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1270s births 1344 deaths People from Venice 14th-century Venetian writers Medieval Venetian historians 14th-century Italian historians 14th-century writers in Latin Italian Franciscans Franciscan bishops Franciscan writers Franciscan scholars 14th-century Italian diplomats Ambassadors of the Republic of Venice to the Holy See Ambassadors to the Kingdom of Naples Apostolic nuncios to the Republic of Venice 14th-century Neapolitan people Bishops of Pozzuoli Venetian language