Thomas Tuscus or Thomas of PaviaLatin: ''Thomas de Papia'' (c. 1212 – c. 1282)Pierre Péano, "Thomas de Pavie", ''Dictionnaire de spiritualité ascetique e mystique'' XV (Paris: Beauchenes, 1991), col. 867–68. was a

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 ...

friar and historian. Between 1279 and 1285 he wrote the ''Gesta imperatorum et pontificum'' ("Deeds of the Emperors and Popes"), a history of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

and

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

from the reign of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

down to 1279. Auguste Molinier
"2769. Thomas Tuscus"
''Collections numériques de la Sorbonne'' 3 (1903): 166–67.Regis J. Armstrong, J. A. Wayne Hellmann, and William J. Short (eds.), ''Francis of Assisi – The Prophet, Vol. 3: Early Documents'' (New York: New City Press, 2001), pp. 791ff. In his work, Thomas claims to have travelled widely in Europe. In 1245, he was in the company of Saint

Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; ; ; born Giovanni di Fidanza; 1221 – 15 July 1274) was an Italian Catholic Franciscan bishop, Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal, Scholasticism, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General ( ...

at the Council of Lyon. Thomas's main sources are

Martin of Opava Martin of Opava, Order of Preachers, O.P. (died 1278) also known as Martin of Poland, was a 13th-century Dominican Order, Dominican friar, bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and chronicler. Life Known in Latin language, Latin as ''Frater Martinu ...

and Vincent of Beauvais, but he adds much original material, most of it legendary. His account of the reign of

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

is littered with popular anecdotes. In general, he expresses

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

sympathies: hostility to the Staufer and partisanship for the Angevins.

Editions

*Ehrenfeuchter, Ernst. (ed.
''Thomae Tusci, Gesta imperatorum et pontificum''

Monumenta Germaniae Historica The (Latin for "Historical Monuments of Germany"), frequently abbreviated MGH, is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of parts of Northwestern, Central and Souther ...

, Scriptores, 22 (1872): 483–528.

References

{{Authority control 1210s births 1280s deaths Italian Friars Minor Franciscan scholars