Italy (1250-1350 CE)

Permanent Lordships

Jan 1, 1250

As assertive rulers begin to seize control of northern and central Italian cities, the communal governments are replaced by signorie, or governments by permanent lordship. The signorie continue the expansionist activity of the communes, while the Holy Roman Empire retains, officially at least, authority over the upper half of the peninsula.

Death of Frederick II

Dec 13, 1250

Frederick II was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages.

First Genoese-Venetian commercial war

Jan 1, 1256

Naval war in eastern Mediterranean over control of trade and shipping.

Treaty of Paris

Dec 4, 1258

Also known as the Treaty of Albeville, the Treaty of Paris was a treaty between Louis IX of France and Henry III of Englannd ending 100 years of conflicts between Capetian and Plantagenet dynasties.

Pulpit of the Pisa baptistery

Jan 1, 1260

The hexagonal pulpit consists of five scenes in white Carrara marble from the Life of Christ: the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation, the Crucifixion and the Last Judgement.

The Owl and the Nightingale

Jan 1, 1272

The poem consists entirely of a fierce debate between the eponymous owl and nightingale, as overheard by an unidentified narrator. It is possible that the poem was written in the 12th or 13th century, and “there is a serious possibility the poem was composed after the death of Henry III in 1272”

Initial S with the Beheading of Saint Paul

Jan 1, 1278

The Beheading of Saint Paul is one of two cuttings in the Metropolitan Museum's collection that was excised from the ensemble of choir books created for the Cathedral of Imola, near Bologna. As was often the case, the choir books were probably produced around the time of the cathedral's completion in 1271 and consecration in 1278. The patron may have been Bishop Sinibaldo Meloti da Certaldo, who also commissioned the decoration of the cathedral's tribune.

Invention of Eyeglasses

Jan 1, 1285

It is believed that Salvino D'Armate probably invented eyeglasses around 1285. He shared his invention with Allesandro della Spina, an Italian monk, who made it public. The first eyeglasses had frames made of metal or bone and lenses made out of quartz.

The building of Santa Croce, Florence began

May 12, 1294

The Basilica of Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan church in the world. The building of the church begun in 1294, Pope Eugene IV consecrated the church in 1442.

Kiss of Juda

Jan 1, 1306

A portion of the fresco cycle from the Arena Chapel is called the Kiss of Judus. Giotto painted the inside of the chapel. The cycle is divided into 37 scenes, arranged around the lateral walls in three tiers.

Divine Comedy

Jan 1, 1308

Perhaps the greatest literary expression of the Middle Age, Dante Alighieri writes the Divine Comedy in Italian verse. Born in Florence, Dante was extensively educated in literature, philosophy and scholastic theology. His "Comedy" is saturated with the belief of earthly immortality through worthy deeds and the preparation of life everlasting and shows the theological influence of St Thomas Aquinas.

Council of Ten

Jul 10, 1310

The Great Council established a Council of Ten with emergency power which was intended to last for 2 and a half months. It started on Sept. 29, but they keot extending it for 2 months or more until it finally became permanent in 1334. Members served for one year and could not be elected again until a year passed. Members of the same family could not be in the Ten, and three leaders served a month at a time. The Ten could not act without approval by the Doge and his cabinet of 6 councilors.

Arezzo Polyptych

Jan 1, 1320

Ambrogio Lorenzetti's brother, Pietro Lorenzetti painted Arezzo Polyptych. The gilded three-story altarpiece was commissioned for the Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo. At its centre is the Madonna and child, flanked by John the Evangelist, John the Baptist, Saint Matthew, and Arezzo's patron saint, Donatus. The rich colours, graceful lines, decorative detail, and supple figures endow the piece with "a vivacity rare in contemporary Sienese art."

Marco Polo Died

Jan 8, 1324

Marco Polo was an Venetian merchant traveler. He is the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience. He died Jan 8, 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice. (Picture shows his travel route)

Il Canzoniere

Jan 1, 1327

Il Canzoniere was written by Francesco Petrarca. It is a collection of 366 poems. Its central theme is Petrarch's love for Laura, a women he met at church.

Maestà

Jan 1, 1335

In his Maestà, completed in 1335, Ambrogio Lorenzet use of allegory prefigures Effects of Bad Government in the City. In Maestà, Lorenzetti follows the artistic tradition set by other Sienese painters, such as Simone Martini, though adds a scene of an intense maternal bonding to his Maestà, which was unusual in contemporary Sienese art.

Church of San Gottardo

Jan 1, 1336

Church of San Gottardo was started in 1330 and finished in 1336. The octagonal bell tower was the first public clock in Italy.

Annunciation

Jan 1, 1344

Ambrogio Lorenzetti's final piece, the Annunciation, tells the story of Virgin Mary receiving the news from an angel about the coming of baby Jesus. It contains the first use of clear linear perspective.

Black Death

Jan 1, 1347

Plague ravages Sicily and the Italian peninsula, killing more than half of the population. Combined with the devastating collapse of the banking industry in Florence in 1346, the so-called Black Death brings to an end a long period of economic and demographic growth in Italy.

The Decameron

Jan 1, 1348

The Decameron is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men sheltering in a secluded villa just outside Florence to escape the Black Death. Boccaccio complete the Decameron by 1353.