2018/01/09 by David Napolitano, Napolitano, David Pierangelo Hubert
Arts and Humanities · #Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor #Charles of Anjou #Giovanni da Viterbo’s De regimine civitatum #Medieval Literature and History #Middle Ages #Political Thought #Reformation and Early Modern Christianity #Renaissance and Early Modern Studies #city magistrate (podestà)
paper · doi:10.6092/1593-2214/5403
openalex publication_date 2018/01/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
It is generally accepted that the final section of Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor, known as his Politica, is largely based upon Giovanni da Viterbo’s De regimine civitatum. Notwithstanding this agreement on the derivative relationship between both texts, Latini’s Politica continues to puzzle scholars. Based upon a historically informed textual comparison and analysis this article argues that the amount of intervention by Brunetto Latini – and its coherence in direction – is highly instructive on the originality of Latini’s rewriting and indicative of its purpose. Finally, this article sheds light on the historical factors underlying Latini’s decision to select Giovanni da Viterbo’s text.