Morosini Codex

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The Morosini Codex (Codice Morosini) is a work of Venetian historiography that has only survived in a single manuscript . It is an autograph from the pen of Antonio di Marco Morosini , the publication of which was prohibited by the Council of Ten in 1418 .

Manuscripts and tradition formation, language and content

The autograph is available in the form of two codices in the Austrian National Library (manuscript, autograph and estate collection, 6586-6587; ex Foscarini CCXXXIV-CCXXXV: Cronaca di Venezia). Morosini himself described his work as "questa cronica" (this chronicle), "questo libro" (this book), "questa scrittura" (this writing), but especially in par. 65,397 as "questa scritura over cronicha de Veniexia". With his diaries, a tradition began that was later continued by Giorgio Dolfin (1433 / 1434–1457) via Girolamo Priuli (1494–1512) to Marino Sanudo the Younger (1496–1533).

Antonio Morosini wrote in Volgare , more precisely, the Venetian vernacular, and his work is divided into two parts. On the one hand, it encompasses a wide-ranging history of Venice , which testifies to a horizon that touches the entire Mediterranean, large parts of Europe and the Middle East, and spans the period from 1094 to 1413. This part thus offers the characteristics of a chronicle . This is followed as the second part in terms of content, a diary , a diary-like recording of events, contexts and states. This covers the period from 1414 to September 20, 1433.

History of the manuscript

In 1756, the scholar Annibale degli Abati Olivieri Giordani (1708–1789) from Pesaro donated the manuscript that has survived to this day to the Venetian patrician Marco Foscarini . Its collection, like so many book and art collections in Venice, went on sale with the dissolution of the Republic of Venice from 1797. After a brief French occupation under Napoleon , the territory of the republic came to Austria . With this, the Venetian nobility lost the majority of their sources of income, because work in the civil service had become one of the essential material foundations of the nobility. Foscarini's heirs sold the collection to Vienna from September 1799 through the mediation of the Austrian government . The 105 codices of the Fonds ex Foscarini are still among the most important holdings of the Austrian National Library .

Apparently Morosini had made a kind of backup copy before handing his work over to the Council of Ten , which was supposed to answer the question of permission to print in a censorship process . This copy, which has been lost, spanned the period up to August 12, 1418. It was in the hands of Conte Ludovico Manin around 1850. From the files of the Council of Ten, which acted in secret and did not initiate systematic filing, there is no evidence of the act of censorship at the time. Perhaps the entry that was at least possible disappeared in the first half of the 19th century, when many of the trial documents fell victim to the upheavals in the State Archives .

The author

Numerous reflections have been made about the author, who was born in 1368 at the latest, the earliest of which was the Doge Marco Foscarini (1696–1763, Doge from 1762). From 1735 Foscarini was a pubblico istoriografo , i.e. a historian appointed by the state. He was the first to systematically collect biographical information from the Morosini Codex.

The Codex then moved to Vienna and slumbered there in the archive until Vittorio Lazzarini received a research assignment from Léon Dorez and Germain Lefèvre-Pontalis in connection with the person and the work of Morosini, in order to use excerpts from it for their history of France. It was of the greatest importance that in a resolution of the Council of Ten from 1418 of “duos libros” by “cronicas” was mentioned. It stated that some passages were dangerous for the state of Venice and that publication was therefore prohibited. The copy was returned to the author without any trace of censorship.

Further investigations that Georg Christ 2005 led it permitted means of some letters from commissaria of Biagio Dolfin identify Antonio Morosini as the author of the Chronicle. From a passage in the Morosini Chronicle (par. 65.1928) it can be shown that Antonio Morosini, who on November 20, 1433 was still busy with the writing of his work, was a son of Marco Morosini. Elsewhere, two nephews, Benedetto and Lorenzo, can be captured, whereby Lorenzo was sovracomito de la galia da Coron in the winter of 1431 on 1432, i.e. was active in the highest naval service in Koron on the southwestern Peloponnese . The two were sons of the nobleman "ser" Giusto Morosini (par. 65.1626; January 27, 1432). We also learn that one of her sisters, Francesco Cornaro from the Contrada Santa Fosca, married in the Cannaregio sestiere (par. 65.1179; January 13-14, 1430). But these are the only facts about Morosini that can be found in the chronicle. The branch (ramo) of the Morosini to which he belonged is just as little given as the contrada (community) of his residence. This is problematic because the choice of first names preferred by the aristocratic houses is small, and consequently there were several members of the large Morosini clan at this time who could be the authors of the chronicle. Although other Morosini are mentioned by his first name in the Codices of Antonio Morosini, it is not clear from the context whether this is an autoreference or another bearer of the name Antonio Morosini.

Antonio's father, Marco, could be identical to Michele Morosini's brother , who was Doge in 1382. Marco and Michele may have had two brothers named Paolo and Albano, but their father was probably Marino Morosini, as Lazzarini suggested, correcting Rinaldo Fulin, who had assumed Marco was Piero's son. Two wills from Marco and his wife Caterina have again been preserved in the Venice State Archives, dated October 1, 1368 and May 29, 1377. Marco had already died in 1377. These wills indicate that the couple lived in the parish of Santa Maria Formosa, in the Castello sestiere , and that the couple had a number of children. Among them was Antonio, the third son, whose two older brothers Lorenzo and Giorgio are just as well known as his younger brother Giusto, whom the author mentions in his work. The names of the four sisters are also known, namely Marina, Lucia, Bianca and Anna, of whom the author mentions that one of them married Francesco Cornaro di Santa Fosca.

On March 1, 1377, Antonio di Marco Morosini had his will publicly drawn up, and on May 27, 1384 he added a codicillo . This Antonio owned 1,500 gold ducats and a further fortune of 200 ducats in addition to a quarter of his parents' house . He belonged to the Dominican Terciarii , who had their focus in the monastery of San Zanipolon and at the same time in the brotherhood of the Penitentiare , the Schuola d'i Batudi of Santa Maria della Misericordia .

A Antonio di Marco Morosini was involved in the December 4, 1388 at an election process in the Great Council, he removed the golden voice balls balle . At that time, he should have been between 20 and 25 years old. He was married to Sofia de 'Garzoni.

Under the date of death of the chronicler Antonio di Marco Morosini, one finds on the last sheet that during the Carnival of 1434 an Andrea di Francesco Zulian married for the fourth time "la fia de ser Zuan Dolfin relicta quondam ser Antonio Morexini". The marriage must therefore have taken place in February 1433 ( more veneto ), i.e. at the beginning of 1434. However, the identity of the late Antonio Morosini cannot be clarified. Finally, the list of the Order of St. John of Rhodes for the year 1427 also includes a brother named Antonio Morosini from Venice.

So there is a whole series of other statements outside of the chronicle about a Morosini named Antonio, sons of a Marco with two nipoti named Benedetto and Lorenzo, sons of a Giusto.

The edition

In 2010 Andrea Nanetti produced a four-volume edition of this work, known as the Cronaca Diario . The first volume includes according to the title Introduzione e Cronaca-Diario dal 1094 al 1413 (fino a tutto il dogado di Michele Steno) , so an introduction and the historiographical part up to the end of Doge Michele Steno (1400-1413). Volumes 2 and 3 contain the Diario dal 1414 al 13.V.1426 (dogado di Tommaso Mocenigo e §§ 1–445 dogado di Francesco Foscari) and the Diario dal 13.V.1426 al 20.IX.1433 (§§ 446–983 dogado di Francesco Foscari) , ie the diaries between 1414 and 1433. Volume 4 finally offers a historical classification, explanations of the connection to the rest of the Venetian chronicle and to Venice's diaries. Finally, appendices and bibliography follow, namely as appendice I (p. 1749–1757) with a chronology of the Doges of Venice, appendice II (p. 1759–1813) with a repertory of the printed editions of the Venetian chronicles, the bibliography and three indices, namely for names, places and things to be emphasized ( cose notevoli ). There is also a facsimile of the nautical map by Francesco de Cesanis from 1421.

The templates of the chronicle

According to Nanetti, Morosini resorted to an extensive series of manuscripts when composing his work. Among these Latin writings are the Translatio sancti Marci from Rome alone ( Biblioteca Casanatense , 718, folia 131v – 134r, sec. XI ex .; Archivio Capitolare di San Giovanni in Laterano , A 79, folia 190v – 193v, sec. XI ex . – XII in .; Biblioteca Vallicelliana , XVII, folia 162–168v, sec. XI ex. – XII in .; Vat. Lat. 1196, folia 157v – 162v, sec. XII ex .; Vat. Lat. 7014, folia 47-210v, sec. XII in). Further manuscripts used by Morosini can be found in the Venetian Marciana , lat. Z. 356, folia 173v – 177v, sec. XII; then in Orléans Médiathèque, Patrimoine 197.

Morosini also used the Historia Veneticorum by Johannes Diaconus (Vat. Urb. Lat. 440, sec. XI in .; Vat. Lat. 5269, sec. XIII in .; Venice, Marciana, lat. X, 141 from the 15th century. Century); the Chronica de singulis patriarchis Nove Aquileie ; the Chronicon Gradense (Vat. Urb. lat. 440, sec. XII; Vat. lat. 5269, sec. XIII in .; Venice, Biblioteca del Seminario Patriarcale di Venezia , 951, sec. XIII; Venice, Marciana, lat. X 141, sec. XV); the Chronicon Altinate (Vat. lat. 5273, sec. XIII; Dresden , Sächsische Landesbibliothek , F 168, sec. XIII; Venice, Marciana, It. XI, 124 del sec. XVI in.); the Passio, translatio e inventio dei santi Ermagora e Fortunato (Vat. Barb. lat. 714; Vat. lat. 846 del IX sec .; Vat. Reg. lat. 539; Venice, Marciana, lat. IX, 27 (2797) , lat. IX, 19 (2946) and lat. IX, 27 (2797); York , Cathedral Library, XVI.G.23); the Chronica A Latina (Venice, Museo Correr , PD 392c, 1r – 19r, sec. XV; Venice, Marciana, lat. X, 136; Munich , Bayerische Staatsbibliothek , lat. 14621), the Chronica Venetiarum , the Annales Venetici breves ( Vat. Lat. 5273, folia 9v – 13r, sec. XIII), the Relatio di Domenico Tino , the shortened version of the Chronica of Andrea Dandolo (Vat. Barb. Lat. 2334; Venice, Museo Correr, PD 392c, folia 1r– 19r, sec. XV; Venice, Marciana, lat. X, 296, sec. XIV e lat. X, 259, sec. XV for the shorter version, and Turin , Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria di Torino , I.IV.7; Vat . lat. 5282, sec.XIV ex .; Vat. lat. 5286, sec.XIV ex .; Vat. lat. 2008, sec. XV; Vat. lat. 5842, sec. XV ex .; Venice, Museo Correr, PD 142c, sec. XV in .; Modena , Biblioteca Estense , lat. 443–444, sec. XV in .; Venice, Marciana, lat. X, 10 e lat. X, 11; lat. X. 139 e 140, sec.XVI; Paris , Bibliothèque nationale de France , lat. 5874, end of sec.XV for the versione estesa), the Satyrica historia des Paolino Minorita ( † 1344) (Vat. lat. 1960; Venice, Marciana, lat.Zan. 399; Cesena , Biblioteca Malatestiana , S.XI.5), the Chronicon de rebus Venetis of Lorenzo De Monacis , the Legendarium of Pietro Calò (Venice, Marciana, Latin IX, 15-20) and the Chronica of Rafaino de 'Caresini (Venice , Museo Correr, PD 392c, ff. 20r – 36, sec. XV; Venice, Marciana, lat. X, 10, lat. X, 259, lat. X, 122, lat. X, 138, lat. X, 237 , lat. X, 392; It. VII, 67; finally Modena, Biblioteca Estense, lat. 482; Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, lat. 14621; Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 5874, fine sec. XV); Vat. Lat. 5842, sec. XV ex .; Vienna, Austrian National Library, 6119).

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Léon Dorez (transl.), Germain Lefèvre-Pontalis (insert.): Chronique d'Antonio Morosini. Extraits relatifs à l'histoire de France , 4 volumes, Paris 1898–1902 ( digitized version ).
  2. ^ Rinaldo Fulin: Saggio del catalogo dei codici di EA Cicogna , in: Archivio Veneto 4 (1872) 59-68 (Origine della biblioteca di EA Cicogna), 69-132, 337-398, p. 348.