Giovanni Villani (c. 1280–1348) was an Italian banker, official, diplomat, and chronicler from Florence who wrote the Nuova Cronica on the history of Florence. He was a leading statesman of Florence but later gained an unsavory reputation and served time in prison due to the bankruptcy of a trading and banking company he worked for. His interest and elaboration in economic details, statistical information, and political and psychological insight signifies him as a more modern late medieval chronicler of Europe. His Cronica is viewed as the first introduction of statistics as a positive element in history. However, historian Kenneth R. Bartlett notes that "his reliance on such elements as Divine Providence links Villani closely with the medieval vernacular chronical tradition," that is to say, not linked closely with his Renaissance-era successors. In recurring themes made implicit through significant events described in his Cronica, Villani also emphasized three assumptions about sin and morality that guided historical events, these being that excess brings disaster, forces of right and wrong are at constant struggle, and that events are directly related to the will of God. While continuing work on the Cronica and detailing the enormous loss of life during the Black Death in 1348, Villani died of the very same illness. His work on the Cronica was continued by his brother and nephew. Villani's work has received both praise and criticism from modern historians.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Villani> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1808: The people of Madrid rebelled against French occupation of the city, triggering the Peninsular War. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dos_de_Mayo_Uprising> 1829: Captain Charles Fremantle of the Royal Navy established the Swan River Colony, the first British settlement on the west coast of Australia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_River_Colony> 1945: World War II: General Helmuth Weidling, commander of the German troops in Berlin, surrendered the city to Soviet forces led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov, ending the Battle of Berlin. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin> 1982: Falklands War: HMS Conqueror launched three torpedoes and sank ARA General Belgrano , the only ship ever to have been sunk by a nuclear-powered submarine. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARA_General_Belgrano> 1986: Henri Toivonen was killed in an accident while leading the Tour de Corse rally, resulting in FISA, the sport governing body for motor racing events, banning the powerful and popular Group B rally cars for the following season. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Toivonen> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: alacrity (n): 1. Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm. 2. Promptness; speed <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alacrity> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: We are so bound together that no man can labor for himself alone. Each blow he strikes in his own behalf helps to mold the Universe. --Jerome K. Jerome <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jerome_K._Jerome> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
