Benvenuto Rambaldi da Imola
Encyclopedia
Benvenuto Rambaldi da Imola, or simply and perhaps more accurately Benvenuto da Imola (1320? – 1388) was an Italian scholar and historian, a lecturer at Bologna. He is now best known for his commentary on Dante
's Divine Comedy.
, into a family of legal officers. In 1361–2 he was working for Gómez Albornoz, governor of Bologna
and nephew of Cardinal Egidio Albornoz.
In 1365 he went on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the city, to Avignon
and Pope Urban V
. At the time members of the Alidosi family dominated Imola, and other citizens looked to the papacy for a change. The petition brought by Benvenuto and others failed; the local political situation at home caused him to move on without returning, going to Bologna, where he made a living as a teacher. He was made the subject of accusations there of indecency, which may have been connected to lectures on the Inferno; on the other hand Benvenuto himself had made accusations to the papal legate in Bologna of improper teacher-student relationships of others. While previously in Bologna he may have lectured officially, and did teach some classical authors, his later lectures were in a private house, that of the grammarian Giovanni de Soncino.
In 1373 he visited Florence
and there heard Boccaccio lecture on Dante. From 1375 he was based in Ferrara
. There he had the protection of Niccolò II d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, whom he had met in Avignon.
. His commentary on Dante was known as the Comentum super Dantis Aligherii comoediam. Charles Eliot Norton
considered that Benvenuto's commentary on Dante had "a value beyond that of any of the other fourteenth-century commentators". It exists in three versions: one published in 1875, one from his time in Ferrara, and a third published in 1887 (edited by G. F. Lacaita). The second (Ferrara) version is a source for his theory that the Divine Comedy combines the three genres of comedy
, tragedy
and satire
. It influenced Juan de Mena
, in particular, via Giovanni da Serravalle
who had heard Benvenuto teach. Benvenuto acknowledged influence himself from the tradition of Averroes
and Hermannus Alemannus
, as as well as Boccacio.
Other works were:
This work is not connected to the Gesta Romanorum
, but sometimes went under the title De Gestis Romanorum, or in its French version Des fai(t)s des Romains. It circulated in a small number of manuscripts of high quality; the first French translation (1460) was by Jean Miélot
, for Philip the Good and it was transcribed by David Aubert
. Another followed in 1466 by Sébastien Mamerot, for Louis de Laval, seigneur de Châtillon. Six manuscripts of the French Romuléon are known.
He also wrote on Petrarch
's Carmen Bucolicum.
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Divine Comedy.
Life
He was born in ImolaImola
thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...
, into a family of legal officers. In 1361–2 he was working for Gómez Albornoz, governor of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
and nephew of Cardinal Egidio Albornoz.
In 1365 he went on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the city, to Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
and Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V
Pope Urban V , born Guillaume Grimoard, was Pope from 1362 to 1370.-Biography:Grimoard was a native of Grizac in Languedoc . He became a Benedictine and a doctor in Canon Law, teaching at Montpellier and Avignon...
. At the time members of the Alidosi family dominated Imola, and other citizens looked to the papacy for a change. The petition brought by Benvenuto and others failed; the local political situation at home caused him to move on without returning, going to Bologna, where he made a living as a teacher. He was made the subject of accusations there of indecency, which may have been connected to lectures on the Inferno; on the other hand Benvenuto himself had made accusations to the papal legate in Bologna of improper teacher-student relationships of others. While previously in Bologna he may have lectured officially, and did teach some classical authors, his later lectures were in a private house, that of the grammarian Giovanni de Soncino.
In 1373 he visited Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and there heard Boccaccio lecture on Dante. From 1375 he was based in Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. There he had the protection of Niccolò II d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, whom he had met in Avignon.
Works
An early humanist, he wrote still in medieval LatinMedieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
. His commentary on Dante was known as the Comentum super Dantis Aligherii comoediam. Charles Eliot Norton
Charles Eliot Norton
Charles Eliot Norton, was a leading American author, social critic, and professor of art. He was a militant idealist, a progressive social reformer, and a liberal activist whom many of his contemporaries considered the most cultivated man in the United States.-Biography:Norton was born at...
considered that Benvenuto's commentary on Dante had "a value beyond that of any of the other fourteenth-century commentators". It exists in three versions: one published in 1875, one from his time in Ferrara, and a third published in 1887 (edited by G. F. Lacaita). The second (Ferrara) version is a source for his theory that the Divine Comedy combines the three genres of comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
and satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
. It influenced Juan de Mena
Juan de Mena
Juan de Mena was one of the most significant Spanish poets of the fifteenth century. He was highly regarded at the court of Juan II de Castilla, who appointed him veinticuatro of Córdoba, secretario de cartas latinas and cronista real...
, in particular, via Giovanni da Serravalle
Giovanni da Serravalle
Giovanni da Serravalle was an Italian Franciscan and humanist, who became bishop of Fermo and bishop of Fano. He is now best known for his commentary on Dante.-Life:...
who had heard Benvenuto teach. Benvenuto acknowledged influence himself from the tradition of Averroes
Averroes
' , better known just as Ibn Rushd , and in European literature as Averroes , was a Muslim polymath; a master of Aristotelian philosophy, Islamic philosophy, Islamic theology, Maliki law and jurisprudence, logic, psychology, politics, Arabic music theory, and the sciences of medicine, astronomy,...
and Hermannus Alemannus
Hermannus Alemannus
Hermannus Alemannus translated Arabic philosophical works into Latin. He worked at the Toledo School of Translators around the middle of the thirteenth century and is almost certainly to be identified with the Hermannus who was bishop of Astorga in León from 1266 until his death in...
, as as well as Boccacio.
Other works were:
- Romuleon, a Latin compendium of Roman history. It was an extensive compilation in ten books, made in the period 1361–4 for Gómez Albornoz. At the end of the 15th century it was rewritten by Adamo Montaldo. It covered the history from the foundation of Rome to Constantine the Great.
This work is not connected to the Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum, a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th...
, but sometimes went under the title De Gestis Romanorum, or in its French version Des fai(t)s des Romains. It circulated in a small number of manuscripts of high quality; the first French translation (1460) was by Jean Miélot
Jean Miélot
Jean Miélot, also Jehan, was an author, translator, manuscript illuminator, scribe and priest, who served as secretary to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy from 1449 to Philip's death in 1467, and then to his son Charles the Rash. He also served as chaplain to Louis of Luxembourg, Count of St....
, for Philip the Good and it was transcribed by David Aubert
David Aubert
David Aubert was a French calligrapher, who transcribed and adapted courtly romances and chronicles for the court of the Duke of Burgundy...
. Another followed in 1466 by Sébastien Mamerot, for Louis de Laval, seigneur de Châtillon. Six manuscripts of the French Romuléon are known.
- A commentary on VirgilVirgilPublius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Eclogues (Bucolics) and GeorgicsGeorgicsThe Georgics is a poem in four books, likely published in 29 BC. It is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil, following his Eclogues and preceding the Aeneid. It is a poem that draws on many prior sources and influenced many later authors from antiquity to the present...
. Benvenuto was critical of the AeneidAeneidThe Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
commentary of Ciones de Magnali (known as Zono). He also disapproved of the classical commentary of Servius. - Commentaries on LucanLucanLucan is the common English name of the Roman poet Marcus Annaeus Lucanus.Lucan may also refer to:-People:*Arthur Lucan , English actor*Sir Lucan the Butler, Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend...
, Valerius MaximusValerius MaximusValerius Maximus was a Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes. He worked during the reign of Tiberius .-Biography:...
, and the tragedies of Seneca the YoungerSeneca the YoungerLucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
; - Augustalis libellus, a work on Roman emperors, with scope from Julius CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
to the Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Wenceslas.
He also wrote on Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
's Carmen Bucolicum.