Home Classical, Ancient Near Eastern & Egyptian Studies Der Herrscher als zweiter Salomo. Zum Bild König Roberts von Anjou in der Renaissance
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Der Herrscher als zweiter Salomo. Zum Bild König Roberts von Anjou in der Renaissance

  • Markus Schürer
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Portraying the Prince in the Renaissance
This chapter is in the book Portraying the Prince in the Renaissance

Abstract

This article focuses on the way King Robert of Anjou is portrayed by three different humanist authors: Francesco Petrarca (Rerum memorandarum libri), Giovanni Boccaccio (Genealogia deorum gentilium), and Domenico Bandini (Fons memorabilium universi). The first two authors paint portraits that, on account of their respective contexts, exhibit certain peculiarities and ambiguities. In Boccaccio, the dignity of poetry is proven at the expense of Robert’s reputation, as it is said that only the intellectual stimulation of poetry could overcome the king’s inborn mental sluggishness. Only because of poetry does he attain Solomonic wisdom as an adult. In Petrarca, the king’s biographical description is bound up with that of the author; Petrarca instrumentalizes the figure of Robert as a foil for his own self-portrayal. In the image he creates, the poet uses his intelligence and eloquence to overcome the king’s skepticism towards poetry and to convert him to it at the end of his life. These two descriptions are later used by Domenico Bandini for his own biographical sketch of Robert. This text is more straightforward than its sources. By putting the information gleaned from the base texts in strict chronological order, Bandini dissolves the peculiarities and ambiguities that characterize the originals.

Abstract

This article focuses on the way King Robert of Anjou is portrayed by three different humanist authors: Francesco Petrarca (Rerum memorandarum libri), Giovanni Boccaccio (Genealogia deorum gentilium), and Domenico Bandini (Fons memorabilium universi). The first two authors paint portraits that, on account of their respective contexts, exhibit certain peculiarities and ambiguities. In Boccaccio, the dignity of poetry is proven at the expense of Robert’s reputation, as it is said that only the intellectual stimulation of poetry could overcome the king’s inborn mental sluggishness. Only because of poetry does he attain Solomonic wisdom as an adult. In Petrarca, the king’s biographical description is bound up with that of the author; Petrarca instrumentalizes the figure of Robert as a foil for his own self-portrayal. In the image he creates, the poet uses his intelligence and eloquence to overcome the king’s skepticism towards poetry and to convert him to it at the end of his life. These two descriptions are later used by Domenico Bandini for his own biographical sketch of Robert. This text is more straightforward than its sources. By putting the information gleaned from the base texts in strict chronological order, Bandini dissolves the peculiarities and ambiguities that characterize the originals.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents VII
  3. Introduction 1
  4. I. Virtues
  5. Der Herrscher und die gute Ordnung. Das Bild Karls VII. in der französischen Historiographie am Übergang von der tradierten zur humanistisch geprägten Historiographie 17
  6. Charlemagne am Renaissancehof. Die Darstellung Karls des Großen in Paolo Emilios De rebus gestis Francorum 39
  7. Guter König, schlechter König? Die Darstellung Heinrichs V. und Heinrichs VI. von England in Polydor Vergils Anglica historia 65
  8. Alfonso ›the Magnanimous‹ of Naples as Portrayed by Facio and Panormita: Four Versions of Emulation, Representation, and Virtue 95
  9. II. Cultural and Political Pretensions
  10. Illyrian Trojans in a Turkish Storm: Croatian Renaissance Lords and the Politics of Dynastic Origin Myths 121
  11. Personelle Serialität und nationale Geschichte. Überlegungen zu den Herrschergestalten in Franciscus Irenicus’ Germaniae Exegesis 157
  12. Riccardo Bartolinis Austrias (1516) oder: Wie ein Herrscher zum Feldherrn gegen die Türken wird 193
  13. III. Models Ancient, Medieval, and Modern
  14. Der Herrscher als zweiter Salomo. Zum Bild König Roberts von Anjou in der Renaissance 217
  15. Pier Candido Decembrio and the Suetonian Path to Princely Biography 237
  16. Die Cosmias des Giovanni Mario Filelfo (1426–1480) 271
  17. Einhard reloaded. Francesco Tedeschini Piccolomini, Hilarion aus Verona, Donato Acciaiuoli und die Karlsbiographik im italienischen Renaissance-Humanismus 287
  18. Auf den Spuren Paolo Giovios? Herrscherdarstellung in Jacobus Sluperius’ Elogia virorum bellica laude illustrium 307
  19. IV. Method
  20. Princes between Lorenzo Valla and Bartolomeo Facio 337
  21. Juan Páez de Castro, Charles V, and a Method for Royal Historiography 363
  22. Picturing the Perfect Patron? Francesco Filelfo’s Image of Francesco Sforza 391
  23. Verbis phucare tyrannos? Selbstanspruch und Leistungsspektren von zeithistorischer Epik als panegyrischem Medium im 15. Jahrhundert 415
  24. V. Critical Summary
  25. The Description Makes the Prince: Princely Portrayal from the Perspective of Transformation Theory 445
  26. Indices
  27. Index of Names 463
  28. Index of Places 485
  29. List of Contributors 491
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110473377-009

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents VII
  3. Introduction 1
  4. I. Virtues
  5. Der Herrscher und die gute Ordnung. Das Bild Karls VII. in der französischen Historiographie am Übergang von der tradierten zur humanistisch geprägten Historiographie 17
  6. Charlemagne am Renaissancehof. Die Darstellung Karls des Großen in Paolo Emilios De rebus gestis Francorum 39
  7. Guter König, schlechter König? Die Darstellung Heinrichs V. und Heinrichs VI. von England in Polydor Vergils Anglica historia 65
  8. Alfonso ›the Magnanimous‹ of Naples as Portrayed by Facio and Panormita: Four Versions of Emulation, Representation, and Virtue 95
  9. II. Cultural and Political Pretensions
  10. Illyrian Trojans in a Turkish Storm: Croatian Renaissance Lords and the Politics of Dynastic Origin Myths 121
  11. Personelle Serialität und nationale Geschichte. Überlegungen zu den Herrschergestalten in Franciscus Irenicus’ Germaniae Exegesis 157
  12. Riccardo Bartolinis Austrias (1516) oder: Wie ein Herrscher zum Feldherrn gegen die Türken wird 193
  13. III. Models Ancient, Medieval, and Modern
  14. Der Herrscher als zweiter Salomo. Zum Bild König Roberts von Anjou in der Renaissance 217
  15. Pier Candido Decembrio and the Suetonian Path to Princely Biography 237
  16. Die Cosmias des Giovanni Mario Filelfo (1426–1480) 271
  17. Einhard reloaded. Francesco Tedeschini Piccolomini, Hilarion aus Verona, Donato Acciaiuoli und die Karlsbiographik im italienischen Renaissance-Humanismus 287
  18. Auf den Spuren Paolo Giovios? Herrscherdarstellung in Jacobus Sluperius’ Elogia virorum bellica laude illustrium 307
  19. IV. Method
  20. Princes between Lorenzo Valla and Bartolomeo Facio 337
  21. Juan Páez de Castro, Charles V, and a Method for Royal Historiography 363
  22. Picturing the Perfect Patron? Francesco Filelfo’s Image of Francesco Sforza 391
  23. Verbis phucare tyrannos? Selbstanspruch und Leistungsspektren von zeithistorischer Epik als panegyrischem Medium im 15. Jahrhundert 415
  24. V. Critical Summary
  25. The Description Makes the Prince: Princely Portrayal from the Perspective of Transformation Theory 445
  26. Indices
  27. Index of Names 463
  28. Index of Places 485
  29. List of Contributors 491
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