Liber Jani de Procida et Palialoco
Encyclopedia
The Liber Jani de Procida et Palialoco ("Book of John of Procida and Palaeologus") is a medieval Tuscan history of the Sicilian Vespers
. It focusses on the conspiratorial role played by John of Procida
, cast as the villain. It was almost certainly written in Tuscany
and is often considered synoptic
with the Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida
, written by a Modenese
Guelf. The contemporaneous Sicilian
Rebellamentu di Sichilia portrays John as a hero. Both Tuscan versions are later than the Sicilian, but may share the Reballamentu as a source. Conversely, all three may derive from an earlier, now lost source. All three agree on the centrality of John of Procida in the Vespers. The Liber emphasises his connexion with Michael VIII Palaeologus, the Byzantine emperor.
The famous story of the provocation of the Vespers through the rape of a Sicilian woman by a French soldier is contained within the Rebellamentu and La vinuta di lu re Iapicu in Catania, the other Sicilian chronicle by Atanasiu di Iaci
. The Liber Jani has a similar story, but in it the woman turns a knife on the Frenchman and his comrades come to his aid. The Liber is preserved in a Vatican
manuscript and is published by Lodovico Antonio Muratori in his Raccolta degli storici Italiani, XXXIV.43–78.
Sicilian Vespers
The Sicilian Vespers is the name given to the successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out on the Easter of 1282 against the rule of the French/Angevin king Charles I, who had ruled the Kingdom of Sicily since 1266. Within six weeks three thousand French men and women were slain by...
. It focusses on the conspiratorial role played by John of Procida
John of Procida
John of Procida was an Italian medieval physician and diplomat.He was born at Salerno, educated in the Schola Medica as a physician. He was a noted physician for his age and received at professorial chair at this university...
, cast as the villain. It was almost certainly written in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
and is often considered synoptic
Synoptic
Synoptic is derived from the Greek words σύν and ὄψις , and describes observations that give a broad view of a subject at a particular time. Specific uses include:*Synoptic scale meteorology*Synoptic Gospels*SynOptics...
with the Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida
Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida
The Leggenda di Messer Gianni di Procida is a short medieval Tuscan history of the Sicilian Vespers, synoptic with another early Tuscan account, the Liber Jani de Procida et Palialoco. Both texts focus on the conspiratorial role played by John of Procida, who is cast as a villain...
, written by a Modenese
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
Guelf. The contemporaneous Sicilian
Sicilian language
Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects make up the Extreme-Southern Italian language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is...
Rebellamentu di Sichilia portrays John as a hero. Both Tuscan versions are later than the Sicilian, but may share the Reballamentu as a source. Conversely, all three may derive from an earlier, now lost source. All three agree on the centrality of John of Procida in the Vespers. The Liber emphasises his connexion with Michael VIII Palaeologus, the Byzantine emperor.
The famous story of the provocation of the Vespers through the rape of a Sicilian woman by a French soldier is contained within the Rebellamentu and La vinuta di lu re Iapicu in Catania, the other Sicilian chronicle by Atanasiu di Iaci
Atanasiu di Iaci
Frate Atanasiu di Iaci or Athanasiu da Jaci was a Benedictine monk and historiographer from Aci. He wrote Vinuta di lu re Iapicu in Catania , a Sicilian chronicle of the arrival and stay of James I in Catania in May 1287...
. The Liber Jani has a similar story, but in it the woman turns a knife on the Frenchman and his comrades come to his aid. The Liber is preserved in a Vatican
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
manuscript and is published by Lodovico Antonio Muratori in his Raccolta degli storici Italiani, XXXIV.43–78.
Online editions
- Vincenzo di Giovanni (1871), "Liber Yani de Procita et Paliologo," Filologia e letteratura siciliana: studii (Palermo: L. P. Lauriel), 52–94.