Apocalypse in Rome : Cola di Rienzo and the politics of the New Age / Ronald G. Musto.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Musto, Ronald G.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rienzo, Cola di, -1354.

Rienzo, Cola di.

Revolutionaries--Italy--Rome--Biography.

Revolutionaries.

Rome (Italy)--History--476-1420.

Rome (Italy).

Rome (Italy)--Biography.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xx, 436 pages, 20 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations, maps

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

On May 20, 1347, Cola di Rienzo overthrew without violence the turbulent rule of Rome's barons and the absentee popes. A young visionary and the best political speaker of his time, Cola promised Rome a return to its former greatness. Ronald G. Musto's vivid biography of this charismatic leader-whose exploits have enlivened the work of poets, composers, and dramatists, as well as historians-peels away centuries of interpretation to reveal the realities of fourteenth-century Italy and to offer a comprehensive account of Cola's rise and fall. A man of modest origins, Cola gained a reputation as a talented professional with an unparalleled knowledge of Rome's classical remains. After earning the respect and friendship of Petrarch and the sponsorship of Pope Clement VI, Cola won the affections and loyalties of all classes of Romans. His buono stato established the reputation of Rome as the heralded New Jerusalem of the Apocalypse and quickly made the city a potent diplomatic and religious center that challenged the authority-and power-of both pope and emperor. At the height of Cola's rule, a conspiracy of pope and barons forced him to flee the city and live for years as a fugitive until he was betrayed and taken to Avignon to stand trial as a heretic. Musto relates the dramatic story of Cola's subsequent exoneration and return to central Italy as an agent of the new pope. But only weeks after he reestablished his government, he was slain by the Romans atop the Capitoline hill. In his exploration, Musto examines every known document pertaining to Cola's life, including papal, private, and diplomatic correspondence rarely used by earlier historians. With his intimate knowledge of historical Rome-its streets and ruins, its churches and palaces, from the busy Tiber riverfront to the lost splendor of the Capitoline-he brings a cinematic flair to this fascinating historical narrative.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Tables

Preface and Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations

Introduction: Cola di Rienzo

1. Birth, Youth, and Society

2. Education, Profession, and Family

3. Reviving Antiquity

4. The Popes at Avignon

5. Cola and the Barons

6. Preparing for the Apocalypse

7. Pentecost

8. The Buono Stato

9. Cola and the World

10. War with the Barons

11. Abdication and Exile

12. Last World Emperor and Angel Pope

13. Apocalypse in Rome

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 377-408) and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786613277060

9781283277068

1283277069

9780520928725

0520928725

9781597344715

1597344710

OCLC:

475928019