Domenico da Gravina

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Domenico da Gravina (* early 14th century in Gravina in Puglia ; † after 1350) was an Italian historian . He wrote a chronicle in Latin entitled Chronicon de rebus in Apulia gestis, which is an important historiographical source for the history of the Kingdom of Naples from 1333 to 1350.

Life

Information on the biography of Domenico da Gravina is only available in his own chronicle. It takes its name from the city of Gravina in the Kingdom of Naples, where he was born. Professionally he worked as a notary .

Domenico da Gravina took a lively interest in the political turmoil in his fatherland and had to endure various misunderstandings. When Joan I succeeded her uncle Robert in the government of the Kingdom of Naples in 1343, violent disputes soon arose between the supporters of the queen's husband, Andrew of Hungary , and the party of Prince Louis of Taranto , who trusted and loved Joan had won. The dispute ended with the assassination of King Andrew (September 1345) and the marital union of Johannas with Ludwig von Taranto. King Ludwig I of Hungary went to Italy with an army at the end of 1347 to avenge his brother Andreas and in January 1348 conquered Naples . After his departure, Johanna returned and a civil war broke out between the parties, which led the King of Hungary to a second campaign in Naples in April 1350.

Like all of Apulia , the city of Gravina, which had fallen to Johanna's sister Maria , wife of Duke Karl von Durazzo , in 1344, became involved in the disputes of that time. In contrast to the Italian historian Albano Sorbelli , who published Domenico's chronicle in the 1900s, Mario Caravale does not believe that Domenico joined the Hungarian party as early as 1345 after the murder of Johanna's husband Andreas. Rather, Domenico reports in his chronicle about the accusation made against him that he took part in the conspiracy against Andreas and in his killing. The chronicler, however, firmly rejects this accusation, which probably arose at the end of 1345.

His chronicle provides more precise details about Domenico's life for the period from the last months of the year 1348. Until then, the city of Gravina had remained loyal to the Duchess of Durazzo. The ducal captain Pietro di San Felice ruled the city. Probably out of fear of a military intervention by Stephan Laczkfy, voivode of Transylvania , who was left behind by King Ludwig I as a general in the Kingdom of Naples , he resigned from his post in 1348. Angelo Gualteri has now been elected in his place. Domenico da Gravina was also likely to have remained loyal to the Duchess of Durazzo until then, as he was in charge of Gravina Castle. It was not until the beginning of 1349 that the opposing side seemed to have changed, when the voivode Stephan decided to appoint Nicola di Angelo di Monte Sant'Angelo as mayor of Gravina. He first sent two scouts to Gravina, who were accommodated by Domenico in his house. At the beginning of February 1349, Domenico also organized a meeting in which the inhabitants of Gravina elected the voivod candidate for city governor and instructed Domenico and two other townspeople to inform Nicola di Angelo of this decision.

Although the inhabitants of Gravina had defected again briefly after Domenico's departure under pressure from the supporters of the Duchess of Durazzo and Domenico found the gates of the castle of Gravina locked on his return - together with Nicola di Angelo - the Hungarian party was soon able to Gain the upper hand. Nicola the Angelo entered the city on February 9, 1349, while the leaders of the opposing party fled to Roberto di Sanseverino . Domenico da Gravina went to Barletta to the voivode Stephan, took part in the subjugation of Ruvo and Terlizzi carried out by Hungarian troops and then received a troop formation led by Giovanni Chutz. After defeating Roberto di Sanseverino, the Hungarian party controlled Gravina and its territory.

After Commander Chutz and his garrison troops had withdrawn from Gravina soon afterwards, Roberto di Sanseverino went back to the city. This time Domenico, who had traveled to Barletta again, asked the voivod for help in vain. Despite Domenico's contradiction, the leaders of the Hungarian party who remained in Gravina decided to eliminate their internal opponents. Domenico could not prevail with his suggestion to defend Gravina against the attack of Roberto di Sanseverino. Instead, most members of the Hungarian party who considered resistance to be hopeless left the city on April 28, 1349. Domenico joined them and only took his eldest son Gregorio with him, while his mother, wife and three younger children stayed in Gravina.

Via Corato Domenico da Gravina went to Monte Sant'Angelo , Barletta and finally to Altamura , where he met his wife, mother and son Cola again. His other two children were held hostage in Gravina and his property there confiscated from his opponents. Probably in June 1349 he moved to Bitonto . From there he fought on on the Hungarian side, proceeded in vain against Gravina and took part in an attack on Somma Vesuviana in 1350. His two children who were still in Gravina were finally allowed to move in with him in Bitonto. Because his chronicle was broken off in 1350, nothing is known about Domenico's further fate.

timeline

The historical work of Domenico da Gravina, titled Chronicon de rebus in Apulia gestis , is a main source for the armed conflict between Joan I and Ludwig I of Hungary over the Kingdom of Naples (1348-1350), especially for the military conflicts in Apulia at that time . The chronicle, which was probably written in 1349/50, provides information about some events about which otherwise no news can be found. It has only survived in a single manuscript from the 14th century (probably the autograph ) , which is now kept in the Austrian National Library . This manuscript is mutilated at the beginning and at the end, but still contains the story of the events in southern Italy from 1333 to 1350. At the beginning, however, the introduction about the reign of King Robert of Anjou and at the end part of the story of the second train of the King of Hungary to Naples. The chronicle closes with Louis I's definitive renunciation of the Kingdom of Naples.

Lodovico Antonio Muratori first published Domenico's historical work, which does not strictly follow the chronological order (in the Rerum Italicarum Scriptores , Volume XII, Milan 1728, pp. 549–722) and drew attention to its importance. After further editions, Albano Sorbelli organized an edition of the chronicle as part of the new edition of the Rerum Italicarum Scriptores (Volume XII, 3, Città di Castello 1903-1909). Domenico da Gravina is entirely on the side of the Hungarians and praises their actions and behavior, which is why his judgments about Johanna and her followers must be taken with caution, but Sorbelli believes that the chronicler is usually relatively objective and truthful in describing the events remains true. But he does not seem to know firsthand what happened shortly before and after the murder of Andreas of Hungary at the Neapolitan court. The narrative is clear, but not very appealing and slow due to the inclusion of some insignificant facts.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c Philipp H. Külb : Gravina (Domenico da) . In: Johann Samuelersch , Johann Gottfried Gruber (Hrsg.): Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste , 1st section, vol. 88 (1868), p. 300.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Mario Caravale:  DOMENICO da Gravina. In: Massimiliano Pavan (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 40:  DiFausto – Donadoni. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1991.
personal data
SURNAME Gravina, Domenico there
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian historian
DATE OF BIRTH before 1330
PLACE OF BIRTH Gravina in Puglia
DATE OF DEATH after 1350