Tito Livio Frulovisi
Encyclopedia
Tito Livio Frulovisi was a humanist
from Ferrara
and grew up in Venice
. It was there that he wrote his first works, a set of comedies which were performed by schoolboys. They were some of the first examples of this genre in Renaissance Italy. In the early 1430s, Frulovisi travelled to Naples and then returned north to his hometown of Ferrara. There he sought employment at the court of the ruling d'Este dynasty, in 1434 dedicating to them his dialogue on government, De Republica. He may also have written there two further comedies.
He did not stay there for long, however; he travelled across the Alps
, finally arriving in England
, probably in 1436. He was employed in the household of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
, and wrote for him both a poem celebrating the duke's martial exploits, Humfrois, and a biography of Humfrey's late brother, Henry V of England
. This latter work, the Vita Henrici Quinti, is the work for which Frulovisi is best known; it has long been considered the earliest posthumous biography of Henry V, though, in fact, it was heavily derivative of another work, the Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti, once ascribed to Thomas Elmham
. The only published edition of Frulovisi's Vita is that made by Thomas Hearne
in the eighteenth century. It was also translated into Italian in the fifteenth century by Pier Candido Decembrio
and into English in the first years of the reign of Henry VIII
.
Once again, Frulovisi did not stay long in his place of residence: he left England, probably in 1438, and returned to Italy. He was for a time in Milan and then journeyed to Spain, via France. There is little information about his later years, though it appears that he trained as a medical doctor.
References
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
from Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
and grew up in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. It was there that he wrote his first works, a set of comedies which were performed by schoolboys. They were some of the first examples of this genre in Renaissance Italy. In the early 1430s, Frulovisi travelled to Naples and then returned north to his hometown of Ferrara. There he sought employment at the court of the ruling d'Este dynasty, in 1434 dedicating to them his dialogue on government, De Republica. He may also have written there two further comedies.
He did not stay there for long, however; he travelled across the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, finally arriving in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, probably in 1436. He was employed in the household of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester
Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Pembroke, KG , also known as Humphrey Plantagenet, was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of king Henry IV of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to king Henry V of England, and uncle to the...
, and wrote for him both a poem celebrating the duke's martial exploits, Humfrois, and a biography of Humfrey's late brother, Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
. This latter work, the Vita Henrici Quinti, is the work for which Frulovisi is best known; it has long been considered the earliest posthumous biography of Henry V, though, in fact, it was heavily derivative of another work, the Vita et Gesta Henrici Quinti, once ascribed to Thomas Elmham
Thomas Elmham
-Life:He was probably born at North Elmham in Norfolk. He may have been the Thomas Elmham who was a scholar at King's Hall, Cambridge from 1389 to 1394...
. The only published edition of Frulovisi's Vita is that made by Thomas Hearne
Thomas Hearne
Thomas Hearne or Hearn , English antiquary, was born at Littlefield Green in the parish of White Waltham, Berkshire.-Life:...
in the eighteenth century. It was also translated into Italian in the fifteenth century by Pier Candido Decembrio
Pietro Candido Decembrio
Pietro Candido Decembrio was a well-known Italian humanist and author of the Renaissance, and one of those involved in the rediscovery of ancient literature.The son of the humanist Uberto Decembrio, he was born in Pavia, and named after his father's employer Peter of Candia...
and into English in the first years of the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Once again, Frulovisi did not stay long in his place of residence: he left England, probably in 1438, and returned to Italy. He was for a time in Milan and then journeyed to Spain, via France. There is little information about his later years, though it appears that he trained as a medical doctor.
References
- C. W. Previté-Orton ed., Opera hactenus inedita T. Livii de Frulovisiis de Ferraria (Cambridge, 1932).
- G. Arbizzoni, ‘Frulovisi, Tito Livio de’’ in Dizionario biografico degli Italiani, l (Roma, 1998), pp. 646 – 50.
- R. Sabbadini, ‘Tito Livio Frulovisio umanista del sec. XV’, Giornale storico della Letteratura italiana, ciii (1934), pp. 55 – 81.
- M. L. King, Venetian Humanism in an Age of Patrician Dominance, (Princeton, 1986), pp. 377 – 78.
- D. Rundle, ‘Tito Livio Frulovisi, and the place of comedies in the formation of a humanist’s career’, Studi Umanistici Piceni, xxiv (2004), pp. 193 – 202.
- D. Rundle, 'The Unoriginality of Tito Livio Frulovisi's Vita Henrici Quinti, English Historical Review, cxxiii (2008), pp. 1109 – 1131.